Prisioner In Your Arms

Dante and Sophie had postponed the baptism of their little Danna; they decided to stay with Bruno and Nicole, as they needed them more than ever.

The little one made the couple’s days more bearable. Bruno didn’t allow Nicole to do anything; he hired new staff to take care of her. That day, Leandro contacted him.

“Hello.”

“Bruno, I still haven’t found any clues that could lead me to your mother and Santi.”

“That woman is not my mother, so I kindly ask you not to refer to her that way,” Bruno would get agitated whenever someone reminded him that she was his mother.

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again. I’ve been investigating, and neither my father nor that woman have left the country. I have undercover agents monitoring nearby airports. I’ll keep searching, but it’s really like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“I know. No matter how much I think, I have no idea where they could be. That woman hasn’t contacted me again, and I have no clue how my son is doing. It’s killing me. I wish I could be there looking for him, but I don’t want to leave Nicole alone in her condition.”

“It wouldn’t make a difference. You’d be just like me, without any leads. I’ll keep searching, and I’ll let you know immediately if anything comes up.”

“We have no way to thank you for everything you’re doing for us.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I love Santi with all my soul.”

Leandro said his goodbyes and continued his search. Bruno felt increasingly desperate. Nicole was already four months pregnant, and they were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their baby. But the pain of Santi’s absence kept growing.

Shelsy’s father contacted her. Her mother was very ill, and as an only child, her father needed her to travel to Pavía. Just like Nicole, Shelsy had reached four months of pregnancy.

“Sondra, I’m going to Pavía. My mother is very sick, and my father has called me to go.”

“If you accept my company, I could go with you. I might be able to help in some way.”

“Thank you. We leave tomorrow, but I must warn you, my parents’ property is in the countryside on the outskirts of the town. There are only a few houses located near the Ticino River.”

“I’m not familiar with that place.”

“You’ll love it. The landscapes are marvelous, and the vineyards bring life to those lands.”

Sondra wasn’t fond of the countryside, but she didn’t have any other option. She didn’t think Shelsy would allow her to stay behind. She had tried to contact Sergio without success. She didn’t want to end up as a mere employee; she resisted seeking an ordinary job.

That night, Nicole finished taking a shower. Bruno was lying in bed, reading. She came out of the bathroom wearing a short silk robe. He couldn’t help but stare at her. The shape of her belly seemed beautiful to him. He approached her to give her a kiss and placed his hand on her belly.

“I can’t wait to meet our baby.”

He asked her to sit down and started massaging her feet, gradually moving up to her legs. Nicole’s breathing became uneven, her chest rising and falling rapidly. He smiled as he noticed her response.

“I just read in the book that it’s completely safe for us to be intimate as long as we’re careful. Trust me, I’ll be as careful as can be. This abstinence is killing me.”

Nicole smiled upon hearing that. Bruno could be very sweet when he wanted to be. She had no idea what his touch was doing to her. He made love to her slowly, and she felt that only he could take her to the highest heights. Later, they fell asleep, exhausted. In the morning, Nicole woke up early to take a bath, and Bruno did the same. They went downstairs for breakfast, showering each other with affection. Sophie watched them, glad to see that things were going well between them. She hoped they could find their son soon to complete their happiness.

Later, when Bruno was in his office, he arranged for several bouquets of red roses to be sent to their home. Nicole was surprised when she came downstairs and found the roses in the living room.

“Nanny, who brought these?” she exclaimed, marveling at the abundance of roses.

“Mr. Bruno sent them, my lady,” the nanny replied.

“They’re beautiful.”

She approached and picked one up, bringing it close to her nose to inhale the scent. A memory came to her. It was a similar situation: a room filled with red roses, a man approaching her and kissing her. She was terrified, realizing that the man wasn’t Bruno but her brother, Leandro.

“What’s wrong?” Sara approached, seeing that Nicole wasn’t moving. From her expression, she could tell something was amiss.

“Nana, I don’t understand. I just had a memory. There were so many red roses, and Leandro was kissing me.”

Sara paled, not knowing what to say in that moment.

“Perhaps they are images from a dream,” she finally managed to say.

“That’s enough of saying that. Every time I manage to remember something, someone tells me it’s just a dream. I’m certain they are memories.”

She walked away, truly upset. Sophie was having tea on the terrace while Danna took her nap. Nicole sat next to her.

