BETWEEN HEAVEN AND FORBIDDEN Love

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3 — The Dinner Table

The dining room was unusually quiet that evening.

The only sounds were the clinking of forks against plates and the ticking of the old clock on the wall.

Anna sat beside Lucio, keeping her eyes on her food.

Across the table, their mother watched them both carefully.

"You two have been quiet lately," she said.

Lucio looked up. "We're just tired."

"Tired from what?"

"School. Life. Everything."

Their mother sighed. "Life becomes difficult when you start making choices without thinking about the consequences."

Anna's hand tightened around her fork.

She knew exactly what her mother meant.

"Your future matters," their father added. "There are expectations placed on this family. We can't simply ignore them."

Lucio glanced at Anna.

She could see the discomfort in his eyes.

Then their mother turned toward him.

"Lucio, you've been spending a lot of time outside the house lately. Is there something you aren't telling us?"

The question froze him.

For a second, nobody moved.

Lucio swallowed.

"No."

Anna looked at him.

She knew that wasn't the whole truth.

Their father leaned back in his chair. "You can tell us anything."

Lucio almost laughed.

Anything?

If they knew the truth, would they still say that?

His phone vibrated inside his pocket.

He didn't need to look at the screen.

He already knew who it was.

Daniel.

Lucio kept his hand firmly against his pocket.

Their mother noticed.

"Who keeps messaging you during dinner?"

"No one important."

Anna's eyes met his.

She knew he was lying.

Their mother frowned. "Then why are you hiding your phone?"

"I'm not."

Lucio pushed his chair back.

"I've lost my appetite."

"Lucio," his father warned.

But Lucio was already walking away.

Anna watched him disappear down the hallway.

For the first time, she wondered whether his secret was bigger than she had imagined.

And upstairs, Lucio finally pulled out his phone.

One new message waited for him.

Daniel: You can't keep running from me.

Lucio stared at the words.

Then another message appeared.

Daniel: We need to talk. Tonight.

Lucio closed his eyes.

He knew he was walking toward trouble.

He just didn't know how to stop.