In the Arms of Another Woman
Tadeo was happy. He felt that life was giving him the opportunity to conquer that girl he hadn’t been able to get out of his head since childhood. Since the death of his parents, he had been under the care of his maternal grandmother.
His grandmother passed away a few years later, so most of the time, he felt alone. He needed to love and feel loved. He was clear that he should take it slow, step by step, to win her heart. He would make her forget about Mateo completely. With tenderness and patience, he knew he could achieve it. She was as in need of affection as he was.
Ava had very different plans from Tadeo’s. With the help of her nanny, she began to investigate the possibility of regaining her sight. She found information about a Swiss specialist who had been successful in all of his surgeries. She thought life was giving her an opportunity. The important doctor would be visiting the country, and she had to get an appointment with him no matter what.
The girl felt hopeful at the thought of regaining her sight. If she succeeded, she would search for Mateo. If he truly loved her, he would forgive her.
Meanwhile, Mateo felt like he was going mad not knowing anything about her. As the days went by, his desperation grew. He hired a private detective to search for her, but so far, they hadn’t found anything, not a single lead on the girl. It seemed like she had disappeared without a trace. He was also investigating Teodoro; Mateo feared that he might have located her and could harm her.
Days later, Mateo called Detective Bludosky. When he didn’t answer, he decided to visit his office, thinking that Ava might have contacted him to inquire about her father’s case.
“Detective, Buongiorno,” he greeted him cordially, although he didn’t particularly like him. This visit could yield important information.
“Buongiorno, Mr. Licciardi. What brings you here?” Tadeo replied, trying to appear calm and pretending not to know where Ava was.
“Has Ava contacted you?” he asked hopefully.
“She hasn’t. Is something wrong?” Tadeo feigned ignorance.
“She left home, and I haven’t been able to find her. I’m worried for her safety; if Teodoro Miller manages to locate her, he could harm her.”
“I haven’t spoken to her since the day she came here with you. Why did she leave?” Tadeo was exceptionally skilled at acting.
“Damn it,” Mateo exclaimed in frustration. “I have no idea why she left.”
“The investigation is progressing well. We’ve managed to infiltrate someone into Mr. Miller’s company, and we’ll soon obtain information about his current and past movements,” he said, trying to shift the conversation.
“I’m also making my moves. I know this will be faster than I thought, so Ava will soon be out of danger.”
Mateo said goodbye to Tadeo, feeling disheartened that Ava hadn’t contacted the detective.
In the afternoon, a handsome man entered a renowned restaurant, escorting a beautiful woman. Unbeknownst to him, they were photographed, and those photos would be on the front page the next day. The same woman had informed the paparazzi of their location.
When he noticed they were about to be photographed, she took Mateo’s arm and placed it around her waist, leaning closer to his ear and pretended to say something to make it look like they were in a more intimate situation.
“Is something wrong?” He tried to hide his annoyance at the woman’s proximity. The overpowering scent of her perfume made him nauseous.
“No, I just wanted to remove a little piece of lint from your hair,” she lied to justify her closeness.
“Okay.”
They entered the restaurant, and he pulled out her chair for her to sit.
“Thank you for the roses you sent me; they were beautiful, Mateo,” she said while casting a flirty look and leaning forward slightly to showcase her assets.
“I’m glad you liked them. It’s a way to apologize for how I treated you the other day,” Mateo lied. The truth was he couldn’t care less if this woman was upset. He had to pretend to get her on his side.
“Don’t worry. I know a man like you, with so many responsibilities, can get stressed at times. What’s important is that you reached out to me,” she thought she had him enchanted.
They dined amid flirting from both sides. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips, and he responded to the kiss immediately. Mateo realized that, as he had suspected, this woman was in a hurry to win him over.
