I remained silent and realized I hadn't heard from my dad since I'd gone to the beach. It had been a week, and I hadn't heard anything from him. I felt guilty for acting like a bad daughter by not calling my father, who was probably waiting for my call every day."No, I haven't heard from him since we came to the beach," I admitted quietly.Ethan audibly sighed and didn't say anything more. I found his question about my father quite strange, and I couldn't help but wonder why he would ask that.I decided to dismiss it for now as Ethan bobbed his head to the music, seemingly absorbed in it and the road.I was dying inside when I realized which song was playing. It was my favorite song, well, one of my many favorites, but this one was definitely high on my list.I clenched my fists to resist the urge to sing, but I knew I wouldn't be able to hold back. I took a deep breath and turned up the volume so my voice would blend in with the singer's.I loved that song. Before starting the next
After that brief conversation, Ethan and I didn't talk much.I went to take a shower, put on different clothes suitable for the city, and dressed presentably since I would be meeting someone. I imagined it might be his brother, as he had mentioned him a few days earlier.As we drove in his car, he remained silent, focused on the road, while I looked out the window at the buildings, people, and stores. I realized that I only knew the other side of the city, and this part was unfamiliar to me. I was about to ask Ethan where we were going when a sign indicating we were in the south of the city answered my question.After about 10 more minutes, I noticed that we were entering a residential area with moderately sized houses, similar to Isabella's residences but a bit more humble.Ethan parked in front of one of the houses and looked at me intensely."What's going on?" I asked, feeling nervous about his gaze."Are you ready?""Who am I going to meet?" I asked, still nervous.Ethan smiled at
"I'm sorry, I had no idea," I admitted with embarrassment, gripping the edge of my dress.I felt Esther's warm hand on mine. I wasn't sure when she had come so close that our hands could touch."Don't worry, dear. You just need to be patient with him. He's never spent this much time with a girl," she spoke to me with a maternal air that reminded me of my mother."How does she know...?""He tells me almost everything, sweetie. Besides, I'm his mother, I know him," Esther smiled and glanced in the direction where Ethan had gone.I turned and saw him coming with a tray carrying three cups of coffee."Here you go," Ethan said as soon as he arrived."Thank you, dear, you're very considerate," he smiled at his mother and then sat down beside her.Ethan's mother was in between the two of us."What were you talking about?""I was telling Minerva that it would be lovely if you went to buy some desserts for tonight because I'm making a delicious dinner," Esther smiled, winking very discreetly.
Ethan's POVI felt nervous, the first time I ever felt nervous in front of someone older than me.It's not that I was disrespectful; it's just that this person exuded so much confidence and self-control over my emotions. But seeing Minerva's father now, after everything that has happened between us, is intimidating.He was looking at me, maybe because he knew she wouldn't respond. How could I tell him that his daughter and I like each other?I had made a deal not to get emotionally involved with his daughter, but that was before I realized how perfect she was for me. It's not my fault, and besides, his daughter is beautiful. It seems strange that she went 8 months without even a suitor."That you needed to talk to me alone," I said seriously.Minerva looked at me strangely and shook her head several times. I couldn't discuss this situation with her present.She would probably send me to hell or something like that, that's for sure."Oh, right. Daughter, could you leave us alone for a
I opened my eyes suddenly, looked around, and realized that my room was bathed in sunlight. Somehow, I had fallen asleep, who knows at what hour. My eyes hurt, and my whole body begged me to stay still in bed all day without doing anything.It had been over three weeks since I had last seen or spoken to Ethan.I called him many times, but he never responded.Was I worried? I had stopped worrying about it last week. Did I assume he had chosen his job over me? Yes, I had assumed that a while ago.My days passed quickly; I distracted myself with my friends or my father. I was still on vacation, so I always looked for activities to do. Only two weeks left until classes resumed, so reading about what I would study that year was a great distraction.I was still hurt and very angry. My friends noticed a change in my behavior, and whenever they could, they asked me about Ethan.I had told them part of what had happened, and although they thought there was something strange about it all, I saw
I looked away, distancing myself a bit from him, hoping he would understand that it was an uncomfortable topic for me to address.Of course, he didn't get it.He insisted, and I had to explain, very subtly, that we were no longer together and that he had practically vanished from my life as suddenly as he had entered it.Tony's attitude suddenly changed, and he became a bit more affectionate. I felt good because it had been a while since I had received that kind of attention.I spent a few hours with Ricardo in the park, sitting on the grass and talking about many things, from the long hair I was now wearing to what we would do if we were on the moon.I checked my watch and realized I was running late to meet Daniel."I'm so sorry, Tony," I interrupted."What's wrong?" he suddenly looked at me."I have a commitment; time has flown by," I got up from the ground, dusting off my clothes.Tony did the same."It's okay, don't worry. Will we see each other another day?" he asked with intere
