Prisioner In Your Arms

Nicole turned to look at Bruno, studying him closely. He was a handsome man, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember anything about him.

“I want to go home, Mom,” Nicole said.

“I’m sorry, daughter, but I think you should stay here. Sara lives here with you, and she will take care of you. It’s more likely that you will start remembering things here. Could you please look at the other album?”

Nicole began looking at the photos. These photos showed a beautiful child, documenting his growth from infancy. She found it strange to see another man appearing with her and the child, while her supposed husband only appeared in a few photos towards the end.

“Who is this child?” she asked.

“That child is Santi, our son,” Bruno said, making an effort to hold back the tears that threatened to come.

“Yes, he is my son. Why don’t I have any photos of my pregnancy? Where is my supposed son?”

Nicole hadn’t printed any photos of her pregnancy, and Bruno remembered the USB drive with photos and videos that she had given him.

“Wait, I’ll bring something,” he said.

He hurried to fetch the USB drive, turned on the television, and connected it. He started playing the videos and photographs, which showed her looking happy with that other man. Bruno didn’t appear in any of them.

“Who is that man? If you’re supposed to be my husband and the father of my child, why weren’t you by our side?” Nicole asked.

“That’s a long story that I will tell you later,” Bruno replied, fearing her rejection if he told her what had happened between them. “That man is your half-brother.”

“Half-brother?” Nicole looked at Noah and Emma, seeking an explanation.

“Now is not the time, daughter. You need to rest, and little by little, we will tell you everything,” Emma said.

They knew it would be painful for her to relive all those emotions.

“And if I have a child, why isn’t he with me?”

Bruno thought about inventing a lie to spare her the pain, but he couldn’t lie to her. She would hate him if she ever found out the truth. Sara approached, carrying a cup of hot tea.

“My dear, have this warm tea. It will make you feel better.”

Nicole listened to her nanny and took the tea. Bruno sat beside her, took her hand, but she immediately pulled it away. To her, he was a complete stranger.

“On the day you lost your memory, something happened,” Bruno said, pausing for a moment. It was very difficult for him to tell her this. “During the night, while we were sleeping in our other house, some men entered. They took our son. That shock is what caused you to lose your memory.”

Nicole looked at him in horror. She had a child who was kidnapped. She went into shock and didn’t know how to react. While she didn’t remember her son, knowing that she had one and that he had been kidnapped was a profound shock. She stared at Bruno, unblinking.

“Nicole, Nicole, are you okay?”

“Daughter, please react,” Emma pleaded.

They administered a sedative to her, and Bruno carried her up to her bedroom.

“I’m not sure if it’s wise for them to be in the same room. It might be uncomfortable for her. Maybe she should stay with Sara,” Noah suggested.

“No way. I want to take care of her. We have to do everything possible to find Sergio without him realizing that we’re looking for him,” Bruno insisted.

“Let’s talk outside. We shouldn’t risk her overhearing us. We shouldn’t upset her any further. For now, it’s best not to tell her anything else until her mind assimilates what we just told her,” Noah requested.

In Milan, Sergio was toasting with Deborah. Things had gone according to their plan.

“This child will be our cash cow. Soon, we will ask Nicole to hand over her fortune to us. The entire Rossano and Williams empire will be ours. Ha ha ha!” Sergio laughed, imagining the immense power he would have.

“Let’s toast to a power that no one can match. I will send proof of life so they will comply with our demands to keep him alive,” Deborah said, showing no mercy when it came to money. She was incredibly ambitious.

At that moment, Sergio’s phone rang. It was one of Leo’s bodyguards.

“Speak.”

“Sir, I won’t be able to keep you informed about Leone’s movements anymore.”

“Damn it! I need you to keep me informed.”

“They have completely changed their entire staff, both at home and for security.”

“Find a way to get close to one of the new bodyguards. Offer them a large sum of money to accept passing us information.”

“I tried, sir. They followed me for several blocks. As soon as I could escape, they didn’t speak our language, but I took out a large amount of cash and offered it to them. They got upset.”

“Idiot! By now, Leone knows what we’re trying to do. He will be more cautious and increase surveillance.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I won’t be able to get close to them anymore.”

