After another long day at work, Ava headed to Gabriel’s apartment, since she was spending the night there as they had agreed days earlier. She stopped by a nearby bakery to buy a dessert he liked and then went straight to his building, using her own key to let herself in.

The moment she pushed the apartment door open, Ava heard a woman’s laughter coming from the living room. Instinctively, she froze.

From where she stood, she could see clearly: a young woman, smiling brightly, was hugging Gabriel with enthusiasm. She looked spontaneous, radiant, as if celebrating a personal victory. Gabriel stood there, surprised and smiling at her reaction. The girl—Brazilian like him—had befriended Gabriel at work and, since then, had been taking weekly singing lessons with him after hours. Ava knew about that—he had always been transparent—but she had never witnessed any of those lessons, nor had she ever met the girl.

The young woman, euphoric, exclaimed,

“I managed to sing without missing a singl