Seablue

By Raquel Pagno

Eduardo led a peaceful life, until hurricane Daniele passed by him. He had never felt so in love and he hardly believed that he was already with the wedding set and that he would spend his honeymoon aboard the Seablue, one of the largest transatlantics in the world. In another part of São Paulo, lived Joana, who, coming from the country side, ended up getting involved with Igor, a mature man almost twice her age. Igor wanted to surprise her with the wedding proposal and the tickets for their first trip alone. They would embark in a week on the Seablue. But they didn't count on the pranks of destiny, which would unexpectedly put Joana and Eduardo's lives in check and make Daniele and Igor learn to live along and overcome the obstacles caused by loneliness and the pain of losing true love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BadPress
• Release date: Sep 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393902171

Book preview

Table of Contents

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FIRST PART

1. Nightmares...

2. The Dream Trip...

3. Painful Return...

4. The Right Time...

5. A Shock...

6. Omens and Gifts...

7. Substitute...

8. Anguish...

9. Best Friends...

10. The Eve...

11. Confession...

12. Discussions...

13. Anger...

14. Wedding...

15. Danger...

16. Danger...

17. Lies...

18. Friends...

19. The Captain's Dinner...

20. Forgiveness...

21. The Second Wedding...

22. Thunderstorm...

23. Panic...

24. The Traitor...

25. Tragedy...

26. Envy...

27. Lost...

28. Bonanza...

29. Salvation...

30. The Savior...

31. Hope...

32. Relief...

33. Wish...

34. Convicted...

35. Revelation...

36. The Friend...

37. Sweet Surprise...

SECOND PART

38. The Awakening...

39. The Visit of Death...

40. Fire...

41. Depression...

42. Candlelight...

43. Hangover...

44. Sickness...

45. Crime and Forgiveness...

46. False Hopes...

47. The Heir...

THIRD PART

48. Miracle...

49. Rescue...

50. The News...

51. Arrival...

52. Reunion...

53. Explanations...

54. Friendly Shoulder...

55. The Encounter...

56. Possibilities...

57. Indecision...

58. Sin and Salvation...

59. Peace...

60. Present...

61. The Visit...

62. The Decision...

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FIRST PART

Nightmares...

Eduardo woke up scared. He’d had a terrible nightmare, in which he and Daniele celebrated their wedding on board a ship, but at a certain point, Daniele had gone crazy and threw herself into the sea. Soon after, he realized that the other passengers on the vessel were zombies and threatened to attack him. He slowly opened his eyes, stretched, looked at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was a few minutes past six o'clock on Friday. He didn't want to get up even though he knew he couldn't go back to sleep. He thought about pleasant things, trying to forget the bad dream that insisted on remaining in his memory. He thought of Daniele, who he in a few days would have in his arms forever. He turned on the radio and closed his eyes again.

He had always been passionate about music and soon discovered his aptitude. The music caused him a kind of trance, taking him out of reality and transporting him to a magical world, in which he felt like a superman, capable of fulfilling all his dreams and desires. He wanted to record a disc with his compositions, but that dream ended up in the drawer.

He didn't want to be famous as a singer, but he loved teaching children. It was Eduardo who created the first music school for underprivileged children in the city of São Paulo. He fought for years in search of sponsorships, materials, projects and donations of instruments and finally managed to make that dream come true.

He saw his life as a series of pleasant surprises. So it was when he met Daniele. It was at the end of a summer afternoon, while doing his daily run, right after work at the music school. He was passing at the Ibirapuera Park bridge, distracted, with his headphones on and when he realized, he found himself on the ground, fallen on top of a girl who was running in the opposite direction. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

He remembered that day as if it were yesterday and could hardly believe he was already engaged to Daniele. He couldn't wait to have her by his side for the rest of his days, so he had rushed the wedding, setting it up for the next month.

Ed, as they used to call him, was opposed to formalities and ceremonies. He did not want an exuberant party, but Daniele was very concerned with the media and wanted publicity, which was due to her father's fame. They reached an agreement: he would accept the party as Daniele wanted, but did not want to go on a honeymoon in any way. Eduardo knew that the reporters weren’t going to give them peace, so he wanted to travel before the wedding. They would depart on the ship on the eleventh of February, their dating anniversary, and would arrive on the twenty-second, Friday. They set the wedding for Sunday, the twenty-fourth. This way, they would be free from gossip in magazines.

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Daniele was a wealthy woman, the daughter of a great actor. She had been raised by her father, who did everything she wanted, and by the babysitters hired by him, since she traveled a lot because of the shootings.

