Gabriel stepped closer, gently.“You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, Celina. You just need to be honest. First with yourself, and then with everyone else.”“I’m not going back to him,” she blurted, her voice firm.Gabriel studied her face.“I mean it. I’m not going back to Thor. Even if he got down on his knees in front of me. I can’t anymore. It’s over.”“And you’re certain about that?”Celina met his gaze, unwavering.“I am.”She dropped her eyes and kept talking.“A part of me still feels angry about everything I went through. And maybe… maybe I’m still mourning what I once dreamed of. The love I thought was real. But it’s not because I want it back. It’s just… hard to accept that it was all a lie.”Gabriel brushed his fingers lightly over her hand.“It wasn’t a lie, Celi. It may have ended badly, it may have been lost along the way, but it was real. And you need to close that chapter for good if you’re truly convinced it’s over. You can’t write another story while the last

Around eight in the morning, the bedroom still carried the heavy silence of a restless night. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, but Thor was still sprawled on the bed, lost in a heavy, uneasy sleep. The faint scent of Karina’s dress, abandoned beside the pillow, lingered in the air. He woke slowly, his eyes weighted with exhaustion, his body reluctant to rise. His head pounded, his chest ached. He stretched languidly, a strange discomfort flooding him—an emptiness that began in his chest and spread through his veins like an icy breath. As if something—or someone—was slipping away.He reached for the phone beside him. The screen lit up: dozens of notifications. Emails, messages, alerts. He stared for a moment but had no energy to open them. With a heavy sigh, he locked the screen and dropped the phone back onto the bed. His gaze stayed fixed on nothing.Then his eyes fell on the photo resting on the nightstand. He and Karina, wrapped in each other’s arms on a beach in

Zoe hurried down the hallway of the firm, a faint smile tugging at her lips, her phone already in hand. It was lunchtime, and as usual, she couldn’t resist sharing with Celina what had been burning inside her since the day before. She could barely wait another minute. She pressed call and lifted the phone to her ear.“Zoe, again?” Celina answered, laughing. “Aren’t you busy?”“I should be asking you that!” Zoe shot back playfully. “Are you busy, or can we talk?”“No, I just stopped writing. I was about to fix myself some lunch, but honestly, I’m not that hungry today… woke up feeling a little queasy.”“Uh-oh… queasy? Congratulations, welcome to the pregnancy club!”“It’s probably just something I ate yesterday—or maybe nerves. I don’t know.” Celina tried to brush it off. “But tell me, what’s with that voice like you’re about to explode?”“Bestie…” Zoe drew out the word like it was the climax of a Mexican soap opera. “I was planning to come over tonight just to tell you this while look

Thor drove like a madman through the city streets, thoughts colliding inside his head. He was desperate to reach his mother, yet he couldn’t stop the image of Celina from invading his mind. His arms still remembered her touch, and her eyes… those eyes that seemed to strip his soul bare, even against his will.When he reached the family mansion, he pulled the car into the garage and rushed inside. Raul was in the living room, visibly shaken.“Where is she?” Thor asked, breathless.“In her bedroom. The doctor’s with her. It seems it was only a spike in blood pressure, but…” Raul hesitated. “She asked for you.”Thor didn’t answer. He ran upstairs and entered the room. His mother, though pale, smiled the moment she saw him.“My son…”He stepped closer, gently took her hand, and knelt beside the bed.“You scared me, Mother.”“It was just a scare, darling. The doctor said it was emotional. I need to rest more… and worry less.”He drew in a deep breath, silently cursing himself. He knew the

The elevator jerked to a stop. Celina flinched, eyes snapping open at once. The doors slid apart, revealing the wide, luxurious living room of Thor’s penthouse.She stepped out hesitantly. The space was softly lit, warm pools of light from discreet lamps giving the place a welcoming glow. And then the scent reached her—a mix of wood, lavender, and something she couldn’t quite define but would recognize anywhere. It was him.That was when she heard footsteps from the hallway. The figure of the housekeeper, Mrs. Sara, appeared, looking nervous and startled by Celina’s unexpected presence. The woman’s eyes were wide, her usually calm, composed face pale and unsettled.Celina froze, her stomach tightening.“Mrs. Sara?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Is everything alright?”The older woman took a step forward, smoothing her blouse with restless hands, as if unsure what to do with them.“Oh, Miss Celina… I… I didn’t know you’d be coming tonight.”Celina frowned. Mrs. Sara’s nervousness wa