Chapter 48

After the shower, Dominic tells Nina that he was going to the company, and she realizes that it was already well past eight. He, who used to be extremely punctual, gave up his punctuality to spend the morning with her.

She watched him get dressed, saw how his clothes always fit his athletic body perfectly.

Dominic started to tie his tie and realized that she was watching him. He stopped for a moment and undid the knot, turning to her:

— Do you want to help me?

Nina stood up, silently, and approached him. He continued to watch you with his penetrating gaze. Next to him, she could inhale his scent and closely observe how elegant he was. As she tied his tie, she could watch his chest move, rising and falling, and touch it lightly as she moved her fingers.

She finished and was about to walk away when he pulled her by the wrist, her heart automatically skipped a beat, she was impressed by the magnetism and the sensations she felt every time he touched her and looked at her with his icy eyes.

— The buttons… — he says, in a deep voice, after letting go and extending his fist.

She buttons the buttons while looking at his large hands, with the prominent veins that rise from his wrist. It was mesmerizing to look at those hands that instigated delirious thoughts.

— Don't look at me like that... — he says, taking her chin and making her look into his eyes — If you continue, I'm going to give up on any fucking commitment, just for you.

She blushes and turns her back, hugging her ribs, saying:

— I'm sorry, I didn't do it to provoke you...

He grabs her waist and pulls her towards him, making her hold her breath for a few moments.

— You always tease me… — he says in your ear, making goosebumps run through your body when you feel his hot breath touching your neck.

— Dom... I... — she moves away from him, trying to organize her thoughts — I intend to leave too, I have commitments too.

— What commitments could be more important than waiting here for me?

She lowers her head and turns to him. Nina thinks for a moment and decides to reveal her real situation:

— I lost my house... I need to finish organizing the things that will go into temporary storage, until I can get the house back.

Dominic looks at her for a few moments, in silence, he was the one who took her house using the name of a finance company. She thought she could give him his house back, but he was trying to gain her attention. Revealing now that he was behind it might not be a good deal, and he thought she wouldn't miss that house, as he could give her a much better one.

— I'll ask someone to pick up your things, you don't need to struggle with it.

— No! No… it's something I need to do myself. — she despairs, because among the moving things there were many of Hannah's objects. Including photos. — There are many objects with sentimental value there, I can't let anyone touch them without the care they deserve.

— Right… — he replies, suspicious — Everything you spend will be on me. OK?

She nods positively and then says:

— Well, I have to go. — He looks at her, shaken, he had some important commitments that day, if he hadn't, he probably would have left everything aside just to spend the day with her — I'll leave Patel at her disposal, and I'll send someone to dress you.

— Dress myself? No need to worry, I wear the same clothes as yesterday.

He puts on his jacket and then looks at you with a seductive look, while his lips wrinkle slightly at one corner.

— I sent your clothes to the dry cleaners. I figured you wouldn't need clothes to wait for me.

She opens her mouth, surprised, and blushes a little at his gaze.

Some time after Dominic left, someone rang the doorbell and when Nina went to answer it, it was a woman with short, black hair. She had makeup on and was wearing a pink suit. She looked like a uniform from some beauty salon. Likewise, she carried in her hand a piece of clothing protected by a cape and a box in the other.

He introduced himself, saying that his name was Felicity and that he was available for whatever Nina needed.

Nina tried to refuse the help, but Felicity immediately began analyzing her body, assembling the equipment and placing an infinite number of creams and makeup on the table. The next thing she knew, Nina had rollers in her hair and false eyelashes were being placed on her.

— Is this really necessary? — Nina asks, as she intended to go to places frequented by simple people and not frequented by high society people.

— Dominic asked me to make you impeccable. Understand, he didn't mean anything wrong, it's just a way of taking care of you. Tell me how many women can have the privilege of having treatment as exclusive as you now?

— Well… — Nina was speechless, the whole situation was completely unusual for her.

Felicity finished her work and Nina looked in the mirror. She was dressed in gray tailored pants, a matching blazer and inside, a satin blouse with a V-neckline.

Of course, he sent jewelry, and there were diamonds, but they were small, discreet stones, and there were some in the flower-shaped pendant on the chain and in the matching earrings.

Nina, analyzing her appearance, thought she looked like a socialite going to lunch at an open-air restaurant.

