Chapter 5
Rosa wasn’t sleeping soundly and was quickly awakened by a noise. The familiar scent of cologne on the man’s shirt allowed her to immediately recognize him. Hugo? How had he suddenly walked in to kiss her? She shuddered and before she could react, she heard Hugo’s hoarse voice mixed with hot breathing: “Ana…” At that moment, she froze completely. The alcoholic breath that hit her made her understand her situation. Hugo was drunk and had mistaken her for Ana. That moment of distraction allowed Hugo’s hands to begin to descend. She began to panic, holding onto the hand that was playing at her waist as she tried to push him away, her voice filled with anxiety. “Uncle, you’ve got the wrong person, I’m Rosa!” Hugo, perhaps too drunk to understand or perhaps the struggle awakened his desire for control. His kisses became more aggressive, capturing her soft lips and nibbling on them lightly. Rosa could hardly breathe. Desperate, tears began to fall, wetting the gauze and falling on the wound, causing a sharp pain. “Uncle, you’re hurting me, my wound hurts so much…” It is not known if it was the alcohol or her scream that took effect, but Hugo tensed slightly and let go of her hands. She quickly turned to the side, ran out without even putting on her shoes and ran to the living room, wrapped in a blanket, until she managed to fall asleep at dawn. The next day, in the afternoon, when she opened her eyes, she saw Hugo in front of her with an indecipherable expression. The memory of the previous night flooded her mind, frightening her until she cowered in a corner of the sofa. Seeing her reaction, a glimpse of coldness crossed Hugo’s eyes. “Last night, were you the one who took me to your room?” Rosa was confused by the question, just as she was going to explain, she saw him frown again. “Those thoughts, don’t have them again.” Otherwise, you’ll have to move out. Seeing his firmness, Rosa swallowed the words “it was you who was drunk” that were on the tip of her tongue. With the precedent of a stolen kiss, no matter how she explained it to him now, he probably wouldn’t believe her. So she gave up on explaining and obediently closed her mouth. On the ground, the shadows of both of them were reflected, and Rosa, seeing the opposite shadow raise his hand, couldn’t help but raise her head. Hugo’s hand stopped right above her head, looking like he was going to caress her. Rosa stood completely stiff, disbelief in her eyes. When she was a child, whenever she missed her family and cried until she couldn’t breathe, in the numerous moments of sadness and loneliness, Hugo would often caress her head, tenderly soothing her. That had almost become an unspoken code between them. But ever since she was seventeen, they had had almost no physical contact. She was so nervous that her breathing almost stopped. The next second,Hugo raised his hand and grabbed a bottle of red wine from the cabinet behind her. It had all been a misunderstanding on her part. Rosa laughed at herself. Due to the need to sell quickly, what she had previously put up for sale and Casa Diaz were sold below the market price. Accumulating over nine million dollars in her account, she was still a few thousand short of the amount she imagined. She would soon have to go abroad, and with little time left, it was difficult to make up the difference, so, being a painter and having won several awards over the years with recognition in the industry, she decided to organize an exhibition to sell her works. She would not be able to organize it alone in time, so she asked Hugo for help. Just then, Ana, who was nearby, heard and looked surprised, smiling as she approached. “What a coincidence, I am also preparing an exhibition, why don’t we do it together?” Rosa looked at Hugo, and seeing that he had no objections, she agreed. Five days later, her exhibition took place simultaneously at the museum. Ana had studied painting for over a decade, and this was her first major exhibition, so Hugo became especially involved. He gave her the large hall of hundreds of square meters, meticulously decorating it and using various methods to promote it. So on the opening day, with the participation of celebrities and literary eminences, the museum reached a record number of visitors. But the other hall of the museum, where another exhibition was scheduled, was not so lucky. Nearly a hundred paintings were squeezed into a room of just about ten square meters, so narrow that people could barely move, and no one came in to see, much less buy. She stood at the door, looking at the lively scene in the distance, her face full of sadness and disappointment. Just as her friends tried to comfort her, suddenly a shout came from inside. “Rosa, something’s happened!”and seeing that she had no objections, he agreed. Five days later, their exhibition was held simultaneously at the museum. Ana had studied painting for over a decade, and this was her first major exhibition, so Hugo became especially involved. He gave her the large hall of hundreds of square meters, meticulously decorating it and using various methods to promote it. So on the opening day, with the participation of celebrities and literary eminences, the museum achieved a record number of visitors. But the other hall of the museum, where another exhibition was scheduled, was not so lucky. Nearly a hundred paintings were squeezed into a room of just about ten square meters, so narrow that people could barely move, and no one came in to see, much less buy. She stood at the door, looking at the lively scene in the distance, her face full of sadness and disappointment. Just as her friends tried to comfort her, suddenly a shout was heard from inside. “Rosa, something’s happened!”and seeing that she had no objections, he agreed. Five days later, their exhibition was held simultaneously at the museum. Ana had studied painting for over a decade, and this was her first major exhibition, so Hugo became especially involved. He gave her the large hall of hundreds of square meters, meticulously decorating it and using various methods to promote it. So on the opening day, with the participation of celebrities and literary eminences, the museum achieved a record number of visitors. But the other hall of the museum, where another exhibition was scheduled, was not so lucky. Nearly a hundred paintings were squeezed into a room of just about ten square meters, so narrow that people could barely move, and no one came in to see, much less buy. She stood at the door, looking at the lively scene in the distance, her face full of sadness and disappointment. Just as her friends tried to comfort her, suddenly a shout was heard from inside. “Rosa, something’s happened!”
