Chapter 8 Impulsive Move

• Lizandra
• I could hardly close my eyes all night, and I couldn't say that I woke up. As a result of the terrible night tossing and turning in bed, shedding rivers of tears, the next morning I felt horrible. It felt like a tractor had run over my body, leaving me sore. And not to mention the swollen face and red eyes.
• I got up without enthusiasm, thinking about how I would face another day of work at my aunt's inn after everything that happened yesterday. There was no other option, at least not at the moment. But I intended to talk to Lucrécia as soon as things calmed down and try to prove my innocence, that the money under my mattress is the result of years of savings.
• After taking a long shower and shedding a few more tears in the bathroom, I decided to be strong and face everything that happened with my head held high. Enough of crying! Nothing gets solved with tears, and I had shed plenty since the moment I entered that room. If Juliana and Samuel want to be together, let them be! And about the money, I would recover it even if it didn't return to my hands. I can work and earn more. And this time, I wouldn't leave it at home or tell Juliana because she has proven that I can't trust her in any way.
• With a renewed spirit and believing that everything would be resolved one way or another, I left my room and walked to the kitchen, ready to have breakfast and pretend that everything was okay.
• "Finally, you woke up!" Aunt Lucrecia complained.
• I didn't find that strange because she always wanted me to work as much as possible, from early morning until night.
• "It's not even eight in the morning yet, Aunt," I replied calmly, sitting in one of the chairs at the table. "So I'm not late for work."
• I discreetly looked at Juliana, who seemed very interested in her plate, and chose not to exchange any words with her. Not yet. However, we needed to talk at some point.
• "I'm not talking about your job at my inn, Lily."
• Lucrecia spoke, and I stared at her expectantly now, leaving the bread I had just picked up in the same place, fully attentive to her next words.
• "I want you to pack your things and leave my house," she said calmly, looking me in the eyes. "You were stealing from the inn, and I can't keep in my house someone I don't trust."
• The words now made me stand up, completely surprised, my heart racing like crazy inside my chest.
• "I didn't steal any money!" I tried to defend myself when I finally partially recovered from the shock. "That money is mine. I saved it during all these years working at the inn, Aunt."
• "You're lying! I don't believe you," my aunt said adamantly. "I want you to leave my house. Soon Juliana will marry Samuel and come to live here, so there's no more room for you."
• I immediately looked at my cousin, unable to believe in this additional... "information."
• "Do you intend to get married!?" I asked directly to Juliana, who still kept her head down.
• "Samuel and I love each other, Lily," Juliana said, now looking at me directly. "We're getting married, and we'll be very happy together."
• "Understood."
• Well, now things began to get even clearer. If they intended to live in Lucrécia's house, it was inconceivable for me to continue living there. I could still work at the inn if Juliana decided that she wanted me as far away from her and her "fiancé" as possible.
• "I'll pack my things," I said, completely desolate. "Despite everything, I thank you for everything you've done. I don't know what would have become of me without you."
• Before leaving the kitchen, I looked at Juliana with disgust and at Aunt Lucrécia with a terrible mix of hurt and gratitude. She raised me; she should know me well enough to know that I wouldn't be capable of stealing from anyone, especially not from the only person who helped me when my mother left and abandoned me.
• After putting everything I could into a suitcase, the only one I had, I left that room without any good feelings. I never got attached to anything material; after all, none of it was mine, and I knew that perfectly. I believe that during my upbringing, Lucrécia did me a favor by making it clear that I truly don't belong to her family.
• I didn't see them when I left; I wouldn't go to the kitchen to say goodbye, of course.
• Already on the street, I looked both ways, and reality began to sink in. Where would I go now? I never had true friends; I didn't have much time for that. The friends were all Juliana's, to be honest, and they certainly wouldn't support me now that I was kicked out of my aunt's house and my cousin was open with my now ex-boyfriend.
• "Lily!? Where are you going with that heavy suitcase?"
• Even from behind, I could recognize the male voice, and I felt a certain embarrassment for being seen in that way. After all, everyone would soon know everything that happened.
• "Hi, Mr. Luciano," I greeted the man, turning around completely embarrassed to look at him. "Good morning!"
• I was trying to delay the awkward explanation.
• "Oh, good morning, Lily! Excuse my clumsiness; I was so surprised to see you standing here on the sidewalk with that suitcase that I even forgot my manners."
• Luciano approached to hug me and kiss on both sides of my face, and I had no choice but to reciprocate the uncomfortable greeting.
• "I see you're leaving. Where are you going?"
• That was a very complicated question. Where was I going? I had no idea, and to my complete horror, tears fell uncontrollably, wetting my entire face even with futile attempts to wipe away the tears. I ended up pouring out my situation to the man right there on the sidewalk, almost in front of my aunt's house.
• "I don't like to see a nice girl like you sad like this," Luciano commented in regret. "But I have the solution to your problem, Lily."
• "You do?" I asked immediately but quickly understood what he meant.
• As I imagined, Luciano made me the same proposal as many other times, but now in a completely different situation from the others. I found myself with not many options, coupled with the desire to disappear from São Miguel and never look at my cousin and the traitor Samuel again, I accepted the offer without calmly thinking about all the implications of my answer.
• "I accept your offer, Luciano," I said impulsively. "When do we travel to Rio de Janeiro? As you can see, I have nowhere to go at the moment."
• "I'm going to your aunt's inn just to get my bags and settle the bill," Luciano said with a visibly satisfied smile. "You just need to wait a few minutes, and we can go to Natal and catch the first flight to Rio."
• I walked to a small bench under a leafy tree where the town gossipers usually sat, observing the lives of other residents every afternoon, but it was empty at that moment. Luciano did exactly what he said, parking his rented car a few minutes later in front of the bench and taking my luggage to put them in the trunk of the vehicle.
• "I know that right now you think everything that happened seems to be the worst thing that ever happened to you, Lily," Luciano said after a few minutes of driving in silence. "But believe me, soon you will discover that it was just fate interfering so that you can radically change your life."
• Despite the attempt to lift my spirits, the way Luciano spoke always made me suspicious about something regarding him. It was as if everything he said was a lie, even though I had seen him with important people and even some artists who performed at private parties in the city's hotels.
• Therefore, I just nodded in agreement, but throughout the journey, he continued to ask various personal questions.
• "Don't you go to school, Lily?"
• "No."
• "But have you studied before?"
• "I finished high school."
• "Do you plan to attend college?"
• That question was quite complicated. If he had asked if I would like to, the answer would be yes. If I believed I would be able to do that? I had no idea, especially now that I didn't even know what my life would be like from now on.
• "I'm not sure."
• I didn't trust Luciano, and yet I was accepting his help. I hoped not to bitterly regret what I was doing now.