EPISODE 144

 

Elsewhere

At Martin's house,

Marianna is baking when her phone rings. She washes her hands and wipes them and then goes and picks up her phone. It is an unknown number. She frowns and says that it is probably Alejandro. She is not wrong, it is him. She sighs and tells him to leave her alone. Alejandro asks her why he would do so. He says that they have one thing in common that binds them forever. Marianna says that he is garbage and she has nothing to do with him.

 

Alejandro snickers and asks her if she feels high and mighty because Martin is helping her. Without waiting for a response he says that eventually Martin will get bored of her and she will have no one to turn to. Marianna says that she can take care of herself. Alejandro sarcastically says that she has done a great job of it. He then adds that without Martin by her side, she will go back to her old ways. Marianna tells Alejandro that Dianna is more than enough motivation for her to get better.

 

Alejandro says it is a good thing that she mentioned their daughter because he wanted them to talk about her. Marianna takes a deep breath. She tells Alejandro that he is a killer and she wants him nowhere near Dianna. Alejandro says that there is no proof with which she can accuse him and she should stop spreading false rumors about him. Marianna asks him what he wants. Alejandro says he has just heard that Martin wants to adopt Dianna.

 

Elsewhere,

Juan Patricio is in his bedroom. He asks himself if Claudia went away with the papers or hid them in the house. He says that the only clear thing is that Antonio has no idea where she is. He says that he has looked for the papers everywhere but he hasn't found them. He asks himself where Claudia could have hidden them. He says that there is no way, Claudia can outsmart him, Carlos, and Antonio.

 

Back with Alejandro and Marianna

Marianna says that Martin adores Dianna and has been more of a father to her than he has ever been. Alejandro says that he won't allow Dianna to be raised by Martin. Marianna retorts that she won't allow Dianna anywhere near a murderer like him. Alejandro reminds her that she is no saint herself. Marianna tells him that she has made mistakes but she is not a murderer. Alejandro says that if she wants a fight over Dianna, he will give her one. Marianna hangs up and puts her phone down. She runs a hand through her hair. Back to Alejandro, he tells himself that he will never allow her to be happy with Martin.

 

Hours later at night,

Gabriela is in the kitchen. She is checking her WhatsApp. She checks her status updates and sees updates from Hernan. Most of them have their father carrying Gisela Paulina. Gabriela reads some of the captions and rolls her eyes. She continues scrolling. She doesn't notice Antonio until he comes and stands near her. He asks her if she is fine. Gabriela says that she is. Antonio says that she seems annoyed at somebody. Gabriela rolls her eyes and says that she is fine. Gabriela's phone rings. She looks at it and ignores it. Antonio asks her if she will answer the call. Gabriela says that she will but maybe some other time. Antonio looks worried and asks her if Horacio has been bothering her and if it was him who called her.

 

Gabriela says that it wasn't Horacio who called her. Antonio says that it's hard to believe that because she looks like she doesn't want to talk to the person calling her. Gabriela says that it's not a big deal and that she can handle it. The phone rings again and Gabriela ignores it. Antonio puts a hand under her chin and Gabriela looks up at him. He says that he loves her and if something has happened, he wants to help her and be there for her. Gabriela says that she knows that and she appreciates him. She then adds that she is fine and that nothing is going on.

 

Elsewhere,

At Martin's house,

Martin is with Dianna in the sitting room, when the door rings. Dianna jumps to go and open the door but Martin stops her. He tells her to wait behind him. He goes and very carefully opens the door. He is shocked to see Marianna's nephew, Thiago. He welcomes him in and locks the door. Before he can ask anything, Dianna comes running and hugs Thiago. He smiles at her and rubs her head. Marianna comes into the room and frowns when she sees Thiago.

 

She asks him whether his mother knows that he came to visit her. Thiago smiles. Marianna tells him that he shouldn't have come without his mother's permission. Thiago removes his school bag and puts it down. He then folds his hands and looks at Marianna. He said he wanted to talk to her and if he had told his mother or her before he came they would have cooked up some story to tell him. Marianna asks Thiago what he is talking about.

 

Thiago says that he wanted to talk to her about the man they met the other day when they were coming from the shop. Martin looks at Marianna but says nothing. Thiago adds that he didn't want to give her and his mother time to cook up a story for him. Martin smiles and Marianna glares at him. She asks him if he finds the situation funny. Martin tells her to relax. He tells Thiago to sit down and have something to eat then they will call his mother to let her know that he is okay. Thiago smiles at Marianna. She sighs and tells Thiago to sit down.