“Tea?” the blonde asked, noticing her agitation.

“Please, I need something to help calm me down.”

“Hey, when I came downstairs, I saw the roses. They’re beautiful. Who would have thought that beneath Bruno’s armor, he had a romantic heart? We’re lucky, my friend. We have wonderful men by our side. I never thought Dante would change. He was an incorrigible womanizer, a true Casanova, and now he’s a tender and faithful man who loves me and loves his daughter.”

“You make a beautiful couple, my friend.”

“What’s wrong? You seem strange.”

“A moment ago, I had a memory. I was in a room filled with roses, and Leandro was kissing me. I don’t understand. He’s supposed to be my brother, and I don’t even know why he is.”

“It’s not my place to talk to you about that topic. I hope Bruno decides to talk to you soon, my friend.”

Nicole fell silent. There was no point in insisting. She knew that, like Sara, Sophie wouldn’t tell her anything. She hurriedly drank her tea while trying to remember any other details. It was futile. The information came in flashes, nothing concrete.

“Have you spoken with Max?”

“Yes, he’s with Amadeus in Germany. He asked me to apologize to you. He would have liked to stay and support you during these times, but he found out that Bruno didn’t end up traveling, so he decided to accompany Amadeus.”

“They make a lovely couple. I’m glad to see our friend so happy.”

“He mentioned that they plan to get married. They’re getting past the rejection stage, and people who know them are getting used to seeing them together.”

“It was a surprise for everyone, but still, no one has the right to judge them. We can’t meddle with others’ feelings, let alone try to change them.”

“Could you look after Danna for a while? She’s still asleep, and I need to step out for a moment. We’re running low on milk and diapers.”

“Yes, take your time. I’ll take care of her.”

“Thank you.”

Sophie rushed out and headed to the corporate office. Bertha thought she was looking for Dante, but she asked to be announced to Bruno.

“The boss says you can go into his office.”

“Thank you, Bertha.”

Bruno was surprised to see her there. He grew concerned, thinking something had happened to Nicole.

“Is something wrong? Is Nicole okay?”

“She’s fine, don’t worry. I just need to talk to you. Nicole had a memory from when she lived with Leandro,” she chose not to specify the details of the memory to avoid making him uncomfortable, “I think you need to talk to Nicole. It’s better if you tell her how things happened. She has a lot of doubts. If certain memories about your relationship come to her, she might come to hate you. They are working on their relationship, but they need to be in a good place to support each other. I’m asking you to talk to her once and for all. The uncertainty is tormenting her.”

“You’re right. After I leave the office, I’ll speak with her doctor. I’ve been avoiding talking to her about that, but the time has come.”

Dante entered the office at that moment, surprised to see Sophie there.

“Sophie? Is everything okay?”

“Hey, love. Everything’s fine. I just needed to talk to Bruno for a moment. Well, guys, I have to go. Danna will wake up any minute now.”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

The blonde gave a quick kiss and left the office. Dante sat down across from Bruno.

“What did she tell you?”

“She asked me to talk to Nicole once and for all. She has started remembering things, and she’s afraid she’ll hate me if she recalls certain things about our relationship.”

“I think Sophie is right.”

“I’ll talk to Nicole tonight.”

“By the way, I received a call. Tomorrow, all of Sergio’s properties will be seized. The judge has issued the order.”

“He’ll be as venomous as a scorpion now. This is the point where we need to be extra careful. He’ll want revenge. I’ll ask Leandro to try to find him and keep him under surveillance. We must prevent him from getting close to my son at all costs.”

“Even worse for him, he opened an account in the Cayman Islands and deposited a large sum of money. The government will seize it as well, considering him a dangerous criminal. They’ll confiscate all his money, and what belongs to Nicole will be returned to her.”

“I hope we can see him behind bars soon,” he fell silent for a moment, “and Deborah with him. That woman never stops hurting me. She refuses to give us our son, and she hasn’t even reached out.”

Later, they returned to the mansion. After dinner, Bruno and Nicole made their way to their bedroom. Upon entering, he asked her to sit down, taking her hands in his before he began to speak.

“I think it’s time for me to talk to you about the things that have happened and that you have forgotten. I only hope that you will give me the opportunity to finish telling you before you judge me.”

Nicole simply looked at him. From the expression on Bruno’s face, she knew that what she was about to hear wouldn’t be pleasant.