She was famous for her scandals and her beauty. She was a constant target of gossip magazines. She'd had met Eduardo on the eve of her 20th birthday. She wasn’t used to running in the park, she only worked out at her father's private gym when she spent long periods of time at the beach house in Santos. But that day, Daniele had a serious argument with her boyfriend Roberto. She had found out that afternoon, that he was having an affair with one of the housekeepers.

She lost control and ended up attacking Roberto. After the fight, the ex-boyfriend and the maid went to a police station and registered a police report, thus filing a case against Daniele. The result was a very large indemnity, and a correction measures applied by his father.

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Roberto was an early actor. He was a handsome boy, but he did not feel love for Daniele. He met her at a party of the rich and trendy, when he found a way to get in without an invitation, because he knew she would be there. He needed a way to move up in his career and his romance with Daniele would bring him almost immediate fame.

Roberto knew he did not have much talent, but he liked to earn easy money and thought that his marriage, followed by a quick divorce, would make his life and finally he could live with Eloísa, the maid.

Without a profession, coming from a small country town and not being very adept to work, Roberto did not have many alternatives for life. He always read magazines about celebrities and so he got to know the life of Daniele Cascais. He started to chase her, but he couldn't get her attention, until he heard about a party in honor of her father. That was a great opportunity to get close to the girl. He knew that at parties in general, Daniele used to drink too much and get into scandals. It wouldn't be difficult to tell her a few lies and take her to bed. And it would be done.

He did everything as planned. Bribed a security guard to get in through the back doors. He lied to Daniele that he had worked with her father, got her drunk and they spent the night together, without anything happening.

Daniele was so drunk that the next day she had no idea who was the man who was in her bed and did not even remember what had happened. The only way was to believe what Roberto told her. They set a date for the next day, when Roberto appeared with a beautiful bouquet of country flowers, Daniele's favorite, as he had read in the magazines. And the relationship lasted two years, until the incident that afternoon, which separated them forever.

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Rudson Cascais was thankful every day for what happened. He didn't like Roberto and had noticed his bad character since the first time he saw him. He was very pleased that she had met Eduardo. The father knew that he was the ideal person to make his daughter happy. He already had plans to help him expand his music school after the wedding.

He would talk to his business friends to contribute with donations to the school and he was sure that this way he would be able to expand Eduardo's business very quickly. He also liked Daniele's idea of contributing and interacting with the children. She was even thinking about studying music to help Eduardo with the school.

He was sure that his daughter's efforts were making her a better person, more connected to reality. Finally Daniele had found a boyfriend to match her! A person of character, who despite having been through difficulties, managed to get through life without being corrupted. Eduardo was a true blessing in his daughter's life and Rudson wished they were happy and gave him many grandchildren to compensate his small family.

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Rudson was an only child and had only one daughter. His wife died, eight months pregnant with a boy. Daniele, then a little over a year and a half old, was also in the car hit by a runaway truck that was coming in the wrong direction. His mother and the driver weren’t so lucky, they died at the scene of the accident before help had arrived. The man never remarried. He had some affairs with professional colleagues, beautiful actresses, but he never stuck with any woman.

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Daniele liked having her father all to herself, she didn't want to have to share him with anyone else. They took care of each other, as it should be. She was the one who chose the right clothes for him on every important occasion and when he was out of town, she always called before the shootings to wish him luck. He knew that without it nothing would go well, it was his superstition, which his daughter loved.

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It was already Thursday and it was only eight days before Eduardo and Daniele's early honeymoon. The two planned the trip carefully, so that there were no unforeseen events. She wanted to go to Paris, but he did not like the cold and although he always did what Daniele wanted, this time she would have to reconsider.

Eduardo wanted to go to the Caribbean, but Daniele didn't like the heat. They considered the possibility of going to Egypt or somewhere in the East. They thought of Buenos Aires, in Chile's mountain ranges, but ended up deciding to take a sea cruise. They chose Seablue, which would take a complete tour of the Americas. Both were anxious, this would be their first trip alone, without the company of Daniele's father or friends.

The Dream Trip...

Igor couldn't wait to show Joana the tickets. They had been saving for almost two years to make this trip and now he finally bought the tickets. He wondered what her reaction would be when she knew the embarkation would be in seven days. He could already feel Joana radiant with happiness. Igor had planned everything: he would invite Joana to dinner and during the night, he would tell her the news. Then they would spend the night together, as usual.

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Joana worked in commerce and lived in a little rented room, Ms. Carolina's house, close to the college where she was studying the seventh phase of archeology. Her dream was to participate in expeditions to Egypt, in search of new discoveries about the pyramids and maybe, help to clarify all this mystery that fascinated her.

