Isabella Duarte held the small thermal lunch bag carefully as she walked down the luxurious hallway of the company.
Inside it was the meal she had prepared with love for her husband.
Ricardo had always said he loved her cooking. And lately… he barely came home to eat.
Maybe today would be different.
Isabella stopped in front of her husband's office door and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the strange feeling that had been haunting her for months.
Over the past four years, Ricardo had changed.
He came home late.
Made up unexpected meetings.
Took calls outside the bedroom.
There was always an excuse.
Even so, Isabella never wanted to believe something was wrong. She loved him too much to let that suspicion grow in her heart.
She raised her hand to knock.
But then…
A woman's voice came from inside.
"You promised you'd stay longer with me today."
Isabella froze.
Her heart began to pound.
That… couldn't be what she was thinking.
Then she heard Ricardo's voice.
"Relax, Camila. You know I always find a way to come back to you."
The color drained from Isabella's face.
Camila.
His secretary.
The name echoed in her mind like thunder.
"And what about your wife?" the woman asked with a low laugh.
Ricardo let out an impatient sigh.
"Isabella? She suspects nothing. That woman lives in a fantasy world."
Isabella's heart shattered.
Her hands began to tremble.
But something inside her needed to confirm it.
Slowly… she leaned closer and looked through the small gap in the door.
And what she saw made her world collapse.
Ricardo was leaning against his desk.
And Camila Albuquerque was sitting on his lap.
They were kissing without a trace of shame.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The lunch bag slipped from Isabella's hands, nearly falling to the floor.
She covered her mouth to stop a sob from escaping.
"You know I love you," Camila said, gently touching Ricardo's face.
He smiled.
"Of course I do. After all… we've been together for four years."
Four years.
Isabella's mind spun.
Four years.
Exactly when he started coming home late.
Exactly when he started pulling away from her.
Then Camila took his hand and placed it over her stomach.
"Now you'll have to divorce her soon…" she said with a victorious smile. "Our baby will be born in a few months."
Isabella's world stopped.
A baby?
Her legs nearly gave out.
For years, she had tried to get pregnant.
Doctor appointments.
Exams.
Hope crushed month after month.
And now…
Now he was going to have a child.
With another woman.
Silent tears streamed down Isabella's face.
But she couldn't stay there.
She couldn't let them see her like that.
With unsteady steps, she backed away from the door and ran down the hallway.
Her heart felt like it was being crushed inside her chest.
When she finally reached the parking lot, she got into her car and broke down.
The man she had loved for seven years…
Was never truly hers.
But as the tears fell uncontrollably, a single decision began to take shape in her mind.
She wouldn't stay there waiting to be destroyed. Not anymore.
Isabella didn't know how long she sat in the car.
Time no longer seemed to exist.
Her reflection in the rearview mirror startled her.
Red eyes.
Pale face.
Trembling lips.
She barely recognized herself.
With shaking hands, she gripped the steering wheel.
"Four years…" she whispered, her voice broken.
Four years being deceived.
Four years being made a fool.
And the worst part… she never noticed.
A bitter taste rose in her throat as a memory hit her hard.
The doctor visits.
The tests.
The silent tears in the bathroom while holding negative pregnancy results.
Ricardo had always been by her side.
Always saying everything would be okay.
Always holding her when she cried.
"Don't worry, love… we'll try again."
Isabella let out a weak, painful laugh.
Lies.
All lies.
He already had someone else.
He already had a double life.
He was already building a family… with another woman.
And her?
She was just… convenient.
Her chest tightened so much she pressed a hand against her heart.
For a moment, she wanted to go back.
To open that door.
To scream.
To ask why.
But something inside her… stopped her.
No.
She wouldn't give him that satisfaction.
She wouldn't beg for answers.
She wouldn't humiliate herself.
If he chose to betray her…
Then she would choose to leave.
A silent tear slid down her face.
"It's over…" she murmured.
But in that moment, an even more painful thought crossed her mind.
In one week, Isabella Duarte would disappear from Ricardo Ferraz's life forever.
Even if it shattered her heart into a thousand pieces.