Episode 1

...Leonardo Vasconcellos ( Eduardo's father**)...

Age: 50 years old

Appearance: Tall, athletic build for his age, dark hair with gray strands, deep and striking brown eyes, well-groomed beard, always dressed elegantly.

Personality: Cold in business, calculating, and dominant. But when it comes to the people he loves, he is protective, loyal, and intense. He is a man who has always gotten what he wanted and has never lost a battle.

History: Widower for years, he lost his wife to a serious illness and has never been emotionally involved with anyone since. He raised Eduardo alone and tried to teach him to be a responsible man, but he failed. Always focused on business, he never imagined that one day his life would change because of a woman he should never desire: his son's wife.

Relationship with Eduardo: Extremely disappointed. He had known for a long time that his son was worthless and tried to save him numerous times, but Eduardo proved himself unworthy of his trust. Upon discovering how he treated Mariana, Leonardo felt hatred for his own blood.

Connection with Mariana: He always knew who she was before the wedding. He was fascinated by her beauty and sweetness when he saw her for the first time, but he distanced himself so as not to interfere with his son's marriage. However, seeing her suffering and the injustice she suffered, Leonardo realized that he needed to have her for himself.

...Eduardo Vasconcellos...

Age: 31 years old

Appearance: Brown hair, dark eyes, medium height, athletic body, but arrogant expression. Always well-dressed, but with a calculating and cold look.

Personality: Spoiled, selfish, womanizing, and immature. He thinks the world should revolve around him and has never been responsible for anything.

History: He grew up with all the privilege that money could give, but he never had enough character to reciprocate his father's trust. He made several mistakes in business and went so far as to embezzle money from his father's company, being blackmailed by Isabel and forced to marry Mariana.

Relationship with Mariana: He never wanted her. He always made it clear that he despised her and, at the same time, enjoyed humiliating her. For him, Mariana was nothing more than a problem imposed by her blackmailing mother.

Connection with Leonardo: He has always lived in his father's shadow and hates him for never being good enough for him. He envies his authority and strength.

...Ane (Mariana's Friend)...

Age: 26 years old

Appearance: Brunette, wavy hair, lively brown eyes. She has a casual and relaxed style.

Personality: Loyal, funny, and sincere. She is not afraid to tell the truth, even when Mariana doesn't want to hear it. She always tries to cheer up her friend and encourage her to make decisions for her happiness.

History: Longtime friend of Mariana, she has always been her support during difficult times. They work together at the coffee shop and have shared a house since Mariana left the Vasconcellos mansion.

Relationship with Leonardo: At first, she is suspicious of him, but over time she realizes that he really loves Mariana.

...Bianca Beach (Eduardo's New Wife)...

Age: 28 years old

Appearance: Platinum blonde, intense green eyes, fair skin, sculptural body, and always dressed in a provocative and sophisticated manner. Her look is impeccable, with manicured nails, perfect makeup, and clothes that highlight her sensuality.

Personality: Ambitious, manipulative, deceitful, and extremely vain. She has an explosive temper when contradicted, but knows how to use charm and seduction to get what she wants.

History: Daughter of a bankrupt businessman, Bianca grew up accustomed to luxury, but after the family lost money, she realized that she would need to "make do" to maintain the standard of living she always had. Since she was young, she used her beauty to attract rich men and stay on top.

Relationship with Eduardo: She was his girlfriend in the past, and the two had an intense relationship full of lust. Eduardo promised her marriage, but never fulfilled it. When he married Mariana out of obligation, Bianca distanced herself, but he looked for her months later to resume the affair.

Objective: To win Eduardo back and guarantee a place by his side, even if it means getting rid of Mariana once and for all.

...Mariana Beckman...

Age: 25 years old

Appearance: Brunette with long, wavy hair, light brown eyes, golden skin, slender body, but with delicate curves.

Personality: Intelligent, determined, resilient, but emotionally repressed. She has always put others above herself, mainly because of her sick father. She suffered in silence within a loveless marriage, but never lost her essence.

History: Daughter of Isabel and Antony, she grew up in a house with a manipulative mother and a loving father who always protected her. Since she was little, she saw her mother take advantage of others, but she never imagined that one day she would be used by her as a bargaining chip. She was forced to marry Eduardo to protect her father, without knowing that the money she was supposed to receive from her husband was going to Isabel.

Relationship with Eduardo: Cold, distant, and abusive. He never loved her and made it clear that he only married out of obligation.

Connection with Leonardo: At first, she sees her father-in-law only as the father of the man who despised her, but she soon realizes that he is different. Leonardo's intense gaze, unexpected attitudes, and protective manner begin to awaken her to something she has never felt before.

...Isabel Beckman...

