Chapter 4

Half an hour later, Duda pulled up in front of her brother's house.

Felipe ran to her the moment he saw her.

"Dinda!"

Duda crouched immediately, wrapping her arms around the boy and breathing in that sweet, unmistakable kid smell.

"Where's my Dinda's little love?"

Nina came right behind him in the nanny's arms, stretching her tiny hands toward Duda, who felt her heart melt on the spot.

"Oh my God, how do you two keep getting more beautiful every day?"

"Because my kids take after me," Heitor said, walking up with the car seat to install in Duda's car, which already had a booster seat for Felipe.

"Don't start. They take after their mother."

"Sure. You're going to spoil my kids today, aren't you?"

"Obviously. A little ice cream for Felipe never hurt anyone."

"Duda — just one!"

Gabriela appeared behind him, greeting Duda.

"She doesn't even deny it."

"Transparency is the foundation of a healthy family relationship."

Heitor watched his sister while Felipe launched into a random story about cartoons and dinosaurs. He smiled, because Duda just had that effect — she made everything louder and brighter.

A short while later, Duda had already arrived at the mall. In the back seat, Felipe clapped his hands with excitement while Nina slept peacefully in her car seat. The nanny smiled from the passenger seat, chatting with Duda.

"Dinda, are we gonna see Santa?" Felipe asked, eyes shining.

"Not yet, sweetie. Santa only comes to the mall at the end of the year. But today we're going to walk around a lot, visit the petting zoo, get some ice cream while Dinda checks out a few things. Sound good?"

"Okay! But I wanted Santa. Can we come back when he's here?"

"Absolutely. The second Santa gets here, we're coming to see him."

Duda scooped up Nina and held Felipe's hand as they walked in through the main entrance.

The mall was busy but manageable for a weekday.

Duda walked slowly, observing everything — the placement of signs, the rest areas, where people stopped to take photos. Felipe tugged at her hand, pointing at anything that caught his eye, and lit up when they reached the petting zoo.

"Look, Dinda! A chicken! And the baby chicks — they're all yellow!" Felipe pointed at the birds, delighted.

Duda smiled, opening her phone camera to snap pictures for Heitor and Gabriela.

Toward the end of their outing, Duda was strolling through the main corridor holding Felipe's hand while Nina rested comfortably in her arms. The nanny had gone to the restroom, and Duda was taking the opportunity to observe the foot traffic, analyze the storefronts, and brainstorm ideas for the digital campaign she'd be presenting at the meeting.

Felipe pointed excitedly at everything that caught his attention, talking nonstop while Duda gave him her undivided focus.

"Duda?"

A familiar voice behind her.

She turned at the sound and recognized Vinicius — an ex-boyfriend she'd met through a mutual friend, someone she'd dated for only three months.

Good-looking, well-groomed, and wearing the same cocky smirk as always.

"Wow. It's been a while," he said.

"Hi, Vinicius." Duda's greeting was polite but flat.

Vinicius stopped in front of her, his gaze automatically dropping to the children. First Nina, then Felipe. He let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

"Wait — you have two kids?"

Duda caught the strange tone in his voice immediately — the judgment landed before she could even answer. She opened her mouth to explain they were her niece and nephew, but Vinicius kept going, his voice turning sharper:

"So that's what it was? You were always going on about family, saying you weren't ready to be with me, but you already had two kids? Damn. You hid that well."

Duda almost laughed. Her ex's reaction was so absurd it was borderline funny.

"Yep."

"And the father — did he at least step up?"

That question killed any remaining desire to be civil.

"I didn't realize you cared so much about my life."

"Oh, come on. I'm just trying to understand. When we were together, you never said a word. You were probably just trying to trap me, right? Get pregnant and lock me down. Good thing I didn't fall for it." Duda stared at him, her blood boiling.

"You think I was trying to trap you?"

Vinicius shrugged.

"Who knows, right? Good thing nothing happened."

At that exact moment, Pedro appeared in the corridor, heading toward the food court for lunch before an afternoon meeting.

He slowed his pace involuntarily when he heard the argument — a woman holding a baby in one arm, a small boy clutching her other hand. She was strikingly beautiful, he noticed, but it was her response that truly grabbed his attention.

Duda flashed a smile — the dangerous kind.

"Yes, Vinicius. You figured it out. Actually, I have five children," she said with complete ease, as casually as commenting on the weather. "And each one has a different father."

Pedro nearly choked on his own saliva. Duda kept her expression dead serious.

"You're joking?" Vinicius stood there, completely stunned.

"Not at all. I even have an Excel spreadsheet organizing child support payments by age." Duda didn't miss a beat.

"Good thing we broke up. Good luck with that 'family' of yours." Vinicius turned on his heel and walked away without waiting for a response.

Duda took a deep breath and turned her attention back to the kids, running her hand through Felipe's hair. She was furious, but she wasn't going to let her ex ruin her day with her niece and nephew.

What she didn't know was that Pedro had caught the tail end of the argument — specifically, the part where she'd declared she had five children by different fathers.

Pedro paused for a second, frowning. He looked at Duda again: young, beautiful, full of energy, holding a baby and gripping a little boy's hand. It was exactly the kind of situation that reinforced everything he believed and feared about relationships.

He shook his head and kept walking, his appetite suddenly smaller.

Exactly why I don't want a relationship. The thought came out louder than he intended as he picked up his pace.

Duda, completely oblivious, crouched down to talk to Felipe.

"Your Dinda was talking about the five dogs she has at home. She doesn't have kids yet."

"I know, Dinda! You were talking about Mel, and Juju, and Vivi, and Floquinho, and Filhote." Felipe rattled off the names of all five of Duda's dogs without hesitation.

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