Episode 1

Despite his young age, Felipe Mello, almost 25 years old, was already being prepared by his father to take over the business, a luxury hotel chain.

He liked the fast-paced life, full of meetings and important decisions, and in his free time, he trained. He kept his body in shape, enjoyed feeling the lustful gazes of women on him, even those who were taken. He changed flings as often as he changed clothes.

Carolina, or Carol as he called his 15-year-old sister, repeated this phrase constantly:

"One day you'll fall in love..."

"My heart is bulletproof," he would reply, ruffling his sweet sister's hair.

Now he was there, at the wedding of the only woman who almost pierced his "armor." He smiled as he watched her go to meet that jerk Brian Romero. Everything was fine... seeing the goofy smile on the "Ice Man's" face was priceless.

Suellen Marques was the sweetest woman he had ever met, unlike the models on his endless list, including the exuberant blonde who accompanied him.

He was always accompanied by blondes and never repeated, after taking them to bed, he would dismiss them. He didn't want to create bonds or false illusions. After all, he had a sister and wouldn't want some clown to hurt her heart.

When the bride's bouquet was thrown, it landed in the hands of a young woman in front of him, but she didn't think and quickly threw it at him. He knew how girls liked that and all its meaning, but that young woman was either married or had an aversion to marriage. So, he handed the arrangement to a little girl beside him, knowing that the blonde accompanying him would be disappointed.

FIVE YEARS AGO...

Helena Velasquez

The next day, Helena would turn 15, she had waited for this day, dreamed of a beautiful party... a beautiful pink dress... dancing a waltz with her father, she had even rehearsed some steps, using her pillow as a partner.

But nothing was as she dreamed...

Her mother had passed away five years ago, and her father, Antonio Velasquez, 50 years old, married his secretary, who brought a 16-year-old daughter and a son in her belly.

Her stepmother was not kind, but her father didn't see it, he was blinded by love.

Glaucia, her stepmother, was 36 years old, her 16-year-old daughter, Kelly, started using her father's name, legally becoming the businessman's eldest daughter. Benito was her brother, the result of her father's marriage to the secretary, but she couldn't be with him or interact, Glaucia didn't accept it, and she reigned in the house where her mother had once been the queen.

Helena learned to be silent and thus not have her days of punishment. She learned not to expect anything and much less love, she was no longer disappointed with her father's distance or the intrigues of her stepmother and her daughter.

But, leaving for a family trip right on her birthday weekend was sad. Glaucia even gave the house's four employees time off.

There she was, walking around the house alone, having frozen food for her dinner. She went into her father's room, but there was nothing there that reminded her of her mother, no pictures.

She took her stepmother's red lipstick and put it on her lips. She liked it! She ended up trying her first makeup, using her stepmother's things.

She would have her own party that Saturday, she took a dress from Glaucia's closet. It was a little loose, she didn't have curves and her breasts were just budding, she saw everything as a game...

She went down the stairs barefoot and all dolled up. She was alone and would do whatever she wanted. She went to where her father kept the drinks, a beautiful glass and filled it with that yellow liquid.... it was horrible, but she was already 15 and almost an adult.

After drinking several shots from different bottles, the music was loud in her head while she danced, thinking she was happy. That's when the door opened and she ran towards the person arriving.

"Her father came to dance her 15th birthday waltz"! That's what her alcohol-numbed mind imagined.

But, to her surprise, it was Marcelo, Glaucia's brother who insisted on saying he was her uncle. Helena stopped in the same instant, with her head "heavy" from the alcohol, she didn't have much notion of what was happening.

"Hello uncle's princess! I heard today is your birthday... I came to bring you a beautiful cake."

In his hands he carried a small cake box and his eyes were on the neckline of the dress, which showed off her small breasts.

Helena, who never liked those sticky hands and the looks of her stepmother's brother on her, took a few steps back.

"Who gave you the key?"

"Glaucia thought I better see how you were." he left the cake on the sideboard "You're beautiful, my Helena..."

Helena felt fear. Maybe the alcohol did that.

"Come give your uncle a hug..."

Something in his eyes made Helena think of running, but he quickly grabbed her. With the sound of the glass falling from her hands, she knew she had lost...

The only thing she remembered was the pain of having her face pressed into the sofa cushions and the hands squeezing her small breasts.

When she woke up, the house was dark, the music was still playing, but now it seemed to mock her. Her head hurt.

Curled up on the sofa, she tried to understand how this happened. She felt dirty!

She turned on the light and to her despair saw all the mess, her reflection in the glass made it clear how her celebration was.

Her black and wavy hair was a mess, the smeared makeup made her look like a clown from the circus of horrors. The torn dress... She looked around and saw the birthday cake fallen on the living room rug, went to it and, used her trembling fingers to eat.

"Happy birthday to me..."

Bitter tears came out of her eyes, mixing with the sweetness of the cake.

At that moment she had a glimpse of what her life was and what she meant to her sh*tty family.

She spent a good time lying near that cake, crying in pain and sadness, knowing that Glaucia would not listen to her and her father would not believe her, Kelly would simply mock her.

At dusk, she made a decision.

Now she was 15 and discovered that fairy tales did not exist and she should live for herself. She cleaned up the mess then went up to her room and took a bath for hours, trying to cleanse her body and her soul. She would ask her father to send her to boarding school. This was what Glaucia wanted most and there, would be her freedom...

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