He also thought he should talk about it with Dominic, as he didn't want to be like that all the time.

She left the hotel and met Patel, who was waiting for her at the door.

After walking some distance in silence, Nina tells Patel.

— Patel, about that day, at the party. You were the one who found me, weren't you?

Patel frowns and then turns the steering wheel and parks the car on a nearby street.

Afterward, she turns back and says Nina:

— Do you think I was the one who saved you?

— In my last memories, I was in the freight elevator, so I imagine I came out in an area frequented by employees and not party goers.

— You're wrong, it wasn't me who found you, it was Mr Dominic. You gave us a big scare, you know? And he didn't leave your side until you were sure he would recover.

—Are you telling me that he was the one who took me home and… — she blushes and then continues — That he was the one who provided the necessary care?

— Yes, because you're his responsibility, I wouldn't get involved. — Patel says boldly and after a few moments she relaxes, reminding herself that Nina still wasn't used to her way — Look, Mr. Dominic provided all the care you needed at that moment, and he didn't do anything more than that.

Patel added the last part by wishing Nina wouldn't misinterpret what happened that day.

Not wanting to know more details, Nina asked Patel to follow the path. Instead of going home, she asked Patel to drop her off at the hospital.

As soon as they stopped, Patel got out of the car, recognizing the place. He soon realized that the hospital was behind the cafeteria that he always saw Nina enter. Nina said goodbye hurriedly and ran away, hoping Patel wouldn't follow her.

Now, she no longer needed to hide that she visited the hospital, as Samuel revealed to her that he already knew where her mother lived, and she needed Dominic's protection there. In fact, he thought that the circle was closing for her and that her secret was at risk, but he had to try to continue hiding the girl, until he decided what could be best for his emotional and health.

Nina ran to the children's ward to see her daughter. Each time she got closer, the more euphoric she became. She was very happy to give her baby a chance of survival.

She opened the door in surprise and Hannah, who was being fed by her grandmother, upon seeing her mother, lit up her face in a charming smile.

Nina also lit up when she saw her, she was the light that could illuminate her darkest days.

— Mommy! I missed you so much! — she screams and Nina runs to hug her.

She picks her up and feels that she has lost more weight, she was lighter than the last time she picked her up, however, now she was full of hope that everything would get better.

— I couldn't come see you yesterday, my life, did you miss me so much?

— A lot like that! — she responds, opening her arms.

— Look, you have to be a big girl now, okay? Mom may sometimes take a while to see you, but she will never leave you in her life.

Hannah nods her head seriously, and then Nina takes the bowl of soup from her mother's hand and starts feeding her daughter.

His heart aches a little, remembering the feast he had for breakfast, while his daughter could only eat the tasteless hospital food. But she reminded herself that better days were ahead for her little one.

— You look so beautiful, mommy. — Hannah says, observing Nina's outfit.

— Do you think it? It was something I bought at a sale. — she says no to the little girl and yes to her mother, who was listening to the conversation.

— If it was cheap, would you buy a flower chain just like it for me? — Hannah asks, enchanted by Nina's cord.

— Oh, that... — Nina says looking at the cord and then removes it from her neck and puts it on the girl's. — You can keep it for yourself.

Hannah is delighted with the cord, while her mother gives her soup

— Give me a pretty little ring, too?

The girl asks and at that moment Nina realizes that she was wearing the diamond ring, and it was impossible to disguise the fact that it was expensive. She turns the ring around, hiding the stone inside, just as her mother approaches her.

— Hannah is right, you are very well groomed. Are you sure you bought it on sale? — your mother asks, with an expression of distrust.

— Yes… — Nina says, a little embarrassed about lying — I was lucky to find it at a good price, don't you think?

— Yeah… you were very lucky. — His mother was still suspicious.

Nina finished feeding Hannah soup, then gave her a bath, combed her hair and braided it.

She loved taking care of her daughter's hair since she was very little. Something she always remembered was that the girl was born with a lot of hair and has remained that way to this day. This was something crucial to not accept the aggressive chemotherapy, which made the little girl's hair fall out, as it would be a very strong emotional blow, not only for the child, but also for the mother.

After Hannah took her medication and slept, Célia decided to call her daughter to talk.

— Nina, what's going on? You disappeared all day yesterday, and now you show up dressed like this, all pompous. Daughter, what did you do to pay off the hospital debt?