Page 85 of Abigail's King

“That’s who did my last shoot here. I agree with you that he is very nice. If I really can’t put you off the idea of becoming a model, then I guess I need to help you.”

I saw her face light up. “You would really do that? Could you put me in touch with an agency and help me to learn the ropes?”

“I can do better than that. You could sign up with the agency that I now own. It has two sides to it, but you would fit into the side I used to work for, I’m sure of that. There would be plenty of fashion houses that would love to have you model for them. I knew that the first time I saw you. I just wanted to make sure you understood how difficult it was going to be.”

We continued to chat for a little while until it was time for Maria and Aliciana to go for their first treatment. Sofia had decided to stay with me. I’d had all the treatments I was allowed for one week, so we were just lounging around the pool resting.

“How are you doing, Abigail?”

“I’ve been better. This week and yesterday have taken a lot out of me, but I’m so glad I came. It’s been lovely how welcoming you have been towards me. You could have sent me away, thinking I was just trying to tie Kye down with a child. But you opened your arms and hearts to me. You do not know how much that means to me. After we lost our parents, it was just me and Chrissy against the world. I had to work hard to get where I was while looking after my younger sister. Now she is engaged to an amazing man in Lucas, and it is me that has had to stop my life again because of the decisions I made.”

I saw her give me a sad smile. I had made it sound as though I regrated my decisions, but I would have made the same choices if I was to get the chance again. I didn’t regret my time with Kye, and I didn’t regret getting pregnant with his children. The only thing I was sorry about was not being able to save Kye from himself.

“Don’t give up on him, Abigail. I’ve known Ricardo for a long time now, and I know he will see sense. You brought him back to Mateus, which I will forever be grateful for. Mateus hasn’t been the same since he left all those years ago. He has spent all that time trying to find him and get him to come home. You managed to do that, and not only that, but got them talking again. Ricardo won’t let you go that easily, I’m sure of it.”

“I’m not so sure about that. You didn’t see the man I did when he told me to get out of his house. He didn’t even look like a man. He was an emotionless machine, eyes as black as the night. If he doesn’t get help, next time, I think he might just stay that way, if he doesn’t pull the trigger.”

Sofia didn’t seem shocked at what I was saying, which told me that Mateus had told her how Davi had found him the other evening.

I wasn’t sure I could have lived with myself if I knew he had done that because of me, which was one reason why I wished I hadn’t given him that ultimatum. Would it be what he needed to get his head in gear? Or would it be the final nail in the coffin that sent him over the edge? Only time would tell.

The waiter brought over cocktails for the pair of us as we lay there – non-alcoholic for me, of course.

“Compliments of the hotel, Miss Clarke.”

I noted the name on his badge. “Obrigado, Miguel.”

“You know I could get used to this, Abigail.” Sofia had a beaming smile on her face as she sipped her cocktail.

“Believe me, you soon get bored of all the attention. Now, I must ask about Aliciana. Will Maria be extremely upset if I take her to the UK and help her with her modelling career? I wouldn’t want to do anything to upset her.”

“If I’m honest, she would probably be happier if you did. Aliciana has been talking about leaving for years. So far, Eduardo and Mateus have managed to convince her to stay, but if she had someone like you looking out for her, then they would let her go.”

I was pleased that Sofia thought I could be trusted by the family to look out for Aliciana. I would, of course, and if I ever got back with Kye, then she could stay in my flat. Thinking about it, she could anyway, because I would need to find something bigger for me and the twins. We sat there drinking our cocktails and enjoying the peace and quiet that the spa brought with just the two of us there. it wasn’t long before Maria and Aliciana came back.

We sat together chatting for a while. Maria told me stories of Kye when he was a boy and the things he, Davi, and Mateus used to get up to. It was wonderful to get an insight into Kye’s life before everything went wrong for him. I knew no matter what that Sofia blamed herself for Kye’s issues, thinking that choosing Mateus over Kye had sent him into the downward spiral he had been on since he was eighteen. I tried to convince her that she was not the cause. How could she have been when she didn’t even know he loved her? I hoped it helped, but I suspected she would always have those thoughts until Kye was truly happy.

“Sofia, why don’t you take my massage place with Aliciana?” Maria asked. “I’d like to spend some time with Abigail.”

I could see Sofia hesitate. I thought she might be worried about what Maria was going to say to me, but I wanted truth and honesty in my relationship with these women. There had been too much lies and deceit in my life for me to be any different. I gave Sofia a smile and nodded my head to tell her it was okay, and she and Aliciana went off for their massage.

Once they were out of sight, I sat there waiting for whatever Maria was going to say. I guessed she was worried as well about how I would take it, as she took a deep breath before she spoke, almost as though she was trying to calm her nerves.

“Can I be totally honest with you, Abigail?”

“Of course, Maria. I wouldn’t want you to be anything else. There has been too much drama and deceit in my life.”

It was what I wanted, but I could feel my heartrate start to rise as I waited for the inevitable, “Please leave us alone and continue your life without Kye and us.”

But when she spoke, all the anxiousness I was feeling melted away instantly.

“I’m worried that not only am I going to lose Ricardo, but I am going to lose his children too. If you don’t get back together with him and find yourself a new man in your life who will take care of your children, then you won’t want to be part of our lives. I’m not sure I could stand that. I would rather never meet the twins if you thought that could be the case.”

I could see the tears starting to well in her eyes. She had been worried about this for a long time, I could tell, trying to find the ideal opportunity to face me and ask the question. I immediately got up from my seat and sat next to her, pulling her into a hug. So much for the mother-daughter roles, they went out of the window right now.

“Maria, no matter what, I want you, Eduardo, and the rest of your family to be part of the twins’ lives. I would never cut you off, even if I did find another man in my life. But for the record, I’m not looking. I will never find a man I love as much as your son. It has taken me years to find someone I truly loved, and that was Ricardo.”

I chose this moment to use his given name. I needed Maria to realise how important they were to me as a family.

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