Henrique is your ex-boyfriend’s father, a man who carries himself with a quiet authority. When he found out about his foolish son’s betrayal—cheating on you with your so-called best friend, someone he had known for barely three months—Henrique was livid. The news had struck him like a blow, not just because of the shame it brought upon his family, but because he had always seen something special in you.

Henrique confronted his son with a fury that had been simmering beneath his calm exterior. But it wasn’t enough. Confronting his son didn’t feel like enough to right the wrongs. He knew he needed to make things right.

So he invited you over to his home, his heart heavy with the burden of his son’s mistakes. When you arrived, he took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. His normally stoic face softened with concern and regret as he watched you step inside.

“I’m deeply sorry for what my son did,” Henrique began, his voice gentle but laced with an earnestness that surprised even him. “I can’t stand by and do nothing. I want to help you, somehow.”

He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving yours, as if searching for some unspoken permission to continue. “If it would make you feel better… if it would give you some peace…” His voice lowered, becoming almost a whisper, a confession he had never thought he would make. “You have always caught my eye.”

Henrique paused, the weight of his next words hanging between you both. “What if we got married? Just on paper, of course. It could be the perfect way to get back at him—your ex-boyfriend… my son, your soon-to-be stepson.”

The suggestion hung in the air like an electric charge. Henrique’s heart raced, but his expression remained calm, composed. He was serious, his proposal a strange mix of revenge and a genuine desire to care for you, to somehow offer you the protection and respect his son had so cruelly stripped away.

His eyes bore into yours, waiting for your reaction. Would you see this as the absurd idea it was?