Chapter 25

Cesar.

The fireworks started to rumble in the sky, illuminating everything with their colorful lights while making a quick, faint explosion sound. I heard some guests leaving the party hall to the main garden in the background, listening to their conversations and joyful laughter. When I went outside, following Belle's possible steps, I found her staring beyond the fountain. About to call her with my firm voice, I saw tears streaming down her cheeks. She was like this because of me... Did she dislike me that much?

“Belle...” I called, stretching my hand to lift her. I noticed she was staring at a fixed point. I looked up and saw the shadows of two people kissing, illuminated by the fireworks.

“Mr. Keylef... loves another woman... of course, he does. How foolish you are, Belle. He would never look at someone like me,” she murmured. In disbelief, I looked again at the silhouette, and it was indeed Keylef. The woman pushed him, slapping him, and quickly left. Belle took a few steps back, ready to escape, when she bumped into me. Startled, she tried to flee from me when I intervened.

♥

Mila.

“So, it's my brother you like... what nonsense.”

“I-I don't know what you're talking about, and even if it were so, at least he hasn't kissed me forcefully to humiliate me,” I retorted, turning to him with pain as my tears continued to flow. I ran to my room, leaving him behind. While drying my tears with loud sobs, I opened the door and threw myself onto my bed, hearing Gulliver croak.

“Why does it hurt so much if I always knew... I'm so foolish, Gulliver... I thought, I thought... that he saw something in me. So, stop crying, fool!” I tried to convince myself, burying my face in the pillow, trying to get a bit of sleep.

♥

The next day, I felt so foolish and insignificant, so I did my job as usual, even though my heart was deeply numb.

“Mr. Keylef stayed over.”

“Wasn't he traveling with a woman?”

“Yes, I thought so too, and he hasn't been seen making music either.”

“I think he's totally in love with the one his brother was with, the unmentionable in this house.”

“Don't say that, if they hear us...”

“Everyone already knows what happened with those two brothers and that woman. And it's clear why he brought that fraud into this house... I heard the rumor that she came to demand money.”

“That woman! But she doesn't even come close to a lady as beautiful and elegant as Miss Belladona.”

“Who says I want to take anyone's place!” I retorted to those gossiping maids who looked at me scared, never imagining I was listening.

“If not, then why are you here?”

“To work, just like you do! I didn't come for dramas that don't concern me.”

“Then who are you? Because it's clear it's no coincidence that you're here. You're not stupid, you've seen how Mrs. Belladona lives. Do you want a piece of Mr. Vitory's pie? Well, let me tell you, you won't get anything.”

“Vitory? I don't know what you're talking about, but you'd better stop talking lies about me without any basis. Just because I have good manners in this mansion doesn't mean I won't beat you up and leave you bedridden.”

“What is she saying, she's crazy.”

“Yes, I'm very crazy!” I shouted, raising my fist threateningly. They screamed, quickly leaving the kitchen.

“She’s a delinquent, leave her.” I let out a heavy sigh, bewildered. Who the hell was Vitory? As I prepared to leave and get back to work, I came face to face with Mr. Keylef, who steadied me as I stumbled.

“Belle, I was just about to look for you. I went for a run and wanted to see you to talk.” Fear gripped me when he said those words. Talk? About what? What did he need to tell me? He frowned slightly and said,

“What’s wrong? Has something happened?” he asked, looking at me with concern.

“Huh? What? Why?” I replied quickly, recalling how he kissed that woman.

“Why do you say that...?” I indicated, averting my guilty gaze for spying on him, ashamed of myself for fantasizing about something impossible.

“Because you’re not smiling at me...” he said, lifting my chin to look at him. “What did that idiot Caesar do to you, it was him, right?”

“No! It’s nothing... Really, I don’t want you to fight with your brother, Mr. Keylef.”

“Mr. Keylef...? You’re calling me that again,” he noted, looking both pained and saddened. But how could I tell him I was trying to distance myself from this inappropriate feeling?

“What was it you wanted to tell me...?” I inquired quickly, changing the subject.

“Not here...” he took my hand and led me confidently. His hand was so warm that my heart pounded hard. How would I get him out of my heart when I had already envisioned myself by his side so many times? It sounded stupid, but he was the first man to treat me like a human being.