She had come from a country town to continue her studies. Her parents, who weren’t adept at new technologies, periodically wrote her letters, to which she responded by sending them news.

She was the eldest of four sisters. Her parents were farmers and owned a small property where they planted to supply the markets in the region. They couldn't send the girl financial aid, but she never lacked encouragement. Her father was the one who always encouraged her to move on.

Even with all her father's support, Joana felt insecure about living alone in the big city. But her insecurity did not stop her from following her dreams.

It was in the first week of school that she met Brigite, a middle class girl who lived with her mother in an upscale neighborhood of the city, where she took Joana almost every weekend. Brigite was the same age as her friend, not because it took her a long time to get in college, but because she had changed courses several times.

Brigite's mother, a career lawyer, had always advised her to take as long as possible to graduate, which would guarantee the allowance her father sent her monthly for her student expenses. Brigite spent a maximum of two semesters on each course. I even liked this constant change. She was very curious and she was sure to do well in any area. She wasn’t good at calculus, but she worked hard and could follow any more advanced class she joined. Brigite's cleverness made up for her lack of aptitude. There was always a creative way to impress teachers.

Through Brigite, Joana met Igor.

Igor liked to flirt with Brigite, but the girl didn't even want anything to do with man. She thought he was too old. She liked boys younger than her. Igor was forty-one and for Brigite, that was too much.

On her birthday, Brigite decided to throw a party at her house and invited the entire college class, including the classmates from the courses she had dropped out of. The house was full and there wasn't enough to drink...

Brigite couldn't get out and leave her guests, so she asked Joana to go to the cafeteria that was fifteen minutes away. The girl did not hesitate, took her friend's car and drove to the cafeteria. Upon arriving, he came face to face with a sign in red and large letters: CLOSED.

Joana called Brigite and asked if there were any other places open on Sundays. The answer was negative, but Brigite explained that the owner of the cafeteria lived in the back and that if Joana knocked hard on the door, he would certainly come and answer it. That was what she did. She knocked and knocked hard, making the stained glass all shake, but no one came. She knocked again, and again, and again, and nothing.

– Is the owner of the cafeteria sleeping at this hour? She asked herself. She decided to try her luck. She jumped the wall on the side of the cafeteria, to knock on the window and wake the sleeper. Suddenly, it came running from the back of the yard, a German shepherd barking and snarling.

Joana didn't know what to do. In a split second, she thought about jumping the wall back, but she knew there would be no time. She considered taking a stone on the floor and threatening it (it always worked with the mutts on her street). She thought it wouldn't be a good idea with this ferocious dog. She stopped moving, frozen, waiting for the reaction, when she heard a strong voice:

– Stay, Monster! Sit down! – It was Igor coming home. The name he had given the dog could not be more appropriate, he really looked like a monster.

Joana was unable to speak, she was pale and was still looking at the Monster in front of her, who was now sitting, but still barking at her. Igor took a cookie from his pocket and placed it in the dog's mouth, telling him to go to his kennel at the back of the yard. As soon as he entered, Igor locked the screen gate with a padlock.

– May I know what you are doing on my patio? He asked in a tone of irony.

– I... it was... just... I... – stammered the girl and then couldn't say anything more. Igor, realizing the girl's shock, took her inside and offered her a glass of water. Joana accepted.

– Are you feeling calmer? He asked, now in a completely sweet voice.

– Yes, I am.

– Can you tell me what you're doing here at this hour?

– I wanted... beers.

– Ah! Got it! An addict! I soon noticed your alcohol breath. Do you use drugs too? He said with an air of contempt.

– No! You aren’t understanding! – Joana was still trying to rearrange her thoughts. – My friend, Brigite, asked me to fetch the beers and...

– Ah! It's explained! You could only be friends with the crazy Brigite! Where's that naughty girl? I will get her! He said, interrupting her.

Joana thought he was furious now, he kept cursing on Brigite, an attitude that Joana didn't really understand. Suddenly, Igor approached the girl and holding her tightly in his arms, kissed her hard, half angry, nibbling her lips. Joana pushed Igor's strong body and at the end of that kiss, which seemed like an eternity, he released her.

– You are crazy?! Your pervert! – and slapped the man's left face.

– Why make yourself difficult? You must be like your little friend, but I'm going to teach you that you can't say no to a man like me! – and grabbed Joana again, who was pushing Igor's chest as far as she could.

Her strength could in no way be compared to his. He pressed his strong chest against Joana's body and made her feel the muscles in his chest, which made her dizzy. He gradually lost his breath and felt that everything was spinning around her as a result of the drink she had at the party. She fell unconscious in Igor's arms

She woke up the next day, completely naked, in the man's bed. On her cell phone there were thirty-one missed calls from Brigite, who was so worried about her friend that she had ended the party.

