Chapter 9


    Once I formed a n , I answered the call , forcing myself to greet him amiably when the call connecte


    d . _ _ “ Honey ! ”


    “ Honey , why did you take so long to answer ? Are you busy ? ” Carlos ‘ voice sounded gentle .  _


    “ I was busy ”, I made


    sure I remained calm as I gave my answer . “ Honey , I just got a call from President Freitas . He told m


    e that I need to go on a weeklong business trip to take


    care of an urgent matter ., so I was nning to call you about it .  _ _


    ” That ‘s a pretty long period for a business trip “. There was surprise in her tone of his voice .


    “ Yes , although I don’t want to


    leave you and Bianca , mypany could n’t find someone else to rece me . ” I put


    on an act whileining to him .


    “ I do n’t want my darling to leave me either , but you must prioritize your work . Do n’t worry , I ‘ll


    take good care of Bianca . ” As if he feared that I would not go on with the trip , he began


    to coerce me .


    “ If that ‘s the case , I’ll leave the decision in your hands ! ” All I wanted was to hang up instead of listeni


    ng to your falsehoods .


    “ Honey I love you ! I will miss you ! ” He repeated the same words as always , but I


    could feel how insincere he was .


    Hanging up the phone , Isabel sneered . _ _ _ _ “ I heard what that bastard said . _ He ‘s cheating on


    you with another woman while he’s


    talking all these sweet words . How can he be so shameless ? _ I used a smilebitter as I was at a


    loss for words , as these were the very questions I needed answers to .


    “ By the way , Linda , you did a great job just


    now ! ” She patted me on the shoulder before asking , “ You told him you ‘d be on a business trip , so y


    ou figured out a n for your revenge ? _ _ ”


    I tried my best not to let my hatred for him show as I nodded . _ Although I had a n , I told him I was


    going on a weeklong trip because I needed time to clear my mind in order to prepare .mentally to the fa


    cade that would have to put up ter to deceive him .


    After listening to what I said , Isabel nodded her head while praising how meticulous I was before why


    Carlos called .  _ _ _ _


    to ask


    “ He didn’t say anything , and I didn’t ask either ” . I remembered that he was the one


    who called , but he didn’t reveal anything about himself .


    “ Does he always greet you over the phone ? Isabel asked .  _


    I shook my head in response . “ If I’m not with him , he calls me three times a day during meals ”  .


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    “ He sure puts up a great front ! ” Isabel seemed to


    have realized something after eximing in such a way that she looked directly into my eyes . “ Linda ,


    something tells me he is , in fact , trying to find out your whereabouts when


    he calls .for you to n his affair with Joana ”  .


    What Isabel said scared me when I thought , she might be right … Carlos would


    always ask where I am and what I was doing whenever he called . However ,


    I never doubted his intentions before this , so I would always tell him the truth ..


    Isabel and I exchanged a look when we realized just how scary it was, a shiver


    going up our spines as we


    did so . This meticulous preparation was the exact reason Carlos managed to trick me behind my back


    for so long . Although I thought your _calls were a representation of his love for me and that I


    was lucky to find someone as caring as he was , I


    found that this was , in fact , the beginning of my nightmare .


    After talking for some time , Isabel retired to her room , while I had many memories of the past as Iy


    awake in her guest room . _ _ Truth be told , Carlos and I met because I was trying to refuse mychildho


    od sweetheart , Daniel Vaz .  _


    When I was in the third year of my master ‘s program , my parents tried to force


    me to date Daniel because they not only thought we were a good match , but also because they


    liked him . However , I could not fall in love with him , nor did I want him to


    .my life was dictated that way , that’s why I looked for someone who


    could be my boyfriend to deceive them , and that someone turned


    out to be Carlos , introduced by Joana .


    I thought he was a decent choice after meeting him , so Joana offered to talk to him about the matter in


    stead of me . _ _ _ Although I do n’t know what she said to him , he ended up agreeing to impersonate


    my boyfriend ., something I revered Joan for .  _


    After that , I took Carlos to meet my parents , even giving him a makeover in an attempt to get my pare


    nts ‘ approval . Although I thought we should pass the test , we ended


    up failing miserably . My parents not only didn’t like him, but even actively humiliated him , which made


    me feel guilty for him . _ It was under these circumstances that we got to know each other better .


    There was another time Isabel and Joana and I went out partying one night , only to be ambushed by b


    andits . _ _ Carlos ‘ timely arrival saved us from further problems , so I started to develop feelings for


    he and


    we established our rtionship during the night of my birthday party , when I was drunk .


    Meanwhile , I remembered the handsome man I met in the hospital . _ That night , maybe it  was him in


    stead of Carlos …