Chapter 38. Forbidden Thoughts

Liam

I woke up feeling tired as if I hadn't lifted the weight of the previous day off my shoulders. A terrible night had left me exhausted, and the tension that built up during the endless meetings in Rio de Janeiro seemed to persist in my mind.

Arriving at my apartment the previous night, a strange anxiety took hold of me. The anticipation of finding Cecilia there made me question my motivations. I tried to convince myself that the only reason I wanted to see her was to discuss the details of the trip to Angra. We needed to figure out how to act as a real couple during the family weekend.

I'm not naive. The idea of dealing with the family dynamics, especially in front of my father, made me tense. Old Frederico had always been clever at picking up details, and somehow, I wanted to avoid him realizing that our story had some flaws.

I got out of bed, still feeling the fatigue in my legs and a tired mind. The decision to face the weekend in Angra was made, but I