Painful Return...

When Joana arrived at Brigite's house, she had already left. Joana needed to find her and tell her what the cafeteria owner had done to her.

She had left the boy's house so quickly, she was still with her hair all messed up and had forgotten the coat her friend had lent her.

She thought it best to call Brigite and say she was fine. Then she realized that she had her friend's cell phone, but even so she decided to try it, because she knew that Brigite sometimes used her father's.

– Are you telling me you spent the night with Igor? I do not believe you! Are you crazy? – Brigite said furiously on the other end of the line.

– Please, Brigite I don't know what happened and I need your help...

– You can let me personally talk to that scoundrel! How come would he abuse an innocent woman?! He exclaimed.

– Don't... – Brigite hung up the phone before Joana could finish.

Joana had to stop Brigite from reaching Igor. She didn't want the two of them to talk, until her friend clarified her what happened. She needed to know if Igor was the scoundrel he really sounded to be.

Joana did not remember what happened the night she spent at his house, but she well remembered the kiss. Igor's greedy lips devoured her, forcing his hot tongue into her mouth... She was very afraid, but she also felt the desire. Now she didn't know how she was going to look at him, she felt embarrassed and some kind of disgust. She wondered whether to blame him, after all she was the one who broke into his house. This certainly did not justify his attitude of having violated her, but Joana was feeling guilty. Sooner or later she would have to face him, so she wouldn't postpone this. She'd go to the cafeteria.

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Igor smiled when he saw her.

– I need to talk to you.

– We have nothing to talk about – replied Joana.

– Please listen to me, what I have to say is very important.

– I don't like you and I didn't come here to look for you!

– And what did you come for then? Get your coat? – Actually she didn't even remember the coat, but she took advantage of the hook:

– That's right! My coat! I want my coat, now!

– It's next to my bed – he said, pointing to the door behind the counter. Joana understood that he wanted her to get the coat inside and went in, without looking away from Igor.

He left his customers and went after the girl. They crossed the living room and reached the bedroom, where Joana noticed that in the bed still unmade there was only one pillow in the place where she had slept.

– You noticed? I didn't spend the night with you. I slept there on the couch so you could rest and I knew that today you wouldn't remember anything. It's true, so...

– Yes it is. There was nothing between us. Forgive me, I also drank a little over the limit yesterday. But you didn't tell me your name, did you?

– Joana. My name is Joana.

– So, Joana, do you forgive me? No, don't answer now. You can think about it and tonight I'll make you a special dinner, to show you that I'm really sorry I kissed you like that.

Joana was a little disappointed that he said he regretted the kiss that she liked so much, but she didn't let him know.

– I can't have dinner with you. I need to study, I have an exam in college, tomorrow. Next time maybe.

Please – Igor insisted. – I promise I'll take you home early to study, huh? Can we have dinner at seven? Is it early enough? I promise I will return you safe and sound until nine, okay?

– Ah! It's ok! – replied the girl, finding it better to solve this at once.

– Where can I get you?

– No need, I will be here then, at seven.

– Okay then, my lady. – Igor joked, bowing in front of Joana – I'll wait for you at seven, then. Punctually.

Joana took the coat that was on the floor next to the bed and left through the same door as she had entered. She heard Brigite's voice as she was crossing the sidewalk in front of him, shouting furiously. Joana thought it best to hurry up and stop her friend from causing a scandal.

Upon arriving at Igor's house, she was still a few minutes before seven. As she said she’d be punctual, she decided to wait outside.

– Hello! Arrived early, huh! Let’s go in? – Igor had caught her. Joana was embarrassed and Igor noticed.

He complimented her, because she really looked beautiful, in a black crepe dress that went down to her knees. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail. She wore black stockings, with a varnish shoe, doll style. Igor wore a gray ribbed shirt and light blue jeans.

The girl was greeted with a bouquet of white roses, which Igor said were meant to bring her peace. The evening menu had been prepared by himself, who was an excellent cook. He had prepared red meat, mixed salad with tropical fruits and white rice to go with it.

Joana sat on the sofa in the living room, but Igor soon took her to the dining room. He poured wine while he finished preparing the meal. They talked a lot, about common subjects. When Igor sat down at the table, Joana was already slightly dizzy from the drink. She hadn’t yet recovered from the drinking of the previous day. She was barely able to eat, but the pleasant company made her feel like she was with other man and not the one with whom she had had the incident with the night before.

Dinner was delicious, but it was already nine o'clock, and as promised, Igor asked if she wanted to go home. Joana was tired and confessed that the exam story was made up, to save her from dinner, but that