Weakness

Ethan

To my satisfaction, Mariana's efficient employees had indeed closed the store on their own, and only Matheus seemed to be left there, sitting on one of the benches that were harmoniously distributed throughout the store.

"We can go, Matheus," Mariana says, indicating to the guy to leave through a discreet door in the left corner of the store.

I thought I had gotten rid of the dynamic duo we left hanging when we entered Mariana's office, but I was truly mistaken.

Surprisingly enough, they were still waiting for us, now outside the store in the hallway, and I felt the anger boiling inside me at such absurdity. Don't they ever give up?

"Ethan, I really need to talk to you!" Bruna says, stomping one foot on the ground like the crazy person she is.

"Where are the keys to your car, Mariana?" I asked, not caring to give any response to Bruna and repeating what I'd said countless times before.

"They're in my bag," Mariana replied, furrowing her brow.

"Do you have a driver's license, Matheus?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hand him the keys, Mariana," I instruct, while everyone just stares at us in silence. "We'll both go in my car."

Clearly against her will, Mariana hands the keys to her car to Matheus, and I hold her hand, intending to get out of there as quickly as possible before the crazy Bruna completely loses it or my ex-friend decides to go even further by continuing to wait for us all that time.

To my immense relief, Mariana cooperated with me. I believe she realized that my patience was wearing thin, and we walked out hand in hand while Bruna and Arthur looked at us clearly incredulous.

Matheus joins us too, as we all head towards the mall parking lot, which is practically empty at that hour with all the stores closing.

"Don't expect me to always cooperate with you whenever you want to make a scene like just now," Mariana says, but she speaks softly, seeming to fear that the two of them might be following us.

"You know how far I can go, and you realized I wasn't playing around."

"Maybe I'm not afraid of you, Ethan," she challenges me. "Have you thought about that?"

"Maybe I don't want you to be afraid of me, Mariana," I respond to her question. "Have you thought about that?"

Arthur

I can't believe they walked away holding hands and left me here with that leech, Bruna!

"Did you see what I saw?" Bruna asks, sounding as outraged as I felt. "They walked away holding hands!"

"Of course, I saw. I'm not blind," I say rudely.

"I never thought I would see Ethan Constantino holding hands with a woman," she speaks to herself as if thinking out loud. "He's a damn jerk!"

I'm not going to stand there and listen to the lamentations of an abandoned lover. It's bad enough that Ethan left me with that crazy woman on Saturday when she was so drunk she could barely stand, and I had to make sure she got back to her apartment. It was truly unpleasant.

"Where are you going?" Bruna starts following me as she sees me leaving. "Can you drop me off at home?"

"No," I refuse without even thinking twice.

Bruna is an extremely annoying and self-serving woman. Everyone knows her history, and the way she jumped from Murilo's bed straight into Ethan's, I would never get involved with someone like her.

"It won't cost you anything to give me a ride, Arthur!" She pouts and stomps her foot, something truly ridiculous for a woman her age.

"It costs my patience, something I don't want to spend on you, Bruna," Irritating woman!

"Well, I'm going to accompany you, and you'll have to drop me off at home," she insists.

She kept her promise and stayed by my side until we reached my car in the mall parking lot. But I intended to pretend I didn't know her and get into my car without giving her any further attention.

But Bruna is a truly audacious woman. When I reached the driver's side and unlocked the car, she simply opened the door on the other side and got in, sitting in the passenger seat before I could even get in.

"Have you ever heard of a taxi or Uber?" I'm being purposely ironic and unpleasant.

"I prefer to go with you."

If Bruna was looking for a new victim, she would have to look elsewhere because I am not the two fools she managed to deceive.

"Where do you live?"

"Jardim Paulista," Bruna smiles with a victorious air.

I simply start the car, leaving the parking lot, and driving in silence. I would drop her off at her house just to get rid of her insistence, and that's it. Nothing more.

"Where is Gisele?" She had the audacity to ask.

"If you mention that woman's name again in my car, I will stop the car and you will get out, even if it's by force!"

"You wouldn't dare," she challenges me with an arrogant air of superiority.

"No, I wouldn't dare to do it myself," I confirm, after all, it's the truth. "But I can call the police and tell them that you're trying to enter my car against my will."

"Fine! I'll be quiet."

Finally, a drop of wisdom from that woman. And I was even more satisfied to see that she kept her word and remained silent, only speaking to indicate which building she lives in when we arrived in Jardim Paulista.

When I parked in a suitable spot, but very close to the building she indicated, I noticed it was a highly privileged and extremely luxurious address, which was quite understandable considering the neighborhood where the building is located.

I thought about commenting on how well she was doing in life, with all the scams she was able to pull on men driven solely by their lower regions, all deceived by Bruna's beautiful appearance. But I preferred not to give her any room to extend her presence in my car, so I refrained from unleashing my venom.

"You've been delivered." I wasn't going to try to be kind to that morally bankrupt woman.

Bruna unbuckles her seatbelt, but instead of quickly leaving my car, as I mistakenly believed she would, she does the exact opposite. She leans closer to me, her face just inches away from mine, and her hands wrap around my neck.

"Why don't you calm down a bit?" Bruna suggests in a rather provocative manner. "I guarantee I can make you a lot less irritated, baby."