By late afternoon, Celina and Zoe arrived at Gabriel’s building. For days, Celina had been trying to reach him—calls unanswered, messages left on read. He had vanished, and the uneasy feeling in her chest refused to fade. She needed to see him. She needed to understand.

“Are you sure he’s home?” Zoe asked, eyeing the hallway.

“No,” Celina replied, determination softening her tone. “But we’ll try.”

They took the elevator up and stopped in front of his door. Celina rang the bell. Her heart was racing, her palms damp. When the door finally opened, Gabriel appeared in a gray hoodie, his expression tired, his features drawn. He looked surprised to see them, frozen for a brief moment before reacting.

“Good evening, Gabriel… did you forget about me already?” Celina said with a gentle smile, trying to hide her worry.

He blinked as if still processing her presence, then offered a faint smile—one of those disarming ones that had always melted her heart.

“Forget you, Miss Worrying Eyes? Impossib