Chapter 4 Gaia Spanos

• Gaia Spanos
• I left the house, and Thalles came beside me laughing. He called a driver and asked him to take me to Aunt Carol’s house. Once we left the community, we hit a sea of cars. Even with heavy traffic, it didn’t take long to get there. I was lucky that Laís was home; she greeted me at the door and pulled me into her room. She was packing for her backpacking trip that she’d be leaving for in a few days.
• "Hey, Gaia, what are you doing here?" she asked, hugging me. I sat beside the suitcase she was trying to close and let a tear roll down my cheek.
• "I’m running away from my crazy father." She started laughing, and I threw myself on her bed, hugging her pillow.
• "Wait right here, I’ll bring something to lift your spirits," she said, laughing as she walked out. I shouted after her in Portuguese, "I hope it’s a pot of brigadeiro!"
• I reached for my bag and pulled out my phone. There were several messages and missed calls from my parents. I only opened the first one.
• Dad: "As soon as I lay eyes on you, rest assured your mother won’t be able to soften the fury I’m feeling right now, Gaia Spanos."
• I rolled my eyes at the message and thought about what to reply, then simply told the truth.
• Gaia: "You’re basically sentencing me to death by forcing me to marry someone I don’t love. Just so you know, I’m with Laís eating brigadeiro."
• I decided to turn off my phone because I knew they’d keep calling until they got tired. I had definitely gotten their attention; of that I was sure. I started hearing footsteps approaching, but since my back was to the door, I had no idea who had arrived.
• "Where’s the brigadeiro, Laís?" I called out, trying to ease the ache in my heart.
• "She’s making it and asked me to come down with you, my ruby." I turned quickly as soon as I heard Arthur’s voice at the door.
• I jumped to my feet and ran into his arms, and he held me tightly. I felt his kiss on my forehead. He lifted my chin, and his lips touched mine. Our kiss was sweet and tender, and I completely melted for him.
• "Why are you here and not at the Suíça?" I asked curiously.
• He had started working part-time with Aunt Carol while finishing his aeronautical engineering degree at night school, something that made me incredibly proud.
• "I came to drop something off for Laís that my aunt sent. I was in the kitchen when you arrived. Now tell me what happened." I took a deep breath and spoke softly.
• "We came here so my father could try to make this marriage happen..." He hugged me tighter.
• "Forgive me, Gaia, for not being part of this life," he said, his eyes full of sadness.
• I had always known that his parents wanted no involvement in any of this, and now here we were, suffering because of the choices Cláudio and Juliana made for themselves.
• "There’s nothing to forgive. It’s my father who needs to back down..." Before I could finish, Laís walked into the room.
• "Your parents and my mom are on their way. Arthur, I think you should go." He nodded in agreement.
• "When the time comes and the wedding draws near, if he still insists on this, we’ll do something. Don’t worry," he said, kissing me again.
• "We’ll find a way for you two to be together. You can count on me..." The bedroom door opened again, and I saw my sister standing there, smiling at me.
• "And on me too. I won’t lose my sister to this kind of death." Everyone looked at me, concerned, and I tried to explain.
• "I may have kind of said I’d rather die than be forced into a marriage." I shrugged, and their expressions turned alarmed. Arthur spun around toward me.
• "Don’t ever say that again, do you hear me?" he said, lifting my chin gently.
• His eyes were serious and worried in that moment, so I just nodded. He hugged me again, and we said our goodbyes.
• I went back to the bed, and Laís revealed the pot of brigadeiro. When our parents showed up, we’d tell them we spent the afternoon lying down, eating sweets, and watching something interesting. Atena explained that she had asked for permission to come after me, which is why she arrived before our parents.
• And just as we expected, they didn’t take long to show up, breathing fire, as Grandma Maitê always says when Aunt Carol storms into our house in a rage.
• They tried to talk to me in every possible way, but they didn’t want to listen. And because of the anger my father felt toward me and the fury Joaquim’s father showed, they came to an agreement and set my wedding for when I turn twenty-one. There’s nothing more I can do. Now it’s just a matter of living one day at a time until that damn day comes.
• Right now, I’m here in the arms of the man I truly love, feeling his gentle caresses on my arm and his kisses on my neck, making me sigh like a lovestruck teenager.
• Arthur, at twenty-eight, has a degree in aeronautical engineering. To be closer to me, he got all the required certifications to become a pilot and, with a little help, was hired as the family’s private pilot. So we always manage to find time alone.
• I know my father is aware of this. I believe he regrets sentencing me to this prison, but sadly, he refuses to go back on his word.
• "I don’t know what to think anymore, Arthur." I lay on his chest, and together we watched the sea in front of us.
• "What worries me most about all of this is the thought of Joaquim touching you, my ruby. That’s the worst thing that crosses my mind..." he said.
• I heard him sigh. I imagine that, for him, as a man, that thought must be unbearable. I had always imagined my first time would be with him.
• We never crossed the line, especially because I know what’s expected of me in the organization as my father’s daughter. Arthur has always respected that deeply.
• But on the night of my eighteenth birthday, my father threw a huge party, and everyone got very drunk. In the middle of the night, I was surprised by Arthur sneaking into my room, and he showed me what we could have together.
• He made me discover my own body and gave me a small taste of what an orgasm feels like. But I know he only did that because he’d had too much to drink. Before sunrise, I helped him back to his room and stayed alone, thinking about everything I could have with him.
• "He’s not going to touch you. I’d kill him on our wedding night if I had to," he said, laughing.
• His hands traced a path along my stomach, his fingers gently brushing the skin of my breasts. I sighed, already feeling desire stirring with his touch.
• "Your grandmother has a better idea for your wedding. I think you should talk to her about it," he said, and I was surprised.
• I turned to face him, furrowing my brow, wondering what my grandmother could possibly be planning. Grandma Maitê had never shown any interest in stopping this marriage.
• "You haven’t noticed anything these past few years?" he asked, and his question intrigued me.
• I shook my head, and a smile spread across his lips, one that clearly meant something was going on, something I had no idea about.
• But for the first time in a long while, I felt a spark of hope…