"That's what you think? If it were really like that, he wouldn't have left me the way he did!" I was trying my best not to raise my voice too much because I knew we were in a public place, but hearing him say those things was making my blood boil completely.Daniel sighed, growing impatient."Fine, don't do it for him, then. Do it for me and my mother. Forget he's my brother..." he looked at me seriously."As if it were that easy," I interrupted."It's impolite to interrupt people while they're speaking," he gave me a stern look.How the hell did he expect me to forget the fact that they were family when they spoke almost identically?"I'm sorry," I said reluctantly."Go as if you were a social worker, telling him he needs to be there for his family and that he's doing wrong by leaving us.""I'd be meddling in a family matter.""No, you wouldn't, because the problem is related to you, so you're practically getting to the heart of the issue, talking to him, and everything's solved!" h
We had arrived at the club, and the music was deafening, with bass that resonated in my stomach.We had been at the party for about two hours. If I were a party person, I would say the show was great, but I didn't feel that way.I had danced a couple of songs with my friends, and, of course, several men had approached me to dance, but I trusted very few of them enough to let my body move with theirs.Whenever they played songs I liked, like they did just now with Daft Punk's "One More Time," I got all excited and danced with everyone I encountered. The music intoxicated me, making me want to dance, and I didn't care if they pressed their bodies against mine. I was having a relatively good time.I was having fun, but it wasn't the same sense of enjoyment as being at home with a pijama party and the 15 cats I would soon be living with.A while ago, my friends had disappeared into the crowd.I had sat at the bar to get some fresh air because my feet were killing me. I ordered a glass of
"You shouldn't let anger get the best of you, brother," I tried to advise him."Oh, of course not, that's not going to happen," he murmured, sipping the remnants of his drink."The point is, you should calm down, go and expand your social networks just like she...""She doesn't expand her social networks; she's known him since she was seventeen!" he shouted in frustration, but I continued to look at him impassively."You should relax," I said with a shrug, finding it impossible to understand his nervous breakdown.Wasn't it his idea? He should just speak the truth, express his true feelings, and that's it.I know it's easier said than done, but it was the best way out instead of going around throwing punches."Is he holding her hand?" he asked through gritted teeth. "This is over."I sighed and decided to get him out of there before the situation turned into a bloody and unpleasant scene.I took care of dragging him out of the café and then let him run free, like a caged animal."Just
Valentine's Day had finally arrived.Daniel was a bundle of nerves, and spending the day helping him clean his house and prepare the dinner for the evening was getting on my nerves too.I didn't want to prepare anything for that day with Ethan because I knew, thanks to my brother-in-law, that he was planning a surprise for me, a surprise that I hadn't discovered yet.When we finished the preparations, Daniel accompanied me back home. Upon arriving, I saw that Ethan was at home.That surprised me."What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?" I looked at him in doubt."Today is a special day. Did you really think I'd forget it and work until so late?" He put his hands on my waist to pull me closer."No, you never forget this day, and you always have some surprise for me." I hugged him, resting my head on his shoulder."Do you want to know your surprise?" Our gazes connected."I should be the one surprising you." I hesitated.Ethan gave me a sly smile and retraced his steps to re
I was immensely excited to see them since I hadn't seen them for several weeks. They had been on their honeymoon, and I wasn't expecting them back for another couple of days. Behind them were Iván and Amelia.Delia let them all in and appeared in the living room just behind them."Minnie!" Chris said excitedly."Why are you here so early?" I asked, genuinely confused by their early arrival."Do you think we'd leave you alone on our beautiful godson's birthday?" Isabela said."To be honest, yes. You were on your honeymoon," I admitted with a shrug."And? We decided to come back early, plus with this woman, every day feels like a honeymoon," Chris said, looking at Isabela with love, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her close.She smiled and pushed him away a bit, giggling. I smiled happily."But you know, the party starts in an hour," I said apologetically for them arriving so early.Chris looked at Isabela, who looked at Iván, and then their gaze moved to Amelia."I thought
