Chapter 93 – Almost Gone
Thiago was half-awake when his phone buzzed again. He’d been lying in bed for over an hour, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. His room was hot even with the window cracked open, and the usual noises of Campinas—cars honking, dogs barking, someone arguing in the alley below—felt louder than usual tonight. The buzzing came again, and this time he sat up, heart thudding for no good reason.
It was a message from Marina.
"Everything is confirmed. Dortmund finalized the process with Palmeiras. You’re officially a Borussia Dortmund player."
Thiago stared at the screen. The words didn’t feel real, not even after weeks of negotiations, offers, and phone calls. He read it again. Then a third time. Finally, he let out a breath and ran a hand down his face.
This was it.
He got up slowly, his bare feet landing on the cool tile floor. The apartment was quiet except for the hum of the fridge. He padded into the kitchen, grabbed a glass of water, and leaned against the counter while reading the rest of Marina’s follow-up.
"I’ll handle the flight, hotel, paperwork, and travel insurance. You just rest. We’ll talk details in the morning."
Thiago didn’t know what to reply at first. A simple "Thank you" didn’t feel like enough, but anything longer would’ve just been noise. So he typed it anyway.
"Thanks, Marina. For everything."
His fingers hovered over the send button before he hit it.
After finishing his water, he stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring at the cracked backsplash and the faded calendar with last year’s team photo still hanging by a magnet. He knew he needed to tell his mom. And Clara. They had been waiting, asking, watching him closely all week, even if they hadn’t said much.