Prisioner In Your Arms

Bruno heard Nicole’s confession. He was sure that what she was saying was true and not just a delusion from her current state. Hearing her say that she hated him caused him pain, but he understood. What he felt was nothing compared to what she must have felt every time he humiliated her.

He tried to calm her down, but it was impossible. She cried, and a while later, she had to pull over. Nicole was nauseous, so Bruno opened the car door and held her head as she vomited. Unfortunately, his shoes got covered in something strange. He took out a bottle of water, cleaned Nicole’s face with a damp cloth, gave her a little water to rinse her mouth, and then cleaned his shoes.

He decided to take her to his mansion. Her condition was inconvenient, and he didn’t want his son to see his mother like that. He called Sara to inform her of the situation. Upon arrival, he took her in his arms again, carried her to her room, and gently placed her on the bed. He took off her shoes and covered her with a blanket.

He would sleep in another room. As he turned to leave, Nicole opened her eyes, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him towards her. She kissed him in such a way that Bruno was on the verge of letting himself be carried away by the sensations he was feeling. Only she was capable of awakening all of that in him.

Making a great effort to resist, he moved away from her and quickly left the room. He took a cold shower, tried to sleep, but it was impossible. Just knowing that she was so close made him nervous, especially when he remembered what that kiss made him feel.

In the morning, Nicole woke up despite the terrible headache and realized she was in a strange place. She immediately got up and noticed she was in Bruno’s room, everything was just as it had been before, nothing had changed. She saw a large painting in front of the bed, and upon closer inspection, she recognized herself in the image. She couldn’t understand why Bruno would have a painting of her. He walked in and found her standing in front of the painting; he had completely forgotten that she would see it. She turned to look at him when she noticed his presence.

“Why do you have a painting of me?” She didn’t understand; after all, he was supposed to be angry with her.

“I had it made when I came back from visiting your parents in Australia. When you lived with me, I took a photo of you on some occasion without you noticing.”

“That doesn’t answer my question. Why did you do it?”

“I missed your smile,” he replied, looking completely embarrassed. In that painting, Nicole was smiling.

“I don’t feel comfortable knowing that you have an image of me in front of your bed. It’s uncomfortable and also strange.”

“I’m really sorry, but I don’t plan on getting rid of it. It became my only company on all those sleepless nights without knowing about you. To me, it’s priceless.”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Nicole remained silent for a moment. As always, it would be useless to argue. Then she remembered that she didn’t know how she ended up there.

“How did I get here?”

“You had a bit more than you should have. I thought it wouldn’t be appropriate for Santi to see you in that state.”

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll call a taxi to take me home. Fortunately, it’s Sunday, and I don’t have to go to the office.” She placed both hands on her head.

Bruno handed her a glass containing a white, bubbly liquid.

“Take this. It’ll help with that, trust me.”

“Thank you.” She drank it quickly.

“I’ll take you home. I’ll feel more at ease if I do. Just wait a moment; I’ll quickly freshen up.”

“Thank you.” In her current state, she didn’t feel like arguing.

A few minutes later, Bruno knocked on the door. She opened it, and they headed downstairs.

“They’ve prepared a delicious breakfast. I know you might not feel like eating right now, but it will help alleviate the discomfort.”

“If it will help with this, I’ll accept.”

Bruno smiled. It was clear that she was in terrible pain, but he was glad she agreed to have breakfast with him.

They were served a light breakfast, and Nicole felt her strength returning after eating it. She remembered that the nanny had told her that Bruno had been drinking daily since her departure, so it made sense that he knew what would make her feel better.

“Thank you for arranging this. It has truly helped.”

“From personal experience, I know it helps alleviate the discomfort.”

Nicole was momentarily distracted, thinking about how strange it was. They were talking like two civilized people, not like they usually did.

They got into the car, and Bruno played music at a low volume. He began singing softly (Tolan Shaw’s “Gold”). The lyrics actually expressed everything he wanted to say but couldn’t.

Nicole had never heard him sing before, but he was quite good. She closed her eyes and focused on listening to the timbre of his voice. He drove as slowly as possible; she wished the distance was longer so they could spend more time together.

