Juliana came twice a week to clean, and little by little, Leonardo found himself looking forward to those days. She was different from the women in her social circle. Her money didn’t impress her. In fact, she seemed almost uncomfortable when he talked about his business. She spoke of her interns as if they were her own children. She had simple, but beautiful dreams.
She wanted to open a school in her neighborhood. She wanted to help her mother buy a small house. She wanted to change the world, in her own way. The attraction had been inevitable, and their story… their story had been the most genuine thing Leonardo had ever felt.
But when Juliana told him she was pregnant, his perfect world crumbled. Panic overwhelmed him. His company was about to go public. The media were watching his every move. What would they say when they learned he’d gotten his cleaning lady’s daughter pregnant? How would he explain falling in love with a 23-year-old office cleaner? Cowardice won out.
He told Juliana he needed time to think. That the situation was complicated. He uttered all those phrases a man uses when he lacks the courage to take responsibility… then he disappeared from her life. He changed the cleaning lady’s schedule so Juliana wouldn’t have to come anymore. He blocked her phone number and threw himself into his work, as if that could erase what he had done.
Six months later, his housekeeper told him that Juliana had had a baby girl. « A beautiful baby, Mr. Valente. Just like you. » The words pierced his heart like daggers, but he pretended not to care.
Two years later, he learned that Juliana had experienced postpartum complications, health problems requiring expensive treatment. Her mother had had to sell the house to cover the medical costs. Juliana had left university because she couldn’t study, work, and care for a sick baby all at the same time.
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