I turned to the side and vomited. I tried to call out for help, but my voice wouldn't come. For a moment, I had forgotten where I was. I coughed, trying to catch my breath, and ended up vomiting again. I felt like I was going to faint; my vision darkened, but then cleared again.
"Guimarães," I called out softly.
My stomach churned again, but no vomit came. My vision darkened once more. I felt a hand on my head.
"Damn, you're burning up with fever," I heard Guimarães' voice as if it were distant. I heard the sound of the handcuff being opened, and my body was lifted from the floor. I must have passed out because I woke up again with cold water splashing over my body. I shivered as the icy water seeped into my skin. The next moment, I felt a warm fabric covering me. And then, nothing.
The brightness streamed through the crack in the curtain directly into my eyes. My head no longer hurt, and neither did my body. I looked around and saw several bottles of coconut water scattered around the room. Guimarães was sitting in a chair, looking at me. Dark circles under his eyes betrayed a terrible night of sleep. He stared at me but said nothing.
I pulled the covers off me, revealing that I was wearing his shirt and only my underwear underneath. I quickly covered myself.
"You...?" I began, feeling embarrassed.
"You vomited on your clothes," he replied.
The ensuing silence was the worst of my life. So, it wasn't a dream; Guimarães had given me a bath and dressed me. And apparently, he had given me coconut water and... From the packaging on the bedside table, some medications? How could I not remember any of this?
"You pervert!" I yelled, throwing a pillow at him.
His eyes widened in surprise at my outburst.
"Are you crazy?"
"You did that to see me naked," I accused, getting up from the bed to search for my clothes.
Guimarães rolled his eyes.
"It's not a big deal."
I gaped at him. How could he say such a thing? Besides being a pervert, he was also a jerk.
"I doubt you've ever seen a naked woman in your life," I taunted.
"Oh, I have. And I repeat, what you have there doesn't surprise me in the least," he seemed to enjoy my irritation.
"How dare you?"
Someone knocked on the door. A tall woman entered, carrying my clothes, now apparently clean and dry, along with a kit containing shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, and toothpaste.
I rushed into the bathroom, feeling my cheeks burn. I didn't think Guimarães was a pervert, but it was my way of protecting myself against the feeling of gratitude that arose in my chest. He was an idiot, and I needed to keep him in that position.
As I showered and brushed my teeth, I wondered why I got sick. Was it the lake? Something I ate? Were Marina and Heitor also feeling unwell? Without someone to take care of them...
I found a hairdryer in the bathroom and dried my hair. I didn't know what the next step would be, and I didn't know if it would be worth it to escape from Guimarães again. I was alone now, and without my phone. If I ran away, where would I go?
I returned to the room, accepting my cruel fate. Apparently, going back to Brazil now would be safer.
"Eat," Guimarães pointed to the table. "I don't want you causing me more trouble."
I swallowed hard at those words. I felt like shouting that I hadn't asked for anything from that bastard. But I sat down and had my breakfast, trying to console myself that it was the end.
Someone knocked on the door again. Guimarães opened it, and a tall, dark-skinned man, as tall and strong as Guimarães, punched him. The punch made such a loud noise that I doubted it didn't break his jaw. Guimarães didn't take long to recover and attacked the guy who was coming towards me. The two engaged in a physical fight, and I was petrified for a moment.
"The gun," Guimarães yelled, pointing to the bedside table.
I got up and grabbed the gun. Guimarães looked at me, and that was enough to give the other guy an advantage. The intruder threw Guimarães aside and came towards me. I aimed the gun at him, trying to look confident in what I was doing.
"Not another step," I threatened.
The guy smiled. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw Guimarães getting up from the floor.
"What do you think you're doing, Elizabeth?" He approached slowly, apparently my bluff had worked because he seemed hesitant. "Cassandra set you up, by now, your friends are probably dead."
I hesitated with the gun, and he smiled even more. Did Cassandra lie? Was all this just a setup?
He took advantage of the moment and advanced towards me. Guimarães advanced behind him, and in a moment of desperation, I fired the gun. Everything happened very quickly. Guimarães hit the intruder in the head, and I shot Guimarães.
My eyes widened.
"Holy shit."