—Lívia —he said, and the name came out like a sentence.
She looked up, surprised… and then looked away, as if seeing it was physical pain.
—You shouldn’t be here.
Thiago knelt down, not caring about the ground, not caring about the stares.
“Alice isn’t eating. She isn’t sleeping. She’s dying without you.” His voice broke. “And so am I.”
Livia shook her head.
—And trust, Thiago? How could we?
He swallowed, as if he were about to confess a sin.
“I trust you.” And, for the first time, he said it without pride. “The cameras were my fear talking. My paranoia. My trauma. But you know what they revealed? They revealed that you are the kindest, most dedicated… most incredible person I’ve ever met. That my daughter loves you… and that I…” His throat closed. “…I’m in love with you.”
Livia closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
—Don’t say that… because… because I’m in love with you too.
When she looked at him, there was fear.
—But look at me, Thiago. I’m a cleaner with no diploma, no family… you’re a rich businessman. How am I ever going to be enough? How am I ever going to… replace your wife?
Thiago took her hands with a gentle firmness.
“You don’t replace anyone. Fernanda will always be part of our story. But you are unique. And Alice doesn’t need a replacement. She needs Lívia. The woman she chose.”
Lívia broke down and threw herself into his arms as if her life depended on it. Thiago held her as if he were holding a second chance.
That same night, Lívia returned with him. When she opened the door of the mansion, Alice was in her grandmother’s arms, crying softly. But as soon as she saw Lívia, her eyes widened as if the sun had entered the house. She stretched out her arms and cried out with a clarity that left no doubt:
-Mother!
Livia ran, took her in her arms, crying. Alice clung with impossible strength, burying her face in her neck, trembling as if afraid she would disappear again.
“I’m here, princess,” Livia whispered. “Mom’s here. I’m never leaving again.”
Thiago watched the scene and felt his chest fill with life.
That night, Thiago did something he should have done from the beginning. He took out each camera, one by one, and placed them on the table.
“I want you to do it with me,” he said, picking up a hammer.
Together, they destroyed each one. The metal shattered, the plastic cracked, and with each blow, Thiago felt he was killing a piece of his distrust. When they finished, there were no secrets left. Only a floor full of debris… and cleaner air.
Thiago turned towards her.
—It’s over. No surveillance. No lies. Just trust.
Livia cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. It was a trembling kiss at first, as if fear still lingered. Then it deepened, filled with promises. When they parted, they were both crying and smiling at the same time.
Days later, Thiago made him an offer that didn’t sound like charity, but rather like a future offer.
—I want you to finish your studies. I’ll pay for them.
Livia initially denied it, but he insisted with a truth:
“It’s an investment. You have a gift. Look what you did for Alice. How many children could you help?”
Livia agreed, but on one condition.
—And you too will allow yourself to live again. Without guilt. Without fear. Our love… will grow at its own pace.
Thiago let out a laugh he didn’t remember having.
—At your own pace, then.
And time passed, and the house flourished. Alice continued to move forward. Lívia studied while the baby slept and turned the afternoons into therapy disguised as play. Thiago reduced his workload and began to be a real father, not just a busy man with hidden tears.
Eight months later, they decorated the room with pink and white balloons. It was Alice’s birthday: one year and seven months. The party was small: just the three of them, her grandmother, and two physiotherapists who had become friends with Lívia. She was in her last semester. She looked beautiful in a yellow dress Thiago had bought her, with a different glow in her face: the glow of someone who has rediscovered her self-confidence.
They sang “Happy Birthday.” Alice clapped her hands, excited about the cake. And Thiago, next to Lívia, intertwined his fingers with hers as if that gesture were an oath.
Then, the impossible happened.
Alice looked at her favorite teddy bear on the sofa and started crawling toward it. Halfway there she stopped. She looked at her legs. She looked at the sofa. And with a determination that took everyone’s breath away, she placed her hands on the sofa and… bent her knees.
—Lívia… —Thiago whispered, squeezing her hand.
Alice tried once. She fell. She tried again. She trembled. On the third try, she stood up, leaning on the sofa. The adults looked like statues. And then she took a step. Awkward, uncertain… but real. Then another. She let go of the sofa and for three magical seconds stood alone in the middle of the room.
Livia covered her mouth. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Thiago fell to his knees.
—Come with Daddy, love—she said, her voice breaking.
Alice smiled and walked toward him: three shaky steps, her arms outstretched, searching for balance. She fell into his arms in the room, but it didn’t matter. The impossible had happened.
Thiago hugged his daughter, crying like a child. Lívia knelt beside him, and the three of them embraced on the floor as everyone applauded. Alice laughed, not fully understanding, but feeling the joy.
Thiago looked at Lívia with an intensity that left no room for doubt.
“I love you,” she said. “You saved my daughter. You saved me. You gave us back a family.”
And there, his heart still trembling from the miracle, Thiago pulled a small box from his pocket. He had planned it for later, but life had chosen that moment.
—Lívia Martins Silva… you are already Alice’s mother. She chose you. I chose you. Let me choose you officially.
She opened the box. A simple ring, beautiful for what it meant.
—Will you marry me?
Lívia sobbed, unable to speak. Then she said “yes” as if she were saying “life”.
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