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He was wearing a turtleneck sweater and his hair was as impeccable as ever. His expression was tired, as if he was sorry to be there. He was still seductive, still attractive… and suddenly it was as if all those butterflies she had felt for him had turned into rats trying to eat away at her stomach from the inside. For days Andrea had wanted to see him appear on that threshold, but now… now it was very different. Zack glanced surreptitiously inside and was surprised that absolutely nothing had changed there, but he refrained from saying so. By then he expected Mason to have returned to live in the apartment and to have to negotiate with both of them. “Hi,” he said with the same softness as always. “Hi,” Andrea murmured, but her hand did not move from the handle and her body did not stop blocking the door. For a long minute neither of them took their lips off, she looked at him with a blank expression and he tried to figure out why the poor guy had not appeared yet. Finally he was the one who worked up the courage to start talking. “Can we talk for a minute?” —he asked. —Of course. How can I help you? —Andrea answered but she didn’t move to let him in. —How…? How are you and the baby? —he murmured and Andrea pressed her lips together. Was he serious?! —Why don’t you just tell me why you’re here? —she replied tiredly, interrupting him, because she didn’t want or feel like making small talk—. What do you want, Zack? Thanks for reading on LeeNovelas.com. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a moment before answering. —My father wants to see you —he said in a low tone. Andrea frowned because it was impossible for that not to make her sad. Zack’s parents had been very good to her. —Did Mr. Nikola get sick? —No… well yes. He had a heart transplant —Zack explained—. Apparently he’s going to get better, but since he woke up he hasn’t stopped talking about you. He wants me to take you to see him. Andrea gulped. Maybe at another time she would have agreed despite everything, not for him but for Mr. Nikola, but now it was different. Remember. Read this novel only at LeeNovelas.com, not on other sites. “I hope your father gets better, I sincerely wish him the best… but I think you’re going to have to rent another single mother, because neither Adriana nor I can go,” she said. Zack felt his stomach tighten as he heard her speak like that. “Andrea, listen… I know that you and I didn’t end on the best of terms but…” “No, we neither ended nor began, Zack,” she replied. “You did a perfect “Houdini” and I had to accept it because falling in love was definitely not part of the contract. You said it very well: December ended, you don’t owe me any explanation nor am I asking for one. But my answer is still “no.” She tried to close the door but Zack put one of his huge hands against it, stopping her, and Andrea remembered the first night he had gone to see her at that apartment.—So why can’t they come? I promise I’ll pay you more… please…! —Not even if you paid me the treasure of Spain, Zack! —she growled, feeling her blood boil in her veins when she heard him talk about money. I can’t take Adriana to your father simply because Adriana is no longer with me! Mason took her from me! Zack felt as if someone had punched him in the face when he heard those words. He had expected Andrea to go back to that bastard, but he had never expected her to go to such terrible extremes as snatching the child from him. —What are you saying…? —he muttered as he pushed her aside and entered the apartment, looking desperately around until he reached the baby’s crib, which was empty. —What are you saying…? —Mason took my daughter from me because I didn’t want to go back to him. A judge gave him custody of her. I don’t… —for a moment his voice broke as his eyes glazed over—, I don’t have her anymore. Zack’s expression varied between bewilderment and disbelief. Mason… had taken the child away from him because Andrea didn’t want to go back to him…? But Zack believed… “What happened?” she asked, trying to contain her frustration. “What do you mean he took Adriana away from you? How is that possible?” Andrea sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She felt exhausted, lost, and a little numb. “His lawyer said that this place as it is was not appropriate to raise a child, that it was not a healthy environment, and the judge agreed with him,” she murmured. “And what did your lawyer say? He didn’t argue anything about that?” Andrea bit her lip, feeling the deep pain that these kinds of conversations brought with them, especially since she was having it with him. “Why won’t you answer me, Andrea?” Zack insisted. “Because I’m trying so hard not to call you ‘stupid’!” she replied and he held his breath. I don’t even have a bed to sleep in, Zack! Where the hell was I going to get money for a lawyer?! Mason sued me for custody and in less than two weeks he had taken my daughter away without me being able to do anything! Zack’s eyes filled with tears and he roared in frustration.Zack’s expression varied between bewilderment and disbelief. Mason… had taken the girl away from him because Andrea didn’t want to go back to him…? But