 

Back at Antonio and Gabriela's,

Gabriela is still insisting that she is fine and that Horacio is not bothering her. Antonio says that there is no one else he knows that would stress her that much. Gabriela sighs. She knows that Antonio is very stubborn and won't relent until she tells him what is going on. Gabriela tells Antonio that she was just a little annoyed at her brother but it's not a big deal. Antonio asks her what happened. He adds that since he met her he has seen how close she is to her brother and he has barely seen them argue. Gabriela asks him not to insist and says that she will handle any issue she has with her brother. Antonio decides to let the issue go.

 

Shortly after,

At Martin's house,

Marianna is with Martin in his room. She asks him if he is angry that Thiago came. He says that he is shocked but he's not angry. Marianna gives him an I don't believe you look. He moves near her and holds up her face. Marianna looks at him. A moment, a spark of electricity passes between them. Martin then says that he isn't really surprised at what Thiago did by coming there without telling her or his mother. Marianna asks him why. Martin moves away from Marianna and says that for one it wouldn't be the first time Thiago has done something like that or pulled pranks and also because he is related to her.

 

Marianna narrows her eyes at Martin and asks him what he meant when he said that he isn't surprised at what Thiago did because he is related to her. Martin says that certain genes run in families and so he is not surprised that her nephew can be scheming and pull off some things. Marianna rolls her eyes at him. Martin asks her how she feels about telling Thiago the truth. Marianna shrugs and says that she'd rather talk to her nephew before Alejandro poisons his mind against her. She says that she doesn't care what most people think about her but she wouldn't want her daughter or nephew to hate her.

 

Martin moves near her and stands in front of her. She looks up at him. He tells her not to worry and that she will know what to tell Thiago. He adds that he will be there for her. Seconds later, Martin leans in and kisses her. Marianna kisses him back with equal passion. After some time Martin reluctantly pulls away from Marianna and tells her that she has to go and talk to her nephew. Marianna looks at Martin with the same look she always does (a mixture of hurt and confusion), when something similar happens but says nothing. She stands and turns to go and look for Thiago. Martin watches her go but doesn't try to stop her. When she leaves, he sighs and lies on his bed.

 

Sometime later,

At a restaurant in the city,

Gabriel is on a date with Anna Patricia. She can see that there is something on his mind. She asks him about it. Gabriel says that he was thinking about Ricardo. Anna Patricia is caught completely off guard by that answer. Gabriel notes her reaction. She asks him why he would be thinking about Ricardo. Gabriel says that of the four children, he is the only one whose fate is still uncertain. Gabriel adds that with Marianna changing for the better and with her family and Martin by her side, Dianna is safe and secure.

 

Anna Patricia recovers and asks him if he has talked to his daughter or Antonio about Ricardo. Gabriel says that he did talk to Gabriela some time back and she said that neither she nor Antonio were going to give the child away because neither Isabella nor Horacio were fit to raise him.

Anna Patricia says that would be the best decision because Ricardo is still so young and he shouldn't be raised by his criminal parents because they might influence him. She then asks him what else Gabriela said.

 

Gabriel says that she didn't say much else and he got the sense that she and Antonio haven't really discussed any long-term plans. Anna Patricia remembers telling her father not to meddle, just after they had talked about Ricardo. She asks herself if her father went ahead and talked to Gabriel anyway. She says that she would not want to push Gabriel into a corner and make him feel like he has to do something he doesn't want to especially if there is a child involved.

 

Back at Martin's house,

Marianna is with Thiago in her room. She has just told him the truth (well as is appropriate anyway). She adds that she told him because she wouldn't want somebody to twist and add lies to what happened to make him hate her. Thiago asks her if she really didn't have anything to do with the death of Martin's girlfriend. Marianna says that she didn't. She adds that she did a lot of bad things and hurt people but she would never kill anyone. He then asks her if she will go to prison.

 

Marianna shrugs. She says that she really isn't sure about any of that. She adds that it all depends on how the trial goes. Thiago asks her when it will start. Marianna says that it all depends on if and when any evidence is found. She says that Alejandro and the others are still insisting on lying and until evidence can be found to link them to the crime, she can only wait. Thiago says that he doesn't really like Alejandro much. Marianna looks at him alarmed and asks him if Alejandro has done anything to him or the rest of the family.

