Page 56 of Please, Forgive Me

I’d given in, let myself be carried by something that had been growing between us for months. But I never thought it would destroy us.

“Why did you do this to me, Diego?” I whispered into the wind, as if it could carry my question to him, as if it could give me the answers I so desperately needed.

But he wasn’t there to listen. And the reality was I was alone, dealing with the fallout of this chaos.

The fact that he’d used a condom only made everything more confusing, harder to explain. I understood his side—it was almost impossible to believe. But at the same time, the facts couldn’t be denied.

I knew what was happening to me, and I would never lie about something so serious.

I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of emotional exhaustion settle over me. All I wanted was to disappear, to run from this mess. Maybe if I quit the job, it would all go away.

But it was too late for that. I was in it up to my neck, and quitting wouldn’t change the fact that I was pregnant.

I pressed a hand to my belly, still barely able to believe there was a life growing inside me.

It was terrifying, surreal.

I’d never pictured myself in this situation—especially with a man like Diego. He was the last person in the world I thought would be the father of my child. But against all odds, that was the reality staring me in the face.

Another wave of tears built, but this time they weren’t only from sadness. They were from fear.

Fear that I wouldn’t be able to handle this. Fear of facing Diego again. Fear of not knowing what the future held. And, most of all, fear that he would never accept this child—that he would reject it the way he’d rejected me.

It was hard to believe that just a week ago, Diego was the man I’d let myself dream of something more with.

Now, it felt impossible.

I ran my fingers under my eyes, wiping away the tears, trying to pull myself back together, but inside, I was still in pieces.

I knew I had to be strong, that I’d have to face whatever came next. But right now, all I wanted was a breath—a moment of peace, far from the storm.

Minutes passed, and the beach began to fill with people enjoying the sunny day, but I felt no connection to them. I was isolated in my own world of doubts and uncertainty.

“I just wanted him to believe me,” I whispered again, feeling the ache deepen.

But Diego was Diego. And I knew that behind that façade there was a reason for his coldness, for his distance. Maybe he was protecting himself.

But that didn’t make it hurt any less.

CHAPTER 23

“It’s in the darkness that the brightest stars shine…”

MARIA GABRIELA

I’d already come back to work and was going through the motions—at least trying to—when my extension rang. The sharp sound of the phone yanked me out of my thoughts, and for a heartbeat my chest tightened.

Diego Bittencourt.

“I want you in my office. Now.”

His voice was firm, emotionless, and it sent a fresh wave of tension through me. I hung up, taking a shaky breath, but my stomach twisted with anxiety.

I stood on unsteady legs, every step toward his office feeling like a march toward something inevitable. The hallway seemed longer than ever.

I knew something was coming, and it wasn’t good.

When I opened the door and stepped in, the first thing I noticed was his expression. Diego sat behind his desk, eyes locked on me in a way that stole the air from my lungs. There was something different about him—cold, distant—as if all the lightness and teasing humor he used to carry had been replaced by a wall of ice.