Three years later..."Minerva, hurry up, we're going to be late!" I heard Ethan's voice from downstairs.I rolled my eyes and finished adjusting my hair and dress. I put on some flats and made my way down the stairs.At the bottom of the stairs was the man I had been living with for 7 years, and I loved him just as much as when I was 19.He stopped checking his watch and took a deep breath as he prepared to call me again. However, when he saw me, he smiled in a way that I adored.I descended the stairs and stopped on the last step, so I was at eye level with him.This day was very special because my father was finally returning from his annual business observation trip around the world. It had been 5 months since I last saw him, and I was excited to see him again. It was also special because we were going to a unique birthday celebration and my father was returning from his trip. I had taken the day off with my beloved husband to have lunch together."I'm here," I said, smiling at him
Esther stood still for a moment, as if waiting for a sign or something. In the background, you could see their house, and she was sitting on the couch that used to belong to her father, according to what Ethan had told me. Esther was wearing a dress that I had given her on one of the many times I had dinner at her place."Is it recording?" Esther pointed at the camera. The image wobbled slightly, as if the person recording didn't have a steady hand."Yes, Mom," Daniel's voice sounded with irritation."Don't answer me like that, young man," she scolded him and narrowed her eyes, looking beyond the camera.I chuckled and saw Daniel by my side, shrinking in his seat."I'm sorry, Mom. We've already had five takes; they could arrive any moment, and the surprise will be ruined."Daniel sighed with nostalgia, as if he were remembering that day."Well, all right. I'm sorry," Esther paused, lowered her head, took a deep breath, and raised her head with a beautiful smile. "Ethan, Minerva, if y
I took a deep breath, looking at myself in the mirror.I adjusted the white dress I was wearing and looked at my friends. Isabela was sitting on a sofa in the room, holding a glass of wine in her right hand, gazing at me intently.Both of them were wearing pale pink dresses that hugged their bodies, with small straps supporting the dress and accentuating their chests. They had their hands on their hips, inspecting me from head to toe.In a way, the three of us had changed.My hair was a bit shorter than before, although at that precise moment, it wasn't noticeable since I had it tied up with a bow and a braid. Amelia kept her hair the same length as before and had it straightened this time, pulled into a high ponytail.The three of us still shared the same height and the same skin tone.I turned to look at myself again in the mirror in front of me. The dress was bigger than I had imagined, slightly constricting around my stomach, which was bothering me a bit near the abdominal wound,
I paced back and forth in the living room of my house, extremely nervous.I glanced at my father's closed office door once more. I then sat down on the largest sofa in the room, placing both hands on my knees.It was a fairly sunny day, with a few clouds in the sky, but it was overall a bright blue day. My house was clean, thanks to the cleaning I had done the day before in preparation for today.My house looked the same as before. The dining area was in front of a large window with a panoramic view of the city. Next to it was the guest bedroom door, where Ethan had stayed the first time he visited.In front of me was the TV, with two individual sofas on each side. To the left, there was a wall with an opening leading to the kitchen, which was spotless. The stairs were behind me, and the front door was in the opposite corner of the same wall.You could see the upstairs from where I was sitting, as there was a glass and black metal railing that allowed you to see halfway down the hallw
I released my friends' hands and sat next to Daniel."Hello," I murmured."Hello, Minnie," he responded sleepily."How do you feel?" I smiled with a hint of sadness."Tired. This has been intense," he admitted, leaning his elbows on his knees."I'm sorry for everything that happened. This was not part of the plan."He sighed."Don't worry, Minnie. We're all alive. Now, it's time for you and my brother to make amends. Go on, what are you waiting for?"Daniel smiled at me with all the sincerity his tired eyes could muster, and he got up. I followed suit. We hugged, and Daniel joined my friends. I approached them too."Take him to my house and tell my father what happened. Ask him to let Daniel sleep in my room, please."My friends nodded and gave me a hug. I hugged Iván tightly, and he smiled at me. They left a few minutes later.I waited until I couldn't see them anymore and stood in front of Ethan's room. I took a deep breath and entered. I closed the door behind me and stood at the f
"Let me go, Christopher! Ethan's inside, for God's sake! Let me go!" I struggled to free myself from his grasp.I couldn't contain the emotions inside me. My stomach churned with dread. Ethan was inside, and I couldn't leave him.Chris held me tightly, his grip unyielding.I was overwhelmed by the tumultuous emotions raging within me. Ethan had died, and there was so much left unsaid. I couldn't tell him I loved him; I couldn't apologize for my earlier harsh words. I wouldn't see him again, feel his presence, hug him, or kiss him. He was gone.He had left us, protecting both me and Chris.How had I ever doubted his feelings for me? Now he was gone, gone forever.The firefighters rushed to extinguish the flames, but I was unable to look away from the fire-ravaged mansion. My tears flowed freely down my cheeks.I had been so foolish. I hadn't told him how I felt. I hadn't had the chance to say yes to his proposal. And now, it was too late. He was gone.Exhausted from my struggles with