Upon arriving at Nicole’s house, Bruno got out to open the door. He took her hand and helped her out of the car.

“Can I see Santi? I’d like to spend some time with him.”

“Of course, come in.”

Santi was in the living room with Sara. When he saw his dad, he ran to embrace him, and Bruno lifted him up in his arms.

“Dad, has Mom stayed with you?”

Nicole blushed because Sara was attentively watching, waiting for her to answer that question.

“Aren’t you going to greet Mom?”

“Of course, Mom.” Bruno approached her, and the little one planted a sweet kiss on her cheek.

Nicole went upstairs to take a shower, while Bruno and Santi stayed in the living room playing video games. Shortly after, the doorbell rang, and Sara hurried to see who it was. When she saw Leandro standing there, she greeted him effusively.

“Son, it’s great that you’ve come.”

“Hello, Nanny. Nicole told me I could pick up Santi to take him to the movies.”

“Come in, son. Nicole will be down soon.”

Upon seeing Leandro, Santi ran to hug him. Bruno noticed the look of excitement on his son’s face when he saw who had just arrived.

“Look, Dad, it’s my uncle Leandro. He came to see me.”

“I’ve seen him, son,” Bruno replied. The situation was extremely uncomfortable for him.

Leandro sat down next to Santi, and they began playing the video game. Bruno felt excluded, but he understood that Leandro had been the father figure his son had known for several years.

Nicole came downstairs a little later. She saw Bruno looking very serious while Santi was happily with Leandro.

“Hello,” she said, smiling. Bruno stood up and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

“Hello,” he replied, also smiling.

Bruno watched them, feeling that the situation was incredibly strange.

“Mom, Uncle Leandro is taking me to the movies. I want you and Dad to come with us.”

The three adults turned to look at each other, unsure of what to answer. The little one insisted on his request.

“Son, go with Uncle Leandro. Dad and I will wait for you at home. How about that?”

“No, I want to go with all of you.”

He crossed his little arms over his chest.

They had no choice but to accept. Sara watched in silence, curious to see what would happen. It was like a time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

“Nanny, will you come with us?” Nicole said, hoping it would make her feel less uncomfortable.

“No, my dear. I made plans to have tea with some friends.”

Nicole knew Sara was lying. Her only friend was the owner of the flower shop, but since she had gone to Australia, they had lost contact.

Shortly after, they headed to the cinema. The first argument arose when both men wanted to go in their car. Exasperated, Nicole asked them to get into her car, and she would drive. Now the argument was about who would sit next to her. Santi asked Leandro to sit next to him, and Nicole thanked him for that. Bruno smiled, satisfied, but then became sad, thinking that his son preferred Leandro’s company.

It seemed like there were three little children in the car instead of one. They had barely left the house, and Nicole was already getting impatient. It would require a lot of patience that day to endure them.

Leandro couldn’t stand Bruno, not because he was jealous of him-he had already understood that-but because Bruno was the person who had caused Nicole the most suffering.

They bought some candies and popcorn. Santi spent the whole time in his uncle’s arms, while both men sat next to Nicole, leaving the little one on the edge.

They watched a children’s movie. The situation was incredibly uncomfortable for the adults, but because of the deep love they felt for the child, they did their best to endure it.

Bruno extended his arm, placing it around Nicole’s shoulders. Leandro noticed and did the same, just to annoy him. She stood up and left, pretending to go to the restroom.

She needed to breathe; inside the theater, she felt like she was suffocating. The movie would be over soon, so she decided to wait for them in the hallway near the exit.

They returned home in complete silence. The child fell asleep as soon as he got in the car, and it wasn’t yet dark outside. Nicole would have liked to take her son to a park, but with those two in that state, she preferred to go back.

Upon arrival, Leandro took Santi to his room and then came downstairs to sit next to Nicole. Bruno took the game controller and started playing, and Leandro grabbed the other controller and did the same.

She looked at one and then the other, knowing full well what was going on. Deciding she had had enough, she went up to her room and left them alone to continue their ego battle.