My Blind Fiancée

Ava felt nervous under her uncle’s insistent gaze. She wanted to get away as quickly as possible.

“Miss Grecia, I would like to invite you to dinner sometime soon. If you’d like, you can give me your phone number. Here’s my card just in case you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me,” Teodoro wanted to catch the girl’s attention.

“Thank you, Mr. Miller, you’re very kind. I’m actually in the process of changing my phone number, so there’s no point in giving it to you now. But I will get in touch with you one of these days, and we’d be happy to accept your invitation for dinner.”

Teodoro’s companion looked at Grecia with hatred. She didn’t know why this girl made her so uneasy. It wasn’t just because she had noticed Teodoro’s excessive attention towards her; it was something more, a strange sensation she couldn’t quite identify.

Akiro approached Mateo, who was tired of enduring words of encouragement from so many people.

“Friend, that was epic. Just like you said, you wouldn’t come out looking like the bad guy.”

“It’s just the beginning, my friend. She thinks she’ll get away with it, but she’ll have to pay for all the fraud she’s committed alongside Miller. For now, it’s better that she believes that, so she won’t tip him off. She appears as the owner of the company, so she’s also responsible for money laundering and the dirty business dealings that Teodoro has done in conjunction with her company.”

Tadeo and Grecia were unsure whether to approach Mateo and bid him farewell, but they didn’t want to be seen as rude, so they mustered the courage to do so.

“I’m really sorry for what happened, Mr. Licciardi,” Tadeo was compelled by Ava to show kindness to Mateo.

“Thank you, Detective,” Mateo replied, while keeping his gaze fixed on Grecia.

“I’m also really sorry, Mateo,” Ava approached and hugged him.

“Thank you, Greys.”

He hugged her tightly, not knowing why, but he didn’t want that hug to end. This girl was stirring in his chest the same sensation he felt when he was near Ava.

“It’s better if we go, Grecia,” Tadeo said, not bothering to hide his displeasure, but Grecia and Mateo continued hugging for a little longer.

“I’m sorry, I really needed that hug. It was very humiliating but necessary. I had to expose her. If I had just broken up with her, she would have taken care of tarnishing my reputation. I know her too well.”

“You did the right thing. I don’t think anyone will dare to judge you. Here’s my card with my number. If you need someone to talk to, count on me. I’m a good listener,” Ava couldn’t help it; she wanted to support him in this terrible moment.

“Thank you,” Mateo smiled, a sincere smile.

Tadeo took Grecia’s hand and left without saying goodbye to Mateo.

“What are you doing? As soon as Licciardi finished with his fiancée, you went after him,” Tadeo reproached her as soon as they left.

“Don’t insult me, Tadeo. You know I love him, and I will never stop loving him. I don’t really know why I gave him my number or offered my support. I just did what I felt in that moment.”

Mateo felt happy. He didn’t know if he liked that girl for herself or simply because she reminded him of Ava, but he was willing to find out. However, that wouldn’t stop him from looking for the love of his life. He had to know about her, make sure she was okay. If that was the case, he would be content with that.

Ava arrived at her apartment, bidding Tadeo a cold farewell. It irritated her that just because he was her friend, he believed he could come between her and Mateo. She knew very well that she loved him and had never deceived him. He was the love of her life, and forgetting him was impossible.

Teodoro Miller contained his anger at Mateo’s house, but when he arrived at his mansion, he exploded. He couldn’t believe that Daría had ruined everything. They had Mateo Licciardi completely in their hands. Fortunately, he hadn’t found out about the true relationship he had with Daría. The woman accompanying him, his current lover, was also upset. Teodoro hadn’t bothered to hide the interest Grecia had aroused in him.

“Nice performance at the party,” she reproached him, deeply annoyed.

“What are you talking about?”

“You practically undressed that girl with your eyes.”

“Don’t start with your nonsense. I have enough on my plate with what happened. Now Daría can’t stay in the company. If I don’t fire her, Licciardi might withdraw his investment.”

“Is it that, or you won’t be able to keep rolling in the hay with her?”

