"Dumb, Minerva, dumb," I smacked my forehead several times, scolding myself.I had the chance to apologize to Ethan and get back what we had before, but no, I had the brilliant idea to drink too much and, to top it off, kiss Christopher.Definitely not one of my finest moments.I covered my face with both hands, holding back the urge to hit something out of frustration. The effects of the alcohol had worn off quickly due to the abrupt emotional shift I experienced inside the club.I sighed and looked around again, hoping to see him, but it was eerily quiet, except for the muffled music and the shouts of people in the venue. It was practically deserted.I re-entered the venue, greeted by stifling heat. I looked in all directions, waiting for my pupils to adjust to the dim lighting.It was amazing how I had better vision on the street than in there. I needed to find Ivan and Amelia; I wanted to tell them that I was leaving. I couldn't stand being on my feet or dealing with these emotion
I want to thank you, above all, for bringing my son back, the one who always made jokes and was always happy. I will be eternally grateful to you for this great feat that I, as a mother, couldn't accomplish for my own child. Thank you very much, Minerva, for being who you are and for infusing so much life and youth into this broken and small family. I understand that you might not remember Ethan and me, but I must confess something. You two have known each other since childhood, and I always knew that you were destined to share a future. Now that I'm no longer here, I ask you to take care of my Ethan and also keep an eye on my baby, Daniel. He adores you too, but he's shy to admit it (don't tell him I told you this). I know you're upset with Ethan now, but he's a man in love, and everyone makes mistakes. Please, as a final favor, even though I'm no longer there, give him a chance. He's a great guy, and as a woman with enough experience, I can tell you that my son loves you.I'll alway
I checked the car's clock; it was 4 AM.I was arriving at the place where Ethan had "invited" me.As soon as I reached the mountaintop, I saw his car parked, facing mine. They were parked front to front. I parked and carefully got out of the car.I felt very cold as soon as I stepped out. I still had the dress and heels from the party. I walked slowly towards the edge of the mountain.You could see the sea, and you could hear the waves hitting the beach. The place had changed; now it had a railing for safety. Above the car's roof, there was a lamp with a soft yellow artificial light, gently illuminating the surroundings.I leaned over the passenger side window, but Ethan was sitting there. The car was locked, and the keys weren't in the ignition.I took a few more steps to look at the back of the car.Ethan lay on a mattress with a duvet over him, looking extremely comfortable and warm. It was perfectly set up in the back of his car, where we had our first lunch together.I couldn't h
"I'm sorry for everything I did, Miranda. You were completely right to react that way," he spoke seriously.It didn't match his expression from less than a second ago."We all make mistakes, Ethan," I said calmly, recalling Esther's letter.He opened his eyes and looked at me, intrigued."Please, Minnie, give me a chance to show you that I'm worth it, that everything we went through together is more than just memories. Give me the chance to prove that it's worth...""Our story?" I asked, completing his sentence.Ethan looked at me for a moment and then smiled, nodding slightly.I stepped away from him and put a hand on my chin, as if I were considering the proposal. I looked away, taking a few steps in the opposite direction.I turned around and saw that Ethan had an alarmed look, which made me burst into laughter and ruin my little suspense scene.He squinted his eyes, furrowing his brow slightly, not understanding my internal joke."I'd love to see you do it," I shrugged, clasping m
I remembered the words that Daniel had also told me.Esther was right; that family was so happy that I had entered their lives that I practically felt like one of them.A pleasant warmth coursed through my chest, and I smiled as I hugged Ethan around his neck."I made you a promise, Ethan," I whispered when his ear was near my mouth.He pulled back a little and looked at me for a moment, lost in thought. When I saw he wasn't reacting, I shook him by his sweater.He shook his head and smiled, giving me a kiss on the lips."Continue the story, Minnie."I looked at him curiously. What was he talking about? I tried to recall what had happened before he ended up on top of me. I furrowed my brow, shook my head, and puffed my cheeks in thought.He laughed."Do you want me to keep tickling you, huh?" Ethan brought his lips close to my neck, and I instinctively moved my head as far away as I could, stopping him, putting both hands on his shoulders and pushing him away from me."No! Fine, I'll
He got into his car and did something in the back that I couldn't see. Then he got in his car and started it, fastening his seatbelt. I did the same since I hadn't put it on before.Ethan looked so alluring in that truck, so masculine. I was overflowing with happiness, feeling so good.I looked to my side and saw my purse on the seat next to me, Esther's letter sticking out of the little bag. I grabbed it and caressed the letters, especially her signature.I glanced at the sky through the window and smiled.Ethan honked his car horn and looked at me strangely. I read his lips, wondering if I was okay. I smiled and nodded.I shifted the gear lever and reversed to head down the hill onto the road. I turned on the radio in Ivan's car and put in a CD he had on. It was excellent music, the kind I liked.I had never thought that Ivan and I would have so much in common, even though I didn't like him much at first.I drove behind Ethan the whole time, but when I had a chance to tease him, I p
The car's clock read two o'clock in the afternoon, my stomach was getting impatient and my behind was going numb.We had been in the car for over 20 minutes, heading to a restaurant that, according to Ethan, he wanted us to dine at for a "special occasion."We were stuck in traffic, so we were moving slowly and frustratingly. Ethan was humming along to a song playing on the radio, "Finally Found You" by Enrique Iglesias.I smiled to the side as I watched him sing, completely immersed in his karaoke moment, oblivious to my presence. He seemed like a little boy trapped in a man's body. He was so endearing and alluring at the same time that I found him utterly irresistible. Do men like him really exist?If anyone were to tell me otherwise, I had a clear example that I was right.I turned and looked out of the window again, observing the car beside us. I covered my mouth with my right hand, which was the closest to my face, while the other rested in my lap.I took a deep breath and review
Christopher entered the room with two other men, one older than the other two, but he remained the youngest among them.I felt my hands sweat with nervousness, trying not to be noticed. I subtly shrank in my seat to avoid his attention, but it was in vain because as soon as our eyes met, he smiled cheerfully and approached my table.I looked at Ethan, who appeared puzzled. He turned and noticed who it was and the direction he was heading. He had an irritated look on his face, then turned back to look at me."Hello, beautiful!" Christopher greeted me enthusiastically. "Ethan.""Ethan," he replied curtly to the greeting.I smiled uncomfortably."Hi, Chris. What brings you here?" I asked, trying to disguise the discomfort in the air."I'm here with my father and the company's vice presidents. We're celebrating the contract we made with your father," Chris put his hands in his pockets and shrugged casually."What? Your father is here?" Ethan interrupted, repeatedly looking towards the dir
"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