Chapter 14 Seeking help
Cleber lay motionless in the hospital bed, his body contending with the pain that still radiated through him. His face, once sculpted with strong, masculine lines, was now deformed and swollen as a result of a series of ruthless punches thrown by his wife's nephew. With each breath, each movement, the memory of that violent attack stirred a wave of anger that simmered in his chest. He could hardly wait to leave this sterile, cold place, dreaming of the moment when he could settle the score with the youngster who had the audacity to defy him.
Suddenly, his dark brown eyes narrowed in surprise when he noticed a familiar figure at the door. "Paula," he whispered, his weak voice barely managing to form the words he wished to express. A shadow of resentment tinged his tone, the feelings of abandonment making themselves present. "So you finally showed up to visit your husband." His eyes were fixed on her, frustration and confusion mixing in his expression.
"Where the hell were you last night?" He asked, his voice gaining a bit more strength with his rising indignation. "Why weren't you there to bring me to the hospital?" The accusation hung in the air between them, a silent reminder of the unspoken feelings and unresolved issues that still lingered between the couple.
"I've made up my mind. I want a divorce, Cleber. I don't want to be with you anymore. I can't... I just don't have the will anymore," declared Paula with a firmness rarely seen in her gaze. It was as if she was freeing herself from invisible chains, finally deciding to face the storm of her life. The woman who had for so long remained silent, who had endured the unbearable, was now standing tall, resolute in her decision. She yearned for freedom, yearned to escape from the damn man who had abused her, who had broken her into pieces.
"What?" Cleber bellowed, his face contorting into an expression of disbelief and anger. He sat up abruptly, the bed creaking in protest against the sudden movement. The room, once filled with a tense silence, was now charged with the barely contained fury of a man confronted.
Paula recoiled, a protective instinctive move. Her heart pounded in her chest, racing, but she stood firm, her eyes fixed on Cleber. She took a step back, her back hitting the cold wall. But unlike a gesture of fear, it was a positioning, a line in the sand. She was determined, she would not back down anymore.
Cleber looked at Paula, questioning the sudden change in her behavior. "What gave you this courage, huh?" He asked, with a hint of surprise and confusion. His eyes roved over her, noting the care with which she was dressed. "You look good, all dressed up, looking great... I can only remember seeing you like this when we were dating and in the first months of marriage. After that, never again."
He extended his hand and gently slid his fingers through the strands of hair that framed Paula's face. At his touch and pull, she let out a sharp scream: "Kyaaa!" Cleber, however, was not intimidated. His hand moved from her hair to her face, holding it with a force that silenced her protests.
His narrowed eyes locked onto hers. "All dolled up like this, what could you be planning, huh?" Suspicion began to creep into his voice. "You want a divorce, don't you?" He mused, his thoughts racing. "Staying alone, I find hard to believe. So who will it be?" He wondered, suspicion turning to jealousy. "I've never allowed you near other men... It has to be someone." His words trailed off in a murmur, as he continued to conjecture, his grip on Paula's face staying firm.
"Let go of me, you disgusting man!" Paula managed to utter these words with extreme difficulty, her voice muffled and shaky under the brutal grip of Cleber's fingers on her delicate face. Her heart was beating at a fast pace, almost leaping out of her chest, as panic flooded every fiber of her being.
"Disgusting... me?" Cleber retorted with a bitter and cruel laugh, the words came out like venom from his lips. "If I'm disgusting, what does that make you, Paula? You've spent years in my company, wouldn't that make you even filthier? Besides, am I not the one who has a crush on my own nephew..."
Saying this, Cleber's eyes widened, as if he had stumbled upon a revelation. He thought he had discovered the reason, at least what he believed to be the real reason behind all this drama. His face twisted into a grotesque and distorted expression of anger and jealousy.
He realized, with a pang of fury, that the reason Paula was so stunningly dressed up, demanding the divorce with such conviction, could be because of her nephew. Perhaps, he thought bitterly, she believes she'll get the chance to be with her nephew after separating from him, Cleber.
"Paula, are you having an affair with your own nephew?" He accused, jealousy and anger turning his voice into a roar. "Is that why he attacked me? Because you asked him to?"
Paula, who had been quiet until now, finally found her voice. "You're crazy, Cleber! You're crazy!" She screamed, her voice echoing throughout the empty room. "I never... I would never do something like that. I want a divorce because I can't be around you anymore. You're cruel, abusive, and a monster!"