The next day, in print and digital media, photos of Mateo with that girl appeared. Ava had asked Lola to read the main news as she did every morning. The nanny saw those images but didn’t know if she should tell Ava. It would cause her a lot of suffering. She knew Ava was in love with Mateo and wasn’t very good at hiding her feelings. She didn’t want her to suffer more; life had already been too cruel to her. So, she decided to keep it to herself, and Ava wouldn’t find out about the news.
Tadeo arrived a little later; he had seen the images and thought Ava would need his support. He couldn’t believe that Mateo had replaced her so quickly. After all, what could you expect from a man like him? Such a man would never change.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
“Ava, how are you?” he asked sincerely concerned.
“I’m fine, thank you,” she replied, unaware.
“I came as soon as I saw the images. I thought you would be deeply affected. I’m really sorry that this guy didn’t appreciate you as he should.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, puzzled by the detective’s tone of voice. She realized something was wrong.
Lola was signaling Tadeo to be quiet, but he didn’t notice. His gaze was fixed on Ava, as it always was when he was near her.
“The news that’s on the front page of newspapers and digital media. Mateo Licciardi is up to his old tricks again. He’s a complete idiot.”
“I don’t understand.”
“He has a new partner. They spent the night together, and they’ve been photographed in a restaurant and later entering that girl’s apartment.”
Ava couldn’t believe Mateo would act that way. She thought she was important in his life, and now she realized she was just another one. She had been quickly replaced.
She couldn’t hold back the tears and asked Lola to accompany her to her room. She left without saying goodbye to Tadeo. Lola shot the young man a murderous look. Ava shouldn’t have known; there was no need for her to go through that suffering.
Tadeo left, his head hung low. He knew he had done wrong, but if he didn’t, it would be much harder to get closer to her. He would help her get Mateo out of her heart.
Ava decided to move forward. If Mateo didn’t love her, though it hurt deeply, she had to accept it. She was determined to regain her sight. When she established contact with the specialist, she scheduled the appointment. Since his stay in the country would be very short, she asked him to conduct a series of clinical tests for her to bring to his consultation. Ava’s case had piqued his interest based on what she had told him. Perhaps there was a small chance of treating her condition.
Lola accompanied Ava for the medical tests. Ava had been feeling unwell for a few days, thinking it was due to the anxiety caused by wondering if she would ever see again.
When they left the area where the blood samples were taken, Ava felt dizzy. She had been experiencing nausea, especially in the mornings, which worried her.
“Wait here, my dear. I’ll be right back. I’ll see if there’s a vending machine around to get you a drink. Maybe you’re just feeling lightheaded,” Lola said.
“Thank you, Nana.”
To be able to go out, both of them had to practically disguise themselves, wearing sunglasses and dark glasses. They were afraid of running into Teodoro or any of his henchmen.
Lola returned to where Ava had her blood drawn and immediately found the nurse to speak with her.
“Excuse me, miss. Could you possibly add another test?”
“Of course, if it can be done with the blood samples we’ve already taken. Tell me, what other test do you need us to add?” Lola quickly specified which test needed to be added.
“Perfect, I’ll add it to the existing order, and you can go straight to the cashier to pay for it. I’ll send the order to our system right away.”
“Thank you. Please make sure the results are on a separate sheet.”
“Don’t worry, that’s how it will be.”
Ava couldn’t imagine what her nanny was doing. Lola came for her minutes later, gave her some juice to drink before leaving, and Tadeo picked them up to take them to the apartment.
“If you’d like, I can pick up the results tomorrow after work, so you won’t have to go out again. It’s dangerous until we manage to put your uncle behind bars.”
“I would greatly appreciate that.”
The next day in the afternoon, Lola anxiously awaited Tadeo to bring the results. When she had them in her hands, she immediately searched for the one she was interested in, setting the others aside.
She felt her whole body trembling uncontrollably. She slowly opened that envelope, and when she read the result, she simply couldn’t believe it. She had failed, and she didn’t know if Ava’s parents, wherever they were, would ever forgive her.