Zack believed… “What happened?” she asked, trying to contain her frustration. “What do you mean he took Adriana away from you? How is that possible?” Andrea sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She felt exhausted, lost, and a little numb. “His lawyer said that this place as it is was not appropriate to raise a child, that it was not a healthy environment, and the judge ruled in his favor,” she murmured. “And what did your lawyer say? He didn’t argue anything about that?” Andrea bit her lip, feeling the deep pain that these kinds of conversations brought with them, especially since she was having it with him. “Why won’t you answer me, Andrea?” Zack insisted. “Because I’m trying my hardest not to call you ‘stupid’!” she replied and he held his breath. “I don’t even have a bed to sleep in, Zack! Where the hell was I going to get money for a lawyer?! Mason sued me for custody and in less than two weeks he had already taken my daughter away without me being able to do anything!” Zack’s eyes filled with tears and he roared in frustration.Zack’s expression varied between bewilderment and disbelief. Mason… had taken the girl away from him because Andrea didn’t want to go back to him…? But Zack believed… “What happened?” she asked, trying to contain her frustration. “What do you mean he took Adriana away from you? How is that possible?” Andrea sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She felt exhausted, lost, and a little numb. “His lawyer said that this place as it is was not appropriate to raise a child, that it was not a healthy environment, and the judge ruled in his favor,” she murmured. “And what did your lawyer say? He didn’t argue anything about that?” Andrea bit her lip, feeling the deep pain that these kinds of conversations brought with them, especially since she was having it with him. “Why won’t you answer me, Andrea?” Zack insisted. “Because I’m trying my hardest not to call you ‘stupid’!” she replied and he held his breath. “I don’t even have a bed to sleep in, Zack! Where the hell was I going to get money for a lawyer?! Mason sued me for custody and in less than two weeks he had already taken my daughter away without me being able to do anything!” Zack’s eyes filled with tears and he roared in frustration.He couldn’t believe that Mason had been so cruel to Andrea and the baby, much less that Adriana was alone with strangers in another place. “Why didn’t you tell me!? I could have helped you! You should have called me…” “You mean how many times you didn’t answer the phone!?” She snapped fiercely and Zack stopped in the middle of the room as he felt like an anvil was squeezing his chest. Andrea stared at him, her eyes were like a frozen fire that danced between pain and rage. He tried to hold her gaze, but found himself disarmed. “I didn’t have to call you and I didn’t have to tell you anything because my daughter and I are not your problem since you decided to get on that plane and leave,” Andrea spat. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling you out on that, but I have no interest in discussing anything about my life with you.” They remained silent, alone with the echo of their words. Andrea felt angry and sad at the same time, but Zack had reached a state of desperation that prevented him from reacting, because no matter how much she said no, he knew that if he hadn’t left, Adriana would be in that crib right now. “What do you want me to do?” he finally asked. “We have to do something, I can help you…” “I just want you to go away,” Andrea said quietly. “You have your life and I have mine. I’m not your problem anymore, and neither is my daughter. I just want you to go away and leave me alone so I can replace a way to get her back.” Zack felt his heart break into a hundred pieces as he listened to her say that. “It was my fault, right?” she muttered with clenched teeth and a self-hatred he couldn’t even measure. I thought you would go back to him…” “With Mason?” Andrea didn’t even know what to answer to that. “Yes… I really thought you would go back to him, that’s why I left.” If I had stayed I wouldn’t have been able to take Adriana from you… Damn, this is my fault, I ruined everything, I should have…! “No. You didn’t owe anything,” Andrea interrupted him because she wasn’t up to bearing her emotional self-flagellation at that moment. “You’re not responsible for me or what happened. In fact, if you hadn’t been in my life, if I had never met you, I would have been in the same situation today. Mason would have still come back, he would have blackmailed me into going back to him, he would have still taken my daughter from me.” Andrea walked to the door and opened it while shrugging with a sad grimace. “It’s not your fault, Zack, it would have happened with or without you so you didn’t ruin anything, you were just… inconsequential.” Zack’s heart stopped for a long second upon hearing that, but Adriana’s absence in that crib was more painful than any of those words. “You’re not welcome here, so please get out of my house,” she murmured. —Andrea… —I hope your father gets better. And that was a sentence, a “there is nothing more to say”, a “I don’t want to see you again”, a “this is over… forever”.