Ava was gaping, crouched in front of her friend, her heart pounding so fast she felt it might leap out of her chest due to the shock she was in. Emily shook her a little to bring her back to her senses, but Ava continued staring into space."But, Ava... Who is it? Tell me, I'm not a mind reader!" insisted Emily, her forehead beaded with sweat, still hesitant to straighten up."Ka..." Ava uttered in a faint voice, barely audible to Emily."Ava, I demand you speak more clearly, woman, you're testing my patience," grumbled Emily, her brow furrowed. "I assume you saw what you wanted; you have the answer now. Tell me so we can move on."The taxi was still too close to the blue car for Emily to want to sit back down. Her hands clung to Ava's cold ones, and she could swear Ava was trembling subtly."Sir, excuse me, have we left the blue car behind?" Emily dared to ask, unable to take it anymore, her legs beginning to tingle.The bearded man furrowed his brow and looked around. "Miss, there a

Ava had never felt as uncertain in her life as she did at that moment, where the man she loved was in grave danger, facing a life-or-death situation, where everyone seemed to stand in the way of that relationship that had not yet decided to become something real due to catastrophic events that were slipping out of her control.The young woman's mind traveled to where Daniel was; she longed to see him. The previous day had been chaotic with unexpected revelations; the discovery and acceptance of her feelings hadn't been easy. Ava fidgeted with her hands as she rode the subway and asked herself many questions that had no answers."Ava, whatever it is, we're here to support you," those were the last words her mother, Rosaura, dedicated to her before leaving her home once more.The first stop Ava made was at the public hospital where her father was. Apparently, his condition had worsened over a couple of months. The sight of what she saw left her shattered.Her father Jeremy was so thin t

Daniel rose slowly to sit and calmly approached Ava, while Natalia, don Manuel, and doña Daniela stepped out at his request, leaving them alone in the intensive care room. He reached for her hands, smiling tenderly, noticing the tension on Ava's face."Ava... Everything alright? You can trust me. Tell me what's bothering you.""It's just... I'm truly glad to be able to talk to you again. I thought the worst during those days when you were in a coma, all because you were trying to protect me. I felt like... I was losing you," Ava said, feeling heat rising from her chest to her face, flushing crimson.Daniel chuckled softly and continued to gaze at her with a smile."I also felt like I was losing you in that accident. I didn't think, I just wanted you to come out unscathed, and I realized a lot of things," affirmed Daniel, never breaking eye contact.That admission made her tremble inside. Ava swallowed hard, feeling her heart pounding fiercely."And... what did you realize?" the young

With her heart racing and the indelible image of what she had just seen, Ava began gesturing to the driver; the words didn’t want to come out of her throat, but she finally managed to express her distress in the form of a rather heavy command for a young woman.“Mercy, park here, park here now!” exclaimed Ava to the driver, breathing heavily.The driver was startled by the distress in her boss’s voice and slammed the brakes, nearly causing a collision with another vehicle. Ava gripped the seat as tightly as possible, but she was grateful that Mercy didn’t scold her but instead sought a suitable place to park.“Thank you so much, Mercy, you deserve a very good tip at the end of the day,” praised Ava to her few-spoken driver. “Wait for me here; I won’t be long.”Ava exited the limousine and entered the café, which had a rustic and welcoming atmosphere; she had never been in that place before. The polished wood gave it a homely touch, and the scent of freshly ground coffee permeated the

There, in the darkness of the office in the early night, Ava, with hands completely frozen and trembling, and her heart wanting to leap out of her chest, was typing and analyzing every file housed in that dark computer. "This is unheard of... no wonder the invoices didn't have Daniel's approval... It's evident that Karen transferred amounts of money to an account of the supposed company she manages. Or did he consent to such a thing?" A shiver ran down Ava's spine. "I refuse to think this! I know that when I talk to him, everything will be clarified, and things will fall into place." As best as she could, the young woman opened her email and transferred each document so that this evidence would be in a secure place. She soon turned off the computer and placed it in a corner of the office, where it wouldn't be exposed to any prying eyes. She didn't know if she was doing the right thing, she just did what she felt in a moment of desperation. Without thinking twice, and after realizing