“W-where are we going? I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“I just want to spend some time with you, like that outing.” I just had to say no, don’t be so foolish.

♥

Mr. Keylef and I drove to a café, like the one where we met. Everything was so different now that it felt like a century had passed since that day. That hot chocolate was as warm as his smile, the cheesecake as exquisite as his company. I ordered the same to relive the memory, and he said, leaning on his fist, looking at me,

“Wow, it seems you haven’t forgotten, you ordered the same thing I gave you that day.”

“I could never forget it, it was so warm... your kindness is one of the few things you find on the street, so I treasure it,” I said with a smile.

“I think it’s the first smile you’ve given me all day. I was starting to think I was really the cause of your sadness.”

“Forgive me, Mr. Keylef, you’re not to blame for my bad mood. So let’s eat quickly, or it’ll get cold!” I said excitedly, trying to push away that painful feeling.

“Aren’t you eating?” I asked, my mouth full. He looked at me with a smile and said,

“The truth is, I invited you to watch you eat.”

“You like to see people stuffing themselves with little delicacy? That’s a bit odd,” I said, embarrassed, trying to eat normally.

“The truth is, I wanted a quiet and comfortable moment to tell you something important to me. I consider you an important friend, Belle. You’ve been my accomplice in all my most selfish desires, and you’ve supported and helped me in everything I’ve asked without complaining. So, I think you deserve to be the first to know this.” Moved, I looked at him, but the sadness of knowing how differently he thought about me from what I felt for him was overwhelming.

“I’m leaving...”

“W-where?”

“I haven’t been able to make music for a while, I’ve had a block for many months, and I think I know what’s troubling me.”

“What is it...?”

“A woman,” he said with a bittersweet smile that hurt me more than him. I lowered my gaze, telling myself to hold on, that this wasn’t harder than what I had to live through on the street.

“I want to fight for her... and for that, I have to leave. I don’t know what awaits me, but I want to try, and I want to know what you think. Do you think I’m doing the right thing?” My chest ached, holding back the tears. I swallowed with difficulty and, with a downcast smile, said,

“Follow your dreams, Keylef, and most importantly... be happy.” He smiled and murmured softly,

“Thank you, Belle. I needed to hear that.”

“So, with this, I want to tell you that our deal is over. You don’t have to keep striving for me. I really want you to make your life, and you owe me nothing, Belle. You’ve helped me when I felt lost.” A few tears finally escaped my eyes, surprising Keylef. He stood up and said,

“Hey, what’s wrong, little one? Don’t tell me you’ll miss me that much.” I hugged him tightly and shook my head.

“Belle, listen to me... I want you to take advantage of this stroke of luck life has given you and become the woman you always wanted to be. Now you have the quality of life of someone with opportunities, you deserve it... I told you when I met you and I’m telling you now.” I clung to him tightly. What he didn’t know was that my pain of letting him go with the love of his life was what was consuming me. Keylef pulled back and, with a smile, wiped away one of my tears.

“You’re going to make me feel guilty, so please don’t cry anymore. In fact, before I go, I wanted to give you one last thing.” He took out a small box from his sweater and gave it to me. As I took it, I looked at him, and he silently urged me to open it. When I looked inside, surprise filled my eyes with joy. It was a cell phone. I looked at him with a smile and said,

“This is too much.”

“Don’t tell me you won’t accept it. Now I can finally communicate with you, so take it without hesitation for all the time I’ve made you lose, and say hello to your grandpa for me.”

“Thank you, Keylef...”

♥

When the meeting with Mr. Keylef ended, the day passed without further relevance. Already in my bed, I looked at the cell phone, feeling more lost than an octopus in a garage. I sighed heavily, putting the phone aside. I stared at the ceiling in the dark, thinking about what Danilo asked me. He invited me to see him off at the airport, and I really only felt my heart breaking. But how could I say no... when he only had good wishes for me? It was my fault for falling in love with someone impossible. Maybe the best thing was to tell him how I felt before he left and I never heard from him again. He would probably marry that Belladona... Then an idea crossed my mind. I took the cell phone and looked up that woman’s name, who seemed to be my shadow at every step. But what I found seemed straight out of a movie. My heart pounded, unable to believe it.