Chapter 2

• Eena woke up with a sharp gasp, like someone had just pulled her out of deep water. Her heart jumped into a fast, confused rhythm as her eyes darted around, trying to make sense of the room. This wasn’t her ceiling. This wasn’t her bed. The sheets smelled like lavender, and the sunlight coming through the curtains felt softer and warmer. Her body was heavy, her mouth dry, and her mind foggy.
• For a moment she panicked, sitting up too quickly. Her head spun. Then she heard a soft clicking noise, the familiar sound of a makeup brush tapping against a palette. She turned her head slowly.
• Ivana was standing in front of her dressing mirror, already dressed. Her hair curled gently over her shoulders. She was applying a shade of lipstick, as if the world didn’t fall apart last night.
• Eena blinked, her voice came out rough. “Where… where am I?"l”
• Ivana looked at her through the mirror and sighed. “Good morning to you too, sleepyhead. You’re at my place. You came in last night looking like someone died. I asked what happened, but you could barely speak. You cried, then fell asleep. Literally on my shoulder. I had to drag you to the bed.”
• Eena rubbed her eyes with both hands, her body sinking back into the pillow. “I don’t even remember falling asleep.”
• “You were exhausted,” Ivana said, capping her lipstick. “I’ve never seen you like that. Not even when you failed your driving test three times.”
• Eena groaned weakly into the pillow. “Don’t remind me.”
• Ivana smirked and turned around, hands on her hips. She looked stunning in her black pants and crisp white blouse tucked neatly under a blazer, gold earrings glinting in the light. A perfect lawyer ready to break someone’s confidence with legal facts.
• “Where are you going?” Eena asked, her voice still scratchy.
• “Meeting a client,” Ivana replied, picking up her purse. “Some legal discussion… boring stuff. I should be back in two hours. Maybe three. Depends on how talkative this man wants to be.”
• Eena nodded slowly, but a small ache of loneliness tugged at her chest knowing Ivana was leaving. She didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts, not today.
• “I’ll talk to you when I get back," Ivana added softly. "About yesterday. You don’t have to tell me everything now. Just breathe for now.”
• Eena pushed herself up, pulling the sheets around her legs. “Thank you. Really, I know I showed up like a mess.”
• “You did,”Ivana said bluntly. “Mascara everywhere. Eyes swollen. You looked like you survived a natural disaster. But you’re here, and you’re safe. That’s what matters.”
• A weak smile tugged at Eena’s lips. “You’re impossible.”
• “I know.” Ivana leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back soon. Try not to overthink too much, okay?”
• But the door hadn’t even fully shut behind Ivana before the overthinking kicked in.
• Eena let herself fall back onto the bed. She stared up at the ceiling, replaying the conversation from last night and the way her parents looked at her with desperate faces. Her chest tightened. She reached for her phone on the night stand, and saw Twenty two missed calls, mostly from home.
• Her father, her mother and two from her aunt. Eena dropped her phone back on the night stand with a harsh thud, trusting herself not to return any of the calls she missed.
• A few minutes passed, and she didn’t know. She just lay there staring at nothing until her thoughts drifted toward someone else. A fast flash of Diego crossed her mind.
• Her heart squeezed painfully. She needed to talk to him. She needed to tell him everything, how her parents were pushing her, to marry Carlos Castillo and how terrified she was.
• She has been in an intimate relationship with Diego for two years now, right from after college graduation. Eena had a huge crush on Diego then, and fortunately for her, he asked her out.
• She sat up straight and grabbed her phone again, dialing his number before she could chicken out.
• His phone rang once, then twice. But he didn't pick any of them. She got worried, and dialed it again for the third time. The same response.
• Her stomach tightened.
• Maybe he was asleep. Or busy. Or in a meeting. She convinced herself not to panic.
• But the anxiety inside her wouldn’t settle.
• She grabbed her bag from the floor and rushed out of Ivana’s apartment. She didn’t even bother brushing her hair properly. All she could think about was hearing Diego’s voice, feeling his arms around her, letting out everything she was holding inside.
• She drove fast, her fingers tapping the steering wheel impatiently the whole way.
• When she finally pulled up to his apartment building and climbed the stairs two at a time, her breathing was uneven. She stood outside his door for a second, trying to calm herself.
• Then she knocked, no response. She knocked again, still nothing.
• Just when she was about to give up, she heard movement inside, the muffled sound of something falling, and someone whispering.
• She frowned, and knocked one more time “Diego? It’s me.”
• Then the door opened.
• But before she could even smile in relief, the world in front of her shattered into pieces.
• Inside the room, Diego stood shirtless, sweat on his chest, his hair messy for all the wrong reasons. And behind him stood Miranda, her cousin, half naked.
• Her lipstick was smeared, her hair tangled and her clothes were already off. She was only in her shorts and bra.
• Eena’s breath caught in her throat. For a moment she couldn’t hear anything but the pounding blood in her ears.
• “Eena,” Diego said slowly, as if she were a stranger who had shown up at the wrong door. He didn’t even look guilty. “You should’ve called before coming.”
• Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Her chest burned, and she felt like someone had punched all the air out of her lungs.
• Miranda crossed her arms lazily. “You’re early. You usually don’t come here in the morning.”
• Eena’s voice finally found its way out. It was broken and trembling. “You… both of you… how could you?”
• Miranda rolled her eyes. “Don’t be dramatic. It’s not like he married you or anything.”
• Diego didn’t even flinch. “Look, Eena… things weren’t working between us. You were always too emotional. Too attached. I told you before we needed space. This just… happened.”
• “This?” she repeated, her voice cracking. “Miranda is my cousin.”
• “So?” Miranda asked bluntly. “You always get in your feelings. It’s not that deep.”
• Eena felt something inside her break, sending shock waves to her eyes.
• Diego leaned on the doorframe casually. “We can still be friends, Eena. No hard feelings.”
• No hard feelings.
• The words echoed in her head like an insult spit directly into her heart.
• She took a step back, feeling her legs wobble. She couldn’t breathe properly. The betrayal was so raw she felt physically sick.
• “I can’t…” she whispered. “I can’t look at you. Either of you.”
• She turned around and walked away. Her vision blurred as she reached the stairs.She held the stairs rail, supporting herself one step at a time.
• By the time she got into her car, the tears finally fell down her cheeks.She slammed her hands against the steering wheel and sobbed until her throat hurt.
• How much more could life take from her in just twenty-four hours?
• How much more betrayal could one heart survive?
• She wiped her face with her sleeve, trying to calm herself enough to drive. Her hands were shaking badly, but she started the car anyway. The only thing she wanted was to go home. Talk to her parents, and end the chaos somehow.
• She grabbed her phone and typed a quick message to Ivana while still crying.
• Eena: I had to sort something out at home. I’ll talk to you later.
• She didn’t wait for a reply.
• The drive home felt endless, her vision blurry from the nonstop waves of tears. Every time she blinked, she saw Diego’s face, Miranda’s smug expression, the clothes on the floor behind them.
• By the time she reached her house, she couldn’t cry anymore. She felt emptied out, scraped raw, like something inside her had died quietly.
• She walked into the living room, her face was still very pale, her eyes were swollen.
• Her parents were waiting.
• Octavio stood up immediately. “Eena..”
• She raised a hand, stopping him.
• Her voice was quiet, but it carried a weight she had never used before.
• “I’m ready to marry Carlos Castillo.”