Chapter 04
1480 Words
The sun rose slowly, illuminating the bedroom where Lia was still asleep.
Esteban was gone.
There was nothing left to suggest that the intense night had been real and not just a dream.
The pillows were still scattered on the floor, and the light white sheet barely covered Lia’s body just enough to keep her from being completely exposed.
Little by little, her eyelids fluttered. The sunlight streaming through the window fell directly onto her face.
Lia finally woke up.
She looked around: a large white bedroom. Nothing. Not even a wardrobe. Just her, alone in the middle of the vast space.
Suddenly, she sat up, clutching the sheet to cover herself.
“Where am I?!” she exclaimed, looking around again.
“What am I doing here?”
She glanced down at her body beneath the sheet.
“Oh no!” she screamed.
“I… I…” she stammered, pressing a hand to her head as memories began to surface.
“I slept with a stranger,” she finally whispered, indignation filling her voice.
“No, Lia, no! How could you do this?” she lamented, her voice trembling with anger and sadness.
“My phone? Where is it? My clothes?”
She started searching the bed. Then she stood and noticed her jeans thrown in one corner, her top a little farther away, and her underwear scattered even farther from the rest.
Her expression grew more anxious. She grabbed her hair, revealing the sorrow in her eyes.
“How did you let this happen so easily? I’m ashamed,” she murmured.
She sat back down on the bed, letting her hair fall forward to hide her face.
“I’m ashamed…” she whispered again.
More than thirty minutes later, Lia stepped out of the bedroom, now dressed, desperately searching for her purse and phone.
“Where did I put them? I have to get out of here,” she muttered, moving every cushion on the couch.
She kept searching until she reached the front door. That’s when she saw it—her purse, placed just behind an armchair.
She hurried to grab it, checking everything inside.
“Phew… everything’s here.”
She closed it and held it tightly against her. Without looking back, she crossed the threshold.
“I feel like this nightmare will haunt me for the rest of my life,” she whispered, walking as fast as she could away from the apartment.
She ran as far as she could, looking for a taxi. As soon as she reached the intersection, she waved frantically at the first one she saw.
When it stopped, she got in, letting it take her far away from that turbulent night.
Meanwhile, Esteban entered through the back door. Calm. Nothing unusual. As cold and distant as the day before.
He was about to head upstairs when a female voice called out behind him.
“Esteban, wait, please!”
He sighed, visibly annoyed, and turned around.
“Celia. What do you want?” he asked.
“Esteban, listen… I can understand how you feel, but please stop ignoring my calls. You know you matter to me, and you know you can count on me… My aunt was worried about you all night,” she said, her brows knit with concern.
“Celia, I’m a man, not a little boy anymore. And I hope you and Mom will finally understand that.”
He walked upstairs without another word.
“I want to be alone,” he declared as he climbed.
“Esteban…” Celia murmured, still worried.
Once inside his room, Esteban slammed the door and locked it.
He dropped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.
“They all look fragile on the surface…” he muttered, brushing his fingers lightly over his lips as memories of the night before resurfaced.
Hours later, Lia stepped out of the shower, her hair still wet, dialing her phone.
“Pam! We need to talk! I can’t wait for you to get here,” she said.
“I had the worst night of my life. I’m still shaken. That i***t Sebas… I’ll tell you everything. I’ll pick you up at the airport in two hours. Bye.”
She hung up and sat down in front of her mirror.
“I can’t believe what happened with that arrogant man… Lia!”
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
Notification: Bring flowers to the cemetery.
“My God!” she exclaimed.
She stood up.
“The flowers! Mom, Dad!”
She rushed to her closet, grabbing clothes as quickly as possible. Minutes later, she was already outside, stopping a taxi directly at the florist’s.
She came out holding a beautiful bouquet of white roses. A few steps away, she lifted her head, her eyes filling with tears as she read the cemetery sign:
“Cemetery De La Cruz: They live in your hearts.”
Lia walked in and headed straight to their grave. She made the sign of the cross and gently placed the bouquet between the two headstones.
Maria José Martinez
Alfonso Martinez
Her tears poured out uncontrollably.
“Mom, Dad, I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
“I trusted too quickly. He broke me… deeply.”
“And as if that wasn’t enough… I gave myself to a man I didn’t even know. It’s horrible. You didn’t raise me like this. I don’t know what to do anymore. I feel so alone. I miss you so much… Mom… Dad…”
Her legs gave way, and she fell to her knees between the graves.
“How am I supposed to get back up after this? Today I was supposed to bring you good news… I thought he was going to propose. Instead, I’m here crying. I’m lost…
Mom, Dad, guide me. Help me forgive myself. I feel worthless… betrayed… dirty.”
She shared her sorrow with those who were far too distant to give her the strength she needed.
Two hours later, Lia arrived at the airport.
Her tears had not stopped since leaving the cemetery.
But the moment she saw Pam in the distance, she quickly wiped them away, forcing a smile.
“Lia!!” Pamela called out, hurrying toward her with her suitcase.
Lia swallowed her sadness and smiled warmly. They fell into each other’s arms.
“It’s been forever, Pam.”
“I missed you so much!” Pam replied.
“We’ve got a lot to talk about… I’m so embarrassed!” Pamela added enthusiastically.
Lia’s smile faded. She was too affected to keep pretending.
She broke down crying in Pam’s arms.
“My sweet girl… Don’t worry. Everything will get better,” Pam reassured her.
Lia straightened up, slowly regaining her composure.
“Yeah… you’re right. You’re here, and that’s all that matters. I’m so happy to spend this week with you.”
“Me too. Come on, let’s go home. Don’t worry, I’ll cook. Knowing you, you haven’t made a single meal!”
“Oops!” Lia laughed.
They both burst out laughing and walked off arm in arm.
(Knock, knock, knock.)
“Esteban, come have lunch, please. My aunt is waiting for you,” Celia called through the door.
No response.
She walked away, resigned.
“What did he say this time?” her mother asked.
“Nothing. He’s not interested in having lunch with us either,” she replied, sitting down with disappointment.
“I just hope he behaves better in front of the Perez family. No matter what he says, Valentina is the perfect woman for him and for our family,” her mother insisted.
“Yes… Aunt,” Celia murmured, clearly distracted.
Back at Lia’s place, she and Pamela sat at the table. Pam quickly noticed her friend was lost in thought.
“Lia,” she called gently.
“Hm?” Lia startled.
“I’m here. You can tell me everything.”
Lia’s gaze hardened. She gripped her fork tightly.
“Sebas didn’t love me. I was just a backup plan. I’m such an i***t for believing him all this time.”
Pam took her hand.
“He’s the i***t, Lia. Believe me. His loss—he didn’t deserve you.”
Lia lowered her head slightly.
“I… I’m ashamed,” she whispered.
Pam frowned.
“You don’t have to be ashamed, sweetheart. He’s the jerk. You loved him with your—”
Suddenly Lia looked up, eyes filled with tears.
“NO, PAM!” she shouted, interrupting her.
“I’m ashamed! Yesterday… I slept with a STRANGER!” she confessed.
“Lia…” Pam murmured, stunned.
“Pam, believe me, that’s not who I am… I don’t even understand how or why I feel this way. I keep replaying everything in my head… It was too intense for my mind to forget so quickly. That man… he left a mark on me,” she admitted, visibly shaken.
- Writer