Age: 45 years old

Appearance: Blonde, blue eyes, well-groomed body, always made up and well-dressed, with a refined and youthful appearance.

Personality: Manipulative, ambitious, and cold. She has always used others for her own benefit and has never truly cared about her daughter.

History: Since she was young, she learned to manipulate men to get what she wanted. She married Antonio, but was never faithful. When she discovered Eduardo's embezzlement of money, she saw the perfect opportunity to extract money from the Vasconcellos family.

Relationship with Mariana: She never showed true affection. She always saw her daughter as a means of social ascension.

Connection with Eduardo: He is her puppet, and she knows it. She manipulates him to get money and power, using his marriage as a tool to maintain her life of luxury.

...Antony Beckman...

Age: 52 years old

Appearance: Gray hair, gentle eyes.

Personality: Loving, honest, and an excellent father. He always did everything to protect Mariana, but after an accident, he lost part of his mental faculties and became dependent on medical care.

History: He married Isabel for love, without knowing her character. He always worked hard, but his health deteriorated, and when he suffered an accident, he became a burden to his wife. His greatest pride is Mariana, who never abandoned him.

Relationship with Mariana: Extremely strong. Even sick, he knows that his daughter sacrificed herself for him and feels guilty about it.

Connection with Leonardo: Leonardo has already researched everything about him and was furious to find out that Mariana was working to pay for her father's treatment alone.

.......

.......

Mariana,

The white dress weighed on my body like a burden. I should have been radiant, smiling at the guests, but inside, an inexplicable emptiness took over me. I was marrying Eduardo Vasconcellos, the man my mother said was perfect for me, the heir to one of the richest families in the country. He was handsome, polite, intelligent... but he didn't make me feel anything. Eduardo and I had known each other since we were kids, school days. Our approximation was just that, a teenage friendship and nothing more.

As he shook my hand and smiled at the cameras, I felt only a growing discomfort, a feeling that I was making the wrong decision. Maybe it was just nerves. But something inside me screamed that this marriage would not be the fairy tale I expected.

After the ceremony and the endless photos, we headed to the grand mansion of the Vasconcellos family. It was a beautiful palace, with classical architecture, huge glass windows, and an impeccable garden. My heart raced when I spotted the man who stood out among the guests: Leonardo Vasconcellos, my father-in-law.

I knew Eduardo came from a powerful family, but I had never met his father personally, because he traveled a lot.

Leonardo was a man of overwhelming presence. With his fifty well-lived years, he sported an elegant bearing, well-groomed graying hair, deep and penetrating brown eyes, and a marked chin that made him even more handsome and sexy. He wore an impeccable black suit, and his attentive gaze analyzed me from top to bottom, arousing an involuntary shiver on my skin.

"Welcome to the family, Mariana." His voice was grave, controlled, but I felt a strange vibration in it.

"Thank you, Mr. Vasconcellos."

"Leonardo." He corrected, raising an eyebrow. "I prefer you call me by my name."

The way he said that made me swallow hard. Eduardo was busy greeting some businessmen around us, so it was only at that moment, in that intense exchange of glances, that I noticed something dangerous about that man. A different energy.

"It's just my imagination," I tried to convince myself, looking away.

The reception continued with champagne, speeches, and laughter, but I couldn't get Leonardo out of my head. Every time my eyes roamed the room, he was watching me. Not in an obvious way, but in a silent and controlling way, as if he knew exactly the effect he was having on me.

I felt an unusual warmth spread through my body, and that bothered me deeply. Why was I feeling like this? He was my father-in-law. A powerful, experienced man, who was probably just analyzing me for being his son's new wife. But even knowing that, I couldn't ignore the way his gaze held me captive.

At one point, Eduardo was called to talk to a group of important partners. I was alone again, until a strong presence approached from behind me.

"You don't seem very happy for a newlywed."

Leonardo's timbre echoed in my ear, and I turned around quickly. He was too close.

"I'm... just a little out of place." I justified, trying to hide the unease that dominated me.

"Hmm... out of place?" He murmured, taking a sip of his whiskey. His gaze fixed on mine made my breath fail for a moment.

The way he analyzed me was not natural for a father-in-law. It wasn't normal to feel that way about an older man, even more so about my husband's father. But at that moment, amidst the clinking of glasses and the laughter in the background, I realized that Leonardo was dangerous to me.

And the worst of all? I didn't want to escape that danger.

........ *Today* .......

Mariana,

Here I am, married for two and a half years.

I woke up with the cell phone alarm ringing on the nightstand. Without opening my eyes, I reached out to the side of the bed, finding only the cold sheet. Empty, as always.

I let out a heavy breath, feeling the weight of frustration. Two and a half years of marriage, and I still felt like a stranger inside this house... Inside my own life.

