Prisioner In Your Arms

When Nicole woke up, she didn’t find Bruno. She looked out the window and saw him talking to some men who seemed strange to her. She went to take a shower, and after a while, she heard him come in.

When he came out, she noticed that his expression was serious.

“Has something happened?” she asked, puzzled.

“No, why do you ask?” Bruno tried not to get nervous.

“Who were those men?” she sensed that something was wrong.

“Oh, those? They were locals. I was asking them some questions about fishing,” he said, stating the first thing that came to his mind.

“By their appearance, they seemed like military personnel,” Nicole thought they didn’t look like locals at all, they looked different.

“I only know that they’re from here, no idea what they do,” he shrugged as he said it.

Nicole found his attitude strange; he was clearly being defensive.

“And now, what did you eat?” she asked, serious now.

“Nothing, I haven’t had breakfast,” the question seemed odd to him, not relevant.

“I’m asking because of your behavior, you’re acting extremely strange,” she said.

“Haha, nothing’s wrong with me. I’m just tired and feeling a bit drained, maybe someone’s been sucking all my energy,” at that moment, he understood what she meant. It was his chance to divert Nicole’s attention to another topic.

“Oh, so now I’m the culprit,” she crossed her arms over her chest while laughing.

“I didn’t mention any names, it’s just that someone sucks all my vitality at night,” he knew he would blush at what he said.

Nicole covered her mouth, and Bruno thought she was shocked by what he had said. Suddenly, she ran off.

“Hey, it was a joke, it’s not that serious,” he said, puzzled by what had just happened.

When he realized she wasn’t coming back, he went to look for her. Santi was still asleep, and she was in the bathroom.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?” he asked from the doorway.

“I haven’t been feeling well since the codfish; maybe it didn’t agree with me,” she replied.

“Lie down, I’ll call the doctor,” he said.

“It’s not necessary. I’ll make myself some tea. Just order breakfast for you and Santi. I can’t cook in this condition,” she insisted.

“I’ll bring you the tea, and I’ll order some soup for you. You can’t go without breakfast,” he said authoritatively. He wouldn’t allow her to skip a meal.

Santi woke up with more energy and vitality than ever. For a boy his age, that was completely normal. After breakfast, the little boy started asking questions.

“Dad, are we going fishing today?” he asked excitedly.

“Mom is feeling a bit sick, so we’ll have to postpone it,” Bruno replied.

Nicole noticed her son’s disappointed look.

“It’s okay. I had prepared my camera to meet Matilda,” he pouted while touching the camera hanging around his neck.

“You two can go; I’ll stay and rest,” Nicole said. She didn’t want her son to be sad. They had promised him, and it was important to him.

“No way, I won’t leave you here alone,” Bruno said, worried about her.

“You promised our son. We’ll go again before we leave,” she insisted.

“Okay, we’ll go, but just for a little while,” Bruno agreed.

“Yes, Dad, that’s great!” Santi exclaimed, clapping his hands.

They headed to the pier a little later. Bruno had rented a small boat, and the owner would take them fishing.

Later, they were anchored in a calm area of the river when Santi’s fishing rod started moving.

“Dad, Dad, I caught a fish! It must be a huge one!” he smiled, excited to see what kind of fish it was.

Bruno smiled at how thrilled his son was. They pulled out the fish, which turned out to be a white catfish. After catching four more catfish, Bruno decided it was enough. They placed the fish in a bucket of water.

“Mom will be surprised when she sees what we brought for dinner,” Bruno said.

“I know you won’t like this, but we’ll release these fish,” he added.

“Nooo, Dad, please!”

“The fish in this river isn’t safe to eat; it’s highly contaminated. It wouldn’t be good for us, and we could get sick,” Nicole explained.

“Okay, Dad,” Santi pouted, lowering his head.

“I promise that later on, we’ll go to the mountains. We’ll make a campfire and cook whatever we catch there,” Bruno assured him.

“Really, Dad? Do you promise?” Santi asked.

“It’s a promise, son,” Bruno replied.

“Promise pinky swear,” Santi said, extending his little finger.

Bruno smiled at his son’s promise, extended his own finger, and interlocked it with Santi’s.

“A pinky swear can’t be broken; it’s sacred,” Santi said with utmost seriousness.

“Okay, we’ll never break it,” Bruno tried not to laugh; it was a very serious matter for his son.

Nicole heard them arrive, and Santi excitedly started telling her what the captain had told them.

“Mom, we caught four white catfish, but we released them back into the river because it wouldn’t be healthy for my growth. The water is contaminated, and it can cause diseases. Then we strolled along the pier, and I took many pictures with Matilda. Look!” Santi exclaimed.

Nicole sighed as she looked at the photos, seeing the excitement on her son’s face. In several of them, taken by someone else, Santi was looking at Bruno, his eyes shining differently when he looked at his father.