Sergio angrily threw his phone.

In the United States, Bruno stepped into the shower. Nicole was still asleep. He came out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist. As he turned, he noticed that Nicole had awakened and was looking at him, completely bewildered.

“I’m sorry, I thought you were still asleep. I’ll change immediately,” Bruno said.

Nicole continued to stare at him intently. He was a very handsome man. She scolded herself mentally, realizing that she couldn’t be thinking those things. She blushed and averted her gaze.

The next day, Bruno returned early from the office. He didn’t want to leave her alone for too long. He wanted them to have a meal together. As he entered the house, he heard laughter coming from the living room. He quickly made his way there and found Sondra with Nicole, laughing and reminiscing about some experiences. Sara was bringing them tea but stopped when she saw Bruno. He glared at her, and she served the tea and headed towards the kitchen. Bruno followed her without saying a word.

“Why is Sondra here?” he asked.

“My girl called her. She doesn’t remember everything Sondra did to her. Sondra is taking advantage of the situation,” Sara explained.

“Damn woman, she will see,” Bruno said.

He went out to the front yard, lit a cigarette, something he only did when he was nervous, and patiently waited for Sondra to leave. When he saw her, he approached and grabbed her by the neck.

“I don’t want you to come near Nicole again. I know you had something to do with my son’s disappearance,” Bruno said.

“Hahaha, you have no idea how much joy it brings me to know that you’re suffering,” Sondra replied.

Bruno felt fury consume him. He tightened his grip around her neck, and Sondra struggled, desperately trying to free herself.

Nicole came out at that moment, realizing that Sondra had left her phone behind.

“What’s happening? Let go of my sister, you animal!” Nicole exclaimed. Bruno immediately released Sondra, who started crying, playing the victim.

“Sister, I’m glad you’re here. I have to tell you the truth. Your husband has been harassing me for some time. Today, he asked to meet me secretly, and when I refused, he did this to me,” Sondra said, touching her neck with both hands while continuing to cry.

“How could you do this? You’re a beast! I will talk to my parents, and I’m leaving here today,” Nicole responded.

Sondra smiled maliciously when Nicole wasn’t looking, and they both headed towards her car. Once Sondra was gone, Nicole returned and walked past Bruno, ignoring him. He, consumed by anger, repeatedly punched the wall.

A few minutes later, Noah and Emma arrived. Rona and Gío kept their distance, deciding to wait until they could tell Nicole the truth to avoid further confusion. Nicole told them what had happened.

“I want to leave right now,” she said.

“Daughter, we didn’t want to tell you about Sondra just yet, but given what happened, we have to do it,” Noah said, his expression serious.

“What do you mean, Dad?”

“Many things have happened that I will gradually tell you about. Sondra hates you; she has caused you a lot of harm. She has been after Bruno ever since you got married, and she was also involved in the kidnapping of your son. She deceived us, and for a long time, we were angry with you until we realized that everything she claimed you had done was actually done by her.”

“No, I can’t believe it. My sister would never hurt me,” Nicole cried.

“Well, believe it, daughter. It’s true what I’ve told you. I hope you can remember soon and prevent her from harming you again.”

Shortly after, Noah and Emma left. Nicole locked herself in the study, turned on the computer, and searched for news about her wedding with Bruno. They belonged to two very important families, so it was certain that the press had covered the event.

News articles about their wedding and engagement appeared. One headline caught her attention. In the photograph accompanying the article, she and Bruno were in bed together, their faces expressing complete confusion.

“What is this? Clearly, it’s me,” Nicole said as she continued reading. She discovered that their engagement was announced shortly after that scandal and found articles about their wedding, where both she and Bruno didn’t appear happy.

“This is very strange. I don’t know what has happened, but I’m going to find out right now,” she thought to herself.

She left the study and headed to the living room, where Bruno was. She wanted him to clarify everything for her right at that moment.

“I need you to explain what has happened between us, right now,” Nicole demanded.

Bruno, who was sipping whiskey, felt like he was choking on the liquid. He didn’t want to tell her the truth; it wasn’t the right time yet.