Cleber, taken aback by her outburst, let go of her face. Paula took the opportunity and backed away from him, rubbing the spot where he had gripped.
"And about my nephew, he has nothing to do with this. He defended me because he saw what you were doing to me. He saw the truth behind your lies and acted." Paula continued, her eyes glowing with a rare fury. "And I... I've never been prouder of him."
"Of course, you must be yearning for him to touch your preciousness, aren't you? Yearning for him to fill it with his essence, I can bet on that." Cleber said, bitterness shaping every word, every syllable. He collapsed on the bed, the weight of the situation consuming every fiber of his being. The image of the detestable Eugênio formed in his mind, a hateful silhouette that tormented him incessantly. He cast a glance at Paula, his wife, or rather, who could soon be considered his ex-wife. "Fine! It's decided! I accept the divorce. I will sign the papers tomorrow, or any other day that is convenient. Does that satisfy you?" The question, more rhetorical than a request for response, hung in the air.
"That's fine." Paula replied, with a cold calm contrasting the tension in the room. "And stop talking nonsense, even if they might be true... it's none of your business what I do or don't do, since I have nothing more to do with you. I prefer to be alone, or in the company of whoever, than by the side of a monster like you, who never missed an opportunity to mistreat me." Her words cut through the silence of the hospital room like a sharp blade. And before he could respond, Paula turned and left the room, leaving Cleber alone with his thoughts and the reality of his situation.
Paula walked down the sterile hospital corridor, her footsteps echoing against the cold tiled floor. Every babble, every machine noise, seemed amplified in her state of agitation. Her heart hammered against her ribs, as if trying to break the cage that confined it. Suddenly, she leaned on the hallway wall, her ex-husband's cruel words still resonating in her ears. "I'm disgusting..." She murmured to herself, a bitter confession that her mind refused to accept, but her wounded heart absorbed.
Remembering her ex-husband's venomous words, accusing her of being disgusting, she felt overtaken by a wave of indignation. "It's a crime to call me aunt," Paula said, her words infused with a new and brave determination. She detached herself from the cold wall, an anchor she no longer needed. The hospital exit now seemed a portal to freedom, a world where she would no longer be subjugated by the man who swore to love her.
With trembling fingers, she pulled her cell phone from her purse. Her sister's number blinked on the screen, a beacon of hope amidst the storm of her life. Paula wanted to speak, confess her feelings for her sister's son, seek some solace or guidance. But at the last second, she hesitated. A voice inside her whispered that maybe it wasn't the best idea, that maybe her sister wouldn't understand, that it might make everything even more complicated.
Paula knew only one more person capable of helping her, someone who could understand and guide. With a deep and determined breath, she dialed that person's number, the screen illuminating her pale and determined face in the hospital corridor.
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In a luxury hotel that stretched to the heavens, in one of the most opulent suites, an immense pool stood out, seeming more like an aquarium than anything else. It was filled with a diversity of marine life, from exotic fish to stunningly colored corals, creating a breathtaking visual spectacle. This pool occupied an entire room of the suite, transforming the space into a private underwater sanctuary.
The only door that provided access to this spectacular room opened, revealing a woman in a maid's uniform, holding a phone in her hand. Without taking her eyes off the device, she called out, "Madam! There's someone on the line who wants to speak to you."
The only sound that responded was the murmuring liquid of the water being stirred. Then, a melodious, enchanting voice echoed through the room. The voice was so seductive it made the maid feel a shiver of desire. "You may look now."
Swallowing hard, the maid turned towards the pool. Her eyes met a woman with sun-tanned skin, her body sculpted like a work of art. Her long, green hair waved like seaweed, and her green eyes were so hypnotic they seemed capable of captivating anyone who dared to look into them. Her medium-sized breasts and nipples, darker than her skin tone, added an exotic touch to her beauty. Her vagina was completely shaved, further accentuating her exotic appearance.
"Madam, a woman named Paula Andrade called for you. She asked to speak to you personally." The maid said, trying to keep her composure.
A glint of surprise lit up in the green eyes of the woman in the pool. A smile played on her lips as she responded with a tone of curiosity and amusement. "Paulinha, my dear, what has happened for you to call me?"