Chapter 3 Have a good day

defeated. - Take the day off to think about it. - he says and hands me the same envelope that was only a few minutes old. - I insist. I just nod, taking the envelope and my bag hanging next to my desk. - Have a good day, Daniel. - I say and head to the elevator, as if I were carrying the world on my shoulders. I enter through the metal doors and press the button for the ground floor. I look ahead and notice that Daniel is still standing, watching me. The only thing I can think is that this man has gone crazy, or is simply running away from something.

A man like him could ask this of any woman. Any woman would give anything to spend time with him, both because he is rich and because of his beauty. If I accept this, I will be as crazy as he is. And that is why I need to think. Daniel I throw myself back into my chair again, unable to believe what I have just done, or rather, what I have been doing. I went to the countryside of Minas Gerais to look for Sophie's mother, talked to her about her daughter and asked for her hand in marriage. Since when have I done something like this? This may only sound like a romantic act, but I remember well how it all happened when I did it for the first time. The woman I was once in love with chose another man, who at the time, in my mind, did not deserve her. I look again at the ring I bought, wondering if I really made the right choice. Okay, the saleswoman was the one who chose it, but I ended up telling her every little detail about Carla. And in the end, a delicate wedding ring with a pear-shaped diamond was the chosen one. Simple and romantic, according to the saleswoman. I ended up stealing a ring from Carla some time ago, since the moment I traveled with her to the northeast. Just the two of us, and I just wanted to help. Help her overcome such a difficult phase in her life. Where she was trying to get over a betrayal and the loss of a child. I take a deep breath and look again at the door of her house. The house where she lived with her husband, but which suddenly became part of her routine again. And when she called me and told me that she had accepted the fruit of her husband's betrayal as her own, I didn't judge her. Carla just showed me again how tender she is, and even when she said she had accepted her husband back, I couldn't oppose her. I didn't really understand what had happened, but I knew that part of me had already lost her. Now I just had to try to fight for what was left. I know she'll have to choose between me and her husband, but for the first time in my life, I've decided to take a chance on a woman. I send her a simple message and within minutes the front door opens. Carla appears, as always making my heart race and my breath become short. I never imagined myself falling in love, much less buying a ring... But for her, I know it's worth it. She has the best of me. "Dani," he says and comes over to me, hugging me. "I'm so sorry I disappeared for a few days. So many things happened and..." "Marry me," I ask suddenly, completely ignoring the lines I tried to memorize and the scene I imagined. I then kneel down and Carla's eyes widen at the same moment. I take the box with the ring and open it, showing her that I'm really willing to do this. That I'm here for her. Even though I know she may have already made her choice. Even though she doesn't even know that I see her in a different light, not just as a friend. - Dani... She seems surprised, and at the same time, speechless. - I know it's early, I know I never told you that... Damn, I'm not good with words, Carla. But I love you, I can give you the world, and everything that's most real that I have inside me. Will you marry me? - I ask again and tears run down her face. For a second, for a brief and mere second, I think that this is a good thing... However, her frightened eyes remain intact. - I don't know how to give you an answer, Dani. I accepted Rafael as my son and I... I accepted Ricardo too. - she says, and I close my eyes at the same time, absorbing her words. I always knew I would be a fool to try a chance, even more so buying a ring and asking her to marry me. But what can a man madly in love do? Watch the woman he loves simply end up with someone else and accept it in silence? Without trying? Well, I tried. I get up from my position and stand up, facing the woman I love. The one who just broke my heart. I turn my back and walk to my car. - Dani, wait... - Carla comes over and lightly grabs my arm. - No. - I say rudely, for the first time using this tone with her. - I need to go, Carla. - I love you. - she says, and my heart skips a beat. - But the love I can give you is not the same as the one you are offering me. She forces me to turn to her, and even without wanting to I look at her. Tears run down my face, in a way I never imagined I would. - You are an incredible man. If I could choose who to love, the way a woman loves a man, it would be you. But I can't... We can't choose that. - she says and lightly touches my face. - Forgive me. - I didn't choose to love you either, Carla. It just happened. - I say, letting out a fake smile. - But I can choose to take that love away from me, and I will. I let go of her, leaving her with a distraught expression. I turn my back on her and walk to my car, driving off immediately. The first woman I ever loved simply threw my love away. The only thing I can do is forget her. And never let any woman dominate my heart again. I take a deep breath, coming back to reality and staring at my messy desk. Now, I find myself lost, trying to be close to a woman who doesn't even look at me. At least Sophie awakens something different in me, something different from what Carla was. Sophie brings me different feelings, which I can't define, but somehow, I know that none of them are love yet. Chapter 3 Sophie I look at the photo in my hands and take a deep breath, trying to understand the mess I've gotten myself into. The wide smile on my mother's face in the photo, looking at me, right on the day I left home, says everything about how Daniel used her against me, it shakes me. I was raised only by her, a woman who fought and conquered the world for me. I've never heard her complain or even seen her cry. She's always acted strong and unshakable, and I know I'll never be able to give her back everything she gave me. My phone buzzes and I pick it up right away, imagining it's her. However, to my complete contradiction, it's Daniel. Can I keep today's reservations? I take a deep breath, staring at my mother's photo again. I think about everything. About how strange this arrangement is, especially because Daniel could choose any woman to play this role. I feel like I'm in a romance novel, one of those in the movies, where the hero comes with an indecent proposal. However, Daniel is no hero. Ever