The Art of Deception"

Chapter 3: The First Goodbye

Chapter 3: The First Goodbye

The sun began to set, dyeing the city in shades of orange and red, as if the world were on fire, but I felt nothing. I sat on the edge of the bed, watching the light filter through the curtains, creating shadows that enveloped me. But these were not the same shadows as before—the ones that gave me calm. These suffocated me. Alma was no longer here.

The days passed slowly, dragging as if time itself was afraid to move forward. Everything remained the same, but I did not. I felt trapped, as if frozen between what was and what would never be again. Why? That question hammered in my head over and over. Why didn’t she tell me before? Why did she hide from me all this time what was really happening?

That morning, Alma had arrived with a strange, empty look. She wasn’t her usual self. There was something in her eyes that chilled me to the core—a distance I couldn’t understand. At first, I thought it was just a bad day or that something was bothering her. But no. I knew I wasn’t exaggerating. Something had changed, and it wasn’t for the better.

I got up from the bed, not knowing what to do. My hands trembled. I didn’t know how to face her. The conversation I had to have with her wasn’t going to be easy—I felt it deep inside. The last thing I wanted was to lose her, but a small voice inside me was already telling me that it had happened.

I walked to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. Who was that man reflected back? I didn’t know him. It was as if I no longer had answers for anything, no purpose. How did I get here? Just a couple of weeks ago, everything was perfect. We laughed, planned, dreamed together. But now... now there was nothing. Just a stranger who didn’t know what to do with the mess that was left behind.

When I opened the door, there was Alma, in the living room, head bowed. I didn’t dare look at her because I knew what I would see. That look full of regret, those words that always came too late, as if trying to justify the unjustifiable. But this time, I didn’t want to hear anything. It didn’t matter anymore. I couldn’t take it.

“Isaac...” she whispered, her voice trembling, as if afraid that raising it would make everything fall apart.

I stood frozen in the doorway, heart pounding in my chest. The world seemed to stop for a second.

“How could you?” The words escaped my mouth, shaky, full of a pain I didn’t know how to handle. It wasn’t an accusation; it was a question that came from the depths of my soul. The doubt that kept spinning in my head. How could someone to whom you gave everything do this to you?

Alma lifted her gaze, but she was not the Alma I knew. There was something in her I no longer recognized. Maybe I never truly knew her.

“It wasn’t easy...” she began, but I couldn’t let her continue. I didn’t want to hear excuses.

“And what was easy then?” I interrupted, the words coming out without thinking, mixed with anger and confusion. I couldn’t control what I felt.

Alma took a step toward me, but I didn’t move. I knew nothing would change. There was nothing left between us. Trust was broken, and that couldn’t be fixed.

“I’m sorry, Isaac. I swear I didn’t want this to happen.” Her eyes shone with tears that didn’t dare to fall.

“You’re sorry? Do you really feel sorry?” I answered, my voice hard, even though the pain was eating me from the inside. “Why didn’t you tell me before? Why didn’t you give me the chance to understand?”

Alma stayed silent, looking down, her hands trembling. That was the moment I understood there was nothing left between us. What remained no longer mattered.

“I would have told you, but... I was scared. I was afraid of losing you.” Her words were sincere, but none of that changed what had already happened.

Something inside me broke, but not because she said it. I broke because I understood that words no longer mattered. Promises no longer mattered. The damage was done, and all that was left was a void neither she nor I knew how to fill.

“Fear doesn’t justify betrayal, Alma,” I said, not raising my voice, just letting the words come out cold, without a trace of emotion. “It doesn’t justify it.”

Alma remained silent. The sadness in her eyes was stronger than any word. I didn’t need to hear anything else. We had reached the end. An end forged in silence until it exploded with all its force.

“And now what?” she whispered.

I looked at her one last time, my heart shattered. What could we do now? Nothing. What had happened couldn’t be undone.

“There’s nothing left to do.” I answered, my words floating in the air, knowing that from that moment on, everything would change.

Without looking back, I turned and left the apartment. There were no tears, but something inside me had broken forever. The pain remained, but something had also gone with her. And even if I didn’t know it yet, I knew nothing would ever be the same.