César sat at the table, arms crossed, looking like a man who had been waiting for a performance he already knew by heart.

A crooked smile curled at the corner of his mouth—one of those smiles that mocked, that tried to disarm through sarcasm.

“I missed you… especially your habit of not giving notice.”

Celina didn’t say a word. Standing at the door, her eyes locked on him, her expression was a storm of pain, courage, and a fury barely contained, threatening to spill over.

She walked in, chin lif