Chapter 3

• Why do they want to do this to us?” Diego’s voice shook as he paced the living room; he folded his fists. His shoulders were firm, like a man ready to fight.
• He stopped and faced her. “What will they gain by breaking our love now? Do they think money is worth your happiness? They are about to ruin three lives, Eena. Yours, mine… and even his. No one will come out of this happy."
• Eena sat on the couch, tears rolling down her cheeks. She buried her face in her hands. “Diego, I’m shattered. I don’t know what to do.” Her voice came out cracked. “It feels like they’ve taken away my future and locked me into a life I never chose. A man I barely know, a marriage I will never be happy in.”
• Diego knelt before her, and gently pulled her hands away from her face. His touch was firm but soft.
• “Eena, look at me,” he said. “You are not alone. You’ll never be alone, not while I’m still breathing.”
• She lifted her eyes to him, lashes wet. “But you don’t know how these billionaires work, Diego. They crush anything and anyone that stands in their way. What if they crush you? What if they crush us?”
• Diego’s jaw tightened. “Let them try,” he said. “If they take you from me, I don’t know what I’ll become, but I know I’ll fight. I’ll fight anyone, Eena. I won’t lose you without a war.”
• Her breath shivered. “You make it sound so simple.”
• “Because love is simple,” he said. “People make it complicated. You love me, and I love you back. That’s the only truth that matters. Hold on to that. Hold on to us.”
• She let out a shaky laugh, half sob, half relief. “You always know how to calm me.”
• “I know how to love you,” Diego said softly. He reached for the glass of Chapman on the table and extended the glass towards her. “Just a sip. For me.”
• Eena was indecisive at first, but then took it. The sweet, fizzy drink stung her throat but warmed her chest.
• “That’s my Eena,” he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
• She put the glass aside, her heart pounding.
• He pulled her into his arms at once. She pressed her face against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. His hand moved slowly up and down her back, tender and protective.
• “You are mine,” he said against her hair. “And I am yours. No man, no billionaire will ever change that.”
• She tilted her head up, lips trembling. “Diego…”
• Their eyes locked. Before she could say another word, Diego leaned in and kissed her.
• It was slow at first, then deepened as though he was pouring his soul into it. She held on to him, feeling his warmth chase away the cold fear in her chest. The kiss tasted of love too strong to be broken.
• When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads rested together, both of them breathless.
• “You belong with me,” Diego whispered. “Say you’ll fight for us.”
• “I’ll fight,” she said softly, her tears still clinging to her lashes.
• Just then, her phone vibrated on the table.
• Catalina's name lit the screen.
• Eena’s stomach sank. Her hands trembled as she answered. “Mama?”
• “Eena,” Catalina said sharply at the other end. “Where are you? Come home at once. You must prepare yourself for dinner tomorrow with Señor Castillo.
• “Mama, please...”
• “No excuses!” Catalina snapped. “This marriage will happen. Be home in an hour.”
• The line went dead.
• Eena lowered the phone, her heart dropping.
• “What did she say?” Diego asked, his voice tight.
• “She said I have to come home,” Eena whispered. “They’ve already set a dinner date with Carlos Castillo. Tomorrow night.”
• Diego’s expression darkened. “So soon?”
• “Yes,” she said, her voice shaking. “They’re not even giving me time to breathe.”
• Diego gripped her hands, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “Then we make tonight count. We hold on to what we have. So when tomorrow comes, you’ll remember who you belong to.”
• Eena nodded, tears slipping quietly down her face. Diego kissed them away, then kissed her lips again. Slower, deeper, and more intense. Sealing his promise.
• “Remember this, Eena,” he whispered. “No matter what happens tomorrow, remember me.”
• Diego held her for a long moment, his chest heaving softly against hers. The room was silent except for the sound of their breath.
• Then he spoke again, softly this time. “Sometimes I think about what my life would look like without you, Eena, and I can’t see anything. Just darkness.”
• Her throat was firm. “Diego…”
• He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. “Promise me something. Promise me that when you sit across from that man tomorrow, you will recall this moment. You will remember me.”
• “I promise,” she said softly. “I’ll face him, Diego, but only because I have no choice. My heart will still belong to only you."
• Diego nodded and reached for the leather bracelet on his wrist.
• “Keep this,” he said. “So when you feel alone, you’ll know I’m still with you.”
• Eena stared at the bracelet, and her