Teodoro became furious. He had no intention of listening to that woman.

“What I do with my life is none of your concern. I don’t ever want you to dare to question me again,” he said, grabbing her by the neck. The woman started coughing desperately as she felt the pressure he was exerting on her.

She began hitting him while futilely trying to get him to let go. The man laughed sinisterly. After a few seconds, which felt like minutes to her, he threw her onto a couch, turned around, and walked away from her.

At the Licciardi mansion, all the guests had left. Mateo was in an excellent mood. Finally, he wouldn’t have to put up with Daría anymore. His mother and grandfather thought he would be depressed, as he had locked himself in his office. They decided not to bother him for now and would talk to him seriously later.

In the solitude of his office, Mateo searched for a photo of Ava on his cellphone. “Where was she? Was she okay?” These questions haunted him constantly.

In the morning, he headed to his office, where he needed to carefully consider what to do with Teodoro. He couldn’t afford to leave any loose ends that might allow him to escape. His secretary had fallen ill, and Mateo was going crazy. For a man like him, losing someone to manage his schedule and organize documents was unthinkable, and it resulted in complete chaos.

When the night came, Mateo felt tired and completely stressed. He hadn’t had time to go out for a meal, and he urgently needed to find someone to assist him. His secretary had informed him that she wouldn’t be returning due to her deteriorating health.

He thought about how difficult it would be to adjust to a new secretary. She already knew perfectly well how he worked after all these years in the company, first alongside his grandfather and then with him, which made her indispensable.

He felt fatigued and terribly alone. Before Ava, he would have solved this problem quickly. He was tempted to call Clara; she knew how to help him relieve his stress. However, he hesitated, picked up the phone, and without thinking, dialed Grecia’s number. When she saw his number on her phone, she immediately asked Lola to take her son to another room so he wouldn’t overhear their conversation.

“Soon,” she said.

“Hello,” Ava said, her voice trembling.

“Who is this?” Mateo pretended not to know who was calling.

“It’s Mateo. I’m sorry to bother you, especially at this hour.”

“Is something wrong?” she asked, puzzled.

“I just need someone to talk to.”

“I understand.”

“Can I see you?”

“Of course.” She couldn’t bring herself to refuse. She didn’t have the willpower to do so.

“Can I pick you up?”

“Better tell me where to meet you.”

Mateo gave her the address of the bar where he was. The place had private booths, so they could talk in peace.

Ava arrived at the agreed-upon time, and Mateo was already there. He had sent her a message with the booth number. When she entered, she noticed that he was a bit tipsy, but she thought it was understandable given everything he had been through.

“Hello,” she greeted him.

“Ciao, bella.”

That greeting brought back memories of when they were together. Ava could see the immense sadness in his eyes. He must love Daría deeply to be in such a state.

“Are you okay?” she asked, although she realized her question was rather silly. It was obvious that he wasn’t.

“No, for the first time, I can openly say that I’m not. A woman has me in this state,” Mateo replied, his eyes filled with sadness.

“I can imagine it’s not easy for you with everything that happened. After all, Daría is the woman you love.”

“It’s not because of her that I’m like this,” Mateo admitted, deciding to be honest. He needed to get everything off his chest.

“If you’d like, you can tell me. I’m a good listener,” Ava said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Mateo began to tell her the whole story about Ava, how he had decided for the first time that he had given his heart to someone, and she had simply left him. She had hurt him so deeply that he didn’t know if he could ever forgive her. He wouldn’t stop looking for her; he just wanted to know if she was okay.

He pulled a photo from his wallet, the one of Ava on the terrace. Ava was surprised to see that he had pictures of her. She realized he truly loved her. She regretted leaving him and wondered what his grandfather had told him. Now she understood that he would have supported her decision to have the surgery to regain her sight.

She had been tempted to call him when she was at the hospital, just before going into surgery, but she was afraid it wouldn’t work, and she would lose her sight forever. That’s why she had chosen not to call. She was also hurt because he had started dating Daría immediately after she left, and she couldn’t understand how he could claim to love her and yet be engaged to someone else.