I was a married woman, but I didn't know the taste of a passionate kiss, I didn't have a honeymoon, and I don't even know what it's like to make love with a man, because Eduardo never touched me.

The reason? He made a point of making it clear. Without a hint of remorse, he threw in my face that he doesn't feel attraction to me, doesn't love me, and that, in fact, he loves another person. Why did he marry me? I also don't know, I feel like my mother plotted something with him.

Worse still, he made it clear that this house was not mine. That when the real owner of this house arrives, I will leave without making a fuss. His warnings were cold.

I was nothing more than a substitute wife, someone who occupied a temporary space. Eduardo didn't give me money, nor assistance.

I was nothing more than a nuisance.

I tried to ask my mother for help. I told her everything, explained what I heard from his mouth, how unhappy I was, and asked to come home. But the answer I received was a cruel and definitive no.

"You are married now, Mariana. Make your marriage work. Make him desire you, love you. Or are you so useless that you don't know how to use your femininity to your advantage?" she said with total coldness.

I insisted. I asked, I begged. But she went further: she threatened to have my sick father committed to an asylum if I dared to leave the marriage.

My father is the sweetest and most generous man I know, the one who taught me how to ride a bike and who always told me stories before bed. He hit his head in an accident and never got well again. His mental state is unstable, he needs constant care.

I couldn't abandon him.

It's for him that I'm here.

It's for him that I make this sacrifice.

I took a deep breath and sat up in bed, feeling a lump form in my throat. I didn't want this life.

But what else could I do?

I put my feet on the cold floor and forced myself to get up. I walked to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on my face. The reflection in the mirror showed me a woman I barely recognized.

My eyes were dull. My lips, colorless. Time and sadness were consuming me little by little.

I did my morning hygiene, and then I put on simple jeans, a white shirt, and tied my hair in a messy bun. I grabbed my bag and checked my wallet: the money from my salary was almost gone.

That reminded me that I needed to work today.

I went downstairs and headed to the kitchen. The smell of fresh coffee filled the room, but the house was silent. Huge, luxurious... and empty.

I poured myself a cup of coffee and took a slice of bread with butter. The employees were in the kitchen already taking care of everything, like every day. My husband? He left early as he always does.

This was my reality.

Despite being married to a rich man, there was no luxury for me.

Since Eduardo made it clear that he wouldn't share anything with me, I got a job at a coffee shop in the city center. It was an exhausting routine, but it was the only money I had.

I didn't even tell Eduardo that I was working. He probably wouldn't care. After all, when I wake up, he's no longer in bed, when I come back from work, he still hasn't arrived from the company. Our life is whatever, each one for himself.

I finished my coffee quickly and looked at the clock. If I was late, my boss would deduct it from my salary. I grabbed my bag and left through the back door, as I did every day.

The coffee shop where I worked was a twenty-minute bus ride from the Vasconcellos mansion. It was a small but cozy place, frequented by students, workers, and some rich ladies who liked to have breakfast there.

As soon as I entered the establishment, I was greeted by the attentive gaze of Sonia, the owner of the coffee shop.

"I didn't think you would come today, Mariana." She commented, while cleaning the counter.

"Miss a day of work? No way."

She smiled slightly, but her eyes revealed that she noticed my sadness. Sonia was always kind to me, but I never bothered to tell her my story. It would be humiliating to admit that my marriage was a farce.

I grabbed my apron and started my shift, taking orders and serving the customers. The work was simple, but it kept my mind occupied.

Until, in the middle of the morning, while taking coffee to an elderly man who was reading a newspaper, I noticed that a tall and elegant man entered the coffee shop. He wore an impeccable dark suit, and his woody perfume dominated the room as soon as he passed through the door.

He looked around for a moment, as if looking for someone, and then sat at one of the tables in the back.

My breath caught for a second.

Because even without being able to see his face properly, there was something about him that bothered me.

Something... familiar.

I swallowed hard and returned to the counter, grabbing my notepad.

"Do you want me to go serve him?" The other employee asked.

But I refused. For some reason, I wanted to go to him. With firm steps, I walked to the table in the back and raised my eyes to face him.

And that's when the shock hit me.

Leonardo Vasconcellos.

My father-in-law.

I didn't know he frequented this place. In fact, it's been two and a half years since I last saw him, since the wedding with his son.

His brown eyes fixed on me the moment he noticed my presence.

He fixed his gaze on me in a way that left me breathless.

My heart raced inside my chest.

"Mariana." He murmured.

Of course, he was amazed to see the wife of his rich son, working when she should be at home enjoying the luxury. Ah, but if he knew that his son is a jerk and a terrible husband, then yes, I would be more screwed. I couldn't tell him, no way. My mother threatened me to stay in this marriage. So avoiding talking bad about that jerk would be an adequate option.

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