 

Thiago says that he hasn't. He adds that he was saying that because Alejandro is creepy and scary. Marianna tells him to be careful around Alejandro. Thiago says that he will. He then adds that Martin is a very nice person for forgiving her and giving her a second chance despite everything that has happened. Marianna says that he is. Thiago says that he has seen how much Martin loves Dianna. Marianna says that he does love her. She adds that he wants to adopt Dianna. Thiago is very shocked.

 

Back at the restaurant,

Gabriel asks Anna Patricia if she is fine. She says that she is. She was just thinking about something she had told her father. He asks her what it is. Anna Patricia tells him not to mind, she adds that it’s not a big deal. Gabriel says to himself that Ramon was right about Anna Patricia developing maternal feelings towards Ricardo. He asks himself why she would downplay or ignore them. Anna Patricia says that she will discuss the issue with Gabriela as soon as possible because she is interested in Ricardo's situation being solved. She adds that with Gabriela and Antonio focusing on Claudia's disappearance, solving Ricardo's limbo status is not a priority.

 

Back at Martin's house,

Thiago asks Marianna what will happen when she comes out of jail. Marianna asks him what he means. Thiago says that now she and Martin are taking care of Dianna together, when she is in jail, Martin will take care of Dianna but he doesn't understand what will happen after that. Marianna says that they will work out something but Dianna will always come first. Thiago says that she and Martin look nice together. Marianna is caught off-guard with that remark.

 

After some silence, she tells Thiago that they are just friends. Thiago shrugs and says that she doesn't understand either of them. Marianna asks him why. He says that he can see the way Martin looks at her and the way she looks at him. Marianna shakes her head and rubs Thiago's head. She tells him that for somebody so young, he is so nosy. Thiago says that he is just clever. Marianna smiles. Thiago calls Marianna Auntie and tells her that he doesn't hate her despite everything that she has told him.

 

He says that like his mother always tells him, everyone makes mistakes at one time or the other but what makes the difference is those who admit, accept it, and want to correct them. Marianna smiles. She says that she just wants to be someone Dianna can be proud of. Thiago says that what they should do is enjoy whatever time is left before the trial. He then adds that she should never worry about Dianna because he will treat her like his little sister and he will always be there for her. Marianna hugs him.

 

Two weeks pass during which, Adrianna and Alejandro give their statements in Dianna's custody case. As expected Alejandro is less than cooperative. He does all he can to paint Adrianna, Marianna, and Martin negatively. Additionally, Gabriel, the twins, their children, and Aranza visit the mansion. Carlos looks at Helena crossly, for allowing the visit to happen. If looks could kill, the whole Montes De Alba family would be dead, from the looks Helena and Carlos were giving them.

 

On a Wednesday,

At Martin's house,

Marianna is up and about her business when she hears a knock on the door. She says she is coming and walks towards the door. She asks who it is but the other person doesn't answer her. She asks again but there is still no answer. Marianna is baffled. She asks herself what if it is Alejandro or one of his goons who have come to bother her. The other person knocks but still doesn't say a word. She paces around for a few seconds then remembers something. She quickly goes, grabs a chair, and goes to the kitchen. She then gets a bottle of pepper spray from one of the top shelves.

 

She then goes to the door. When the other person hears her moving back towards the door, they knock on the door again. Marianna sighs positions the pepper spray well then opens the door. She feels like the other person is familiar but she can't quite say from where. The person asks her if she can enter. Marianna stammers but says sure. She then locks the door. She then asks the person, who they are. The person, who seems to be an elderly lady, asks her if they can move away from the door. Marianna notes that she is afraid and agrees. They then walk towards the sitting room.

 

Meanwhile at Isabella's house,

Isabella is there with Alejandro and Horacio. She asks Horacio what he hopes to achieve by making it hard for Martin to adopt Dianna. She adds that no one believes that he is doing that because he wants to take care of Dianna. Alejandro says that he has to make Martin, Marianna, Adrianna, and Hernan pay, through whatever means necessary. He then looks at Isabella and Horacio and says that they too have to do something. Isabella says that they will make the twins, Adrianna, Antonio, Martin, and Marianna pay, but all in due time. Horacio agrees and says that they have to make all their enemies pay soon, especially Marianna for giving her statement. They toast to that.