Chapter two.

"What the hell is wrong with you !?" I raise my voice.

Chiara closes the door behind her, once we enter my office. She verifies that no one is there at reception to hear my last screams. She then she turns to face me, I can see that look ... No, damn it. She is doing it again!

She has taken me out of my boxes.

"Let me explain ..."

"What do you want to explain to me? I think you have been too specific about it," he indicated altered. "How can you say something like that to me without hardly consulting me? And ahead of those two!"

"I know, but I just needed to say it as soon as possible"

I laugh sarcastically.

"I can see that!"

"For the love of God, Samantha, let her put more than two words in!" She exclaims then losing her temper. I cross my arms, mute, waiting for his next speech: "I'm sorry you said it like that, I understand your annoyance and I apologize for it. But the truth is that ... Max came here because a few weeks ago he asked me to find a good assistant since the previous one has resigned for no apparent reason. Today none has convinced him but when we started talking, I told him about you and apparently, he was fascinated with the work you do, "he explains." And he asked me to convince you. I don't know, I haven't seen his interest in you wrong ... "

I can not believe it. He looked at the ceiling with a humorless smile and shook his head. I can't believe the irony of that man. By God, have they all gone crazy?

"He saw interest in me," I repeat his words. She nods "The same interest he just showed me in the lobby? He barely stares at me, Chiara. I take myself for granted!"

She walks over with her studs rattling off the ceramic.

"This is a good opportunity, Sam."

She opened her eyes, incredulous. How dare she ...?

"No! Of course it isn't!" I roar hysterically. I don't understand since when my cousin has become so insistent about something. "This is a good opportunity, close to my family, close to you! Why the hell do you want to send me out of the country?"

"Because here you are in danger!", She shouts then with a broken voice.

I stay still and mute in my place. I feel like everything suddenly stops, like my world is falling apart. Everything I've gotten so far seems to be melting away.

I hold my breath while I look in her eyes that it is just her invention, but when I can't find it, my heart begins to beat fiercely. No...

"What haven't you told me, Chiara?" I manage to murmur in a small voice.

She closes her eyes tightly and squeezes her lips, then turns around and faces me; there is pain in her gaze. She looks defeated with her shoulders slumped.

"They're looking for you. I don't know how they know you're here but they got it and ... They won't stop until they have you. The prosecutor with whom we worked the case last time told me a few weeks ago. I thought it was just a piece of information. , which wasn't as worrisome as he apparently told me, but it is, "she says with a broken voice. "They are not going to stop until justice is done for him ..."

"Please stop."

She takes a deep breath while I'm rock hard on the spot. My body's temperature has dropped and I feel my head start to spin; this cannot be true. Not after so many years ... Damn.

My cousin comes up to where I am, she takes my frozen hands, and tries to make me look into her eyes. I just want to cry.

"The Max thing is a good opportunity, Sammy. And if you don't leave as soon as possible," I can see in her eyes fear of her. As scared as I am now. My body trembles at her words. "I don't know what will happen. But it won't be good."

She released her hands slowly. I need to get out of here. I walk away from her body, grab my things, and walk out the office door before she can hold me back. I need to be alone. Completely alone.

Carla greets me but I hardly care. I think my face confirms what is happening to me. I feel like the air is failing me and if I don't get to the car on time, I'm going to pass out. This can't be happening, after so long. Because right now?

What do they want?

After years where I was innocent in the case it does not make sense. I wasn't guilty ... Not entirely. As I leave the big building and get into the car, I reach for the keys with a shaking hand and start the engine, but I can barely locate myself. My vision is blurred more every second, my pulse is racing by a thousand and I don't know what the hell I'm doing.

Then I break down.

I cry more than necessary, until I feel like I'm suffocating. But the tears do not finish coming out and the sobs confirm that I am more broken than I was before. Or even yesterday. My family is here and if I don't do something about it, I know they will suffer the consequences too. All the weight now falls on me. And I can't make a decision other than Chiara's, even though I don't want to leave.

I don't want to do it when everyone around me could be in danger.

The next morning when I leave my apartment, which is a few blocks from the company, the sky is cloudy. Today they announced a storm and apparently, this time we coincide with the weather; we are both lacking in humor.

Jorge, who is in charge of taking care of the building, gives me a cordial greeting. He returned it with a nod. In general, I usually talk a bit but today is the exception, I do not want enough to start a conversation with anyone.

Chiara has left me more than one call but I didn't take any. She needed to think a lot. I needed to meditate things well, and at the same time, drown in tears because this is not easy for me. It never has been but I tried to forget it.

It seems that hiding it under the rug has not worked.

I tried to leave it behind, I tried to improve my mistakes and take the consequences for it but it has not worked; has gotten worse. And right now I am at zero. I don't know what to do or how to act. I'm just scared to hell.

Twenty minutes later I am back in the office. There is no one around because it is early, eight in the morning to be fair and everyone comes in here at nine thirty. I take this opportunity to clear my head.

I pour myself a strong coffee, look at some files that I need to finish before I deliver, and try not to think about it, but I barely manage. Everything revolves around all of that. Everything revolves around the past and although I want to bury it, that ends up killing me.

I take my head in my hands in an attempt to end the nightmare. I focus on the good times, on the positives in my life ... I take a deep breath but my body shakes like the earth does when a volcano is about to explode.

And I am no longer me. My body takes action on its own.

My hands take what they have within reach and throw everything against the walls, against the ceramic, shattering in a second. My breath is panting and tears burn my cheeks, while I scratch everything within my reach, even myself and I don't know when, this stops being an orderly office to become chaos; the same that is inside of me.

I can no longer bear this guilt.

I tie the economics tomes that are in the library, I tear their pages, I throw them against the walls making you resonate while I vent my pain between screams. I don't know how long this is until I feel my legs go weak, and I end up sitting against the couch on the floor. My body trembles like never before, I can barely contain myself. I just cry and gasp like a wounded wolf.

That's when I hear footsteps in the distance. Or maybe they are not so much but my hearing has faded.

"Oh my God, Sam!" I hear my cousin's voice laden with concern. She takes me by the arms and wraps me in hers in an attempt to contain me. "Carla, call a doctor right now!"

I just hear myself gasping for air. I can feel her heart beat against my face. It is accelerated.

"I'm sorry," I say between sobs.

She calmly shuts me up.

"Everything will be fine, calm down. We can work it out."

"It's all my damn fault ..."

She takes her face between her warm hands and forces me to look at her.

"Nothing, but nothing, it's your fault, Sam," she determines herself harshly. "You've suffered a lot for everything that happened and you don't have to. IF you hadn't defended yourself, you wouldn't be here now. So don't repeat that again, okay?", I nod and she sighs a little more relieved, as she returns to hold me. "You've had me worried the whole damn night."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it ..."

"Don't worry. Now I'm better than seeing you."

My breathing calms a bit when she wipes the tears from my dark circles. He hands me a bottle of water and I take a long drink before speaking.

"Did you say something to Grandma?" He asked in a whisper. If she finds out about this, I won't be able to bear it.

Chiara shakes her head.

"No. And it is better that for the moment she does not know ... I do not want her to worry. This is something that I can solve," she replies. Seat.

"I think you're right," I say in a twangy voice. She looks at me confused. "I should get out of here."

I see how she then she changes her attitude and relaxes her shoulders a little more. She seems relieved to hear me say that.

She sits next to me, and without saying anything, she puts an arm around my shoulders to attract me to her.

"It will be the best you do."