CHAPTER 19

As soon as she turned off the phone, Camila immersed herself further in her research.

What we don't do for love... – she thought convinced that that way she would be closer to the man she loved...

Bernardo is the man of my dreams and it looks like he doesn't even care about me...

Despite Camila's extraordinary and almost hypnotic beauty, her life was monotonous and futile, she was extraordinary in doing research, but a catastrophe in field research, all men and some women ended up making a pass at her or making up some story for her to give a little more attention.

Camila lived very close to where she worked, so she had no problem arriving late and not even working overtime, her life was work and trying to win him over, but she was piously believing that he would soon be in her arms...

She had never really fallen in love before in her life, not even as a teenager, since she was the most beautiful girl in her school, only one boy had the privilege of taking her to bed.

CAMILA WAS ONLY FIFTEEN YEARS OLD when she lost her virginity to the athlete, the most famous and beautiful student at school, Lucas Versa, a six-foot-tall young man, the body of a Greek god, but a brain so small that he could not talk to anyone without talking about sex for more than five minutes.

Camila fell into the old female tale.

It will change... for me it will change...

Without her knowing that she would fall into the biggest disappointment and traumatizing loving and family of her entire life.

Lucas agreed to do a job at her house, they had been going out for a few weeks, but that afternoon, he had bet with some friends that he would take her to bed anyway.

And that is exactly what happened.

Lucas threw her on the bed and slapped her, she tried to fight for her life, but her body was too fragile – even more so against one of the strongest boys in high school.

She was violently raped and suffered numerous punches from him, which she began to imagine would be a dream on her honeymoon, Lucas showed her that her first time would be the greatest torment of her entire life.

AS SOON AS IT WAS OVER, Lucas was already wearing his clothes when her father opened the bedroom door, arriving much earlier than they expected.

–– You bastard – shouted Camila's father when she saw her daughter in that pitiful state – what did you do with her?

–– I gave her what she deserved – he said with a sadistic smile on his face.

Camila's father tried to go after Lucas, but he, in a stroke of luck, knocked him over and shortly afterwards, struck a fatal blow with the lamp.

Lucas ran away while Camila tried desperately to call the hospital to pick up her father, who kept bleeding on the edge of his bed.

CAMILA TRYED EVERYWHERE to get revenge on Lucas, after all, if he was arrested, the guys in jail would pay him back, but the boy was the son of a great businessman, and stayed for that very reason, since he was also a minor.

At that time, a friend named Elisa was going out with a boy who was starting his career as a detective, his name was Sandro Palmeira, recently arrived from the Northeast. Sandro followed Lucas for four days in a row and made a detailed report full of illegal situations.

He presented everything to the press instead of taking it directly to the police. In less than twenty-four hours, Lucas was in prison and died a week after entering jail, proving his own bitter taste of the medicine he had prescribed to Camila.

CAMILA LIVED FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS under the ghost of Lucas – and that hellish night when she saw her father alive for the last time – until she met Bernardo. After seeing him for the first time in the newsroom, she knew he was the man of her life, the prince she had waited all her life to know.

"BERNARDO... IS IT CAMILA, ALL WELL? I'm calling to say that I finished the first part of the research on Nazism... of course we can have breakfast together... yes... of course... see you tomorrow morning... kisses bye... "

As soon as she hung up, she said:

–– I love you too, dear.

Camila – after reading the book "O Segredo", she started to have some different attitudes.

She always said:

–– Good night, Bernardo...

In the morning, she talked to herself saying:

–– What do you want to eat today, love?

And so on.

Until she made food for two people and put both dishes, she did it every day.

One day she made a candlelight dinner, for many people, Camila was crazy, but for her, she had faith that she would be able to marry the man of her dreams.

A THING IN THE RESEARCH caught Camila's attention, because during the first expedition, of the nine Templar knights, a knight had no name.

He had no name, or couldn't they say who he was?

Coincidentally or not, the man who was written on the floor of the cathedral was also a complete mystery.

BERNARDO TURNED OFF THE PHONE and went to his seven-year-old daughter Vitória's room.

–– Are you still awake? – He sat next to his daughter and gave her a smile - I think it's time for bed, my angel.

–– I was expecting you, Dad.

–– Sure, my love, but don't stay up late, huh! You have to sleep well to be attentive at school tomorrow.

Bernardo kissed the forehead of his beloved daughter, adjusted her blanket and left the room after turning off the light.

He went to her office and drafted everything he had discovered about the Cardeñas case, but the more he tried to reflect on Nazism, Hitler, Himmler, the more he thought about Camila's full lips.

–– Dude... – he said to himself, rubbing his eyes trying to wake up to reality - this girl is turning my head.