The silence that followed seemed to suffocate the air around them. Eloá took a step back, as if she wanted to put an ocean between them.

“No…” she stammered, shaking her head, her breathing uneven. “You’re lying.”

“I would never lie about this,” Gael said, his eyes begging her to listen.

A nervous laugh escaped her, a mix of disbelief and desperation.

“You… you don’t know what you’re talking about! What kind of sick joke is this? Are you saying this to make me feel better, or to stop me from bl