Now it was Bruno who observed Nicole strangely; he had no idea what had happened to her.

After dinner, they went together to put Santi to bed. Bruno was about to ask if he wanted a bedtime story, but when he turned around, Santi was already fast asleep.

“He’s completely worn out,” Nicole said, looking at her son. He brought out a great tenderness in her.

“The day was full of adventures for him,” Bruno agreed.

They sat on the terrace facing the pier.

“I thought I saw Sergio today, but maybe I mistook him. What could he be doing here? He was standing in front of the house, and the two locals you spoke to started heading towards him. Before they reached him, he got into a black van and left,” Nicole said.

“I think the same. You must have mistaken him; I don’t think he has any business here. He’s a city man, and I doubt he’d be interested in a small town,” Bruno replied.

“Mom told me not to go near him; she said he’s dangerous, considering everything he did. But if he wanted to harm me, he was close to me and my son for many years,” Nicole said thoughtfully.

“In a way, I agree with both of you. It’s better to be cautious around that guy. You know, I noticed there’s a lot of trash around. I’ll take it to the dumpster. Just rest here; I’ll be right back,” Bruno said.

He took the trash and hurriedly went out. As he took a bit longer than expected, Nicole looked out again and saw him talking to the locals once more. A little while later, he returned to the cabin.

“Did those locals approach you again?” she asked.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“Yes, they were asking me how our fishing went. I told them about our adventures with the catfish. They said there are people who, despite knowing that the river water is contaminated with metals, still consume the fish they catch,” Bruno replied.

“In the long run, that will cause them harm,” Nicole believed in what she was saying.

“That’s right. Santi felt disappointed about having to release them. I promised him that later on, we’ll go fishing in a mountain river near its source. We’ll make a campfire there to cook whatever we catch. He got really excited and even made me promise on the pinky swear,” Bruno said, showing his pinky finger.

“Haha, now you have to fulfill it. For him, that promise is sacred, he takes it very seriously,” Nicole chuckled.

“Phew, I know. I saw it in his eyes.”

Nicole quickly fell asleep, and later on, Bruno got up slowly, leaving the room. From the living room, he made a phone call.

“Hello?” a man’s voice answered on the other end.

“Where is your father?” Bruno asked.

“He went to Los Angeles with Deborah two days ago. They had a business meeting,” the man replied.

“Are you sure?”

“I checked with his secretary’s schedule, and she had it booked for today.”

“They lied to you.”

“Are you sure? Has something happened?”

“I’m positive. They have been following us yesterday and today.”

“Damn it! I don’t know what they’re up to. They pretend to trust me but keep me out of their plans. I need to be more vigilant.”

“Invent something to make him come back. I promised Nicole and my son that we would be here for a week. I can’t let them down again.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow morning.”

“I would appreciate it if you let me know as soon as they return so we can change our location. I don’t want them to send someone after us.”

He heard a noise behind him and immediately hung up. Nicole noticed that he seemed very nervous.

“I’m thirsty. I’ll pour myself a glass of cold water. Who were you talking to?” she asked.

“It was a company matter, but I’ve taken care of it,” Bruno replied.

“Oh, okay.”

Bruno let out the breath he had been holding, unsure if Nicole had believed him. They returned to the bedroom.

The next morning, Nicole woke up late and didn’t know how long she had slept. She saw that Bruno had packed everything into the suitcases and called Sophie, who answered immediately.

“Hey, sweetheart, it’s great that you’re calling. How’s everything going?”

“I need some advice, my friend.”

“I’m all ears,” Sophie replied.

“I don’t know what’s going on with Bruno. He’s been acting strange, hiding to make phone calls, hardly paying attention to what I say. It’s like his mind is somewhere else,” Nicole expressed.

“Listen to me carefully, my dear. Although Bruno has all the symptoms, I honestly don’t think he’s cheating on you. He has fought for you for several years, and I don’t believe he would risk losing everything he has gained over something trivial. It’s clear to all of us that he wants to be with you and your son. The best thing you can do is have an open conversation with him. It’s better to talk it out before making assumptions. That way, you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches,” Sophie advised.

“But what if he’s only with me because of our son and he has someone else?” the thought alone made Nicole feel a strange sensation in her chest.

“Frankly, I don’t believe that. Knowing Bruno, he would have sent his team of lawyers to take custody of the child if that were the case,” Sophie reassured.

“Maybe he didn’t do it because of the pressure from my parents and his own,” Nicole pondered.

“Well, that’s definitely a good point. Think very carefully, my dear, about what you’re going to do. Don’t make a mistake and ruin everything you’ve achieved, especially because it would affect the emotional stability of your child. In my opinion, talk to him before anything else,” Sophie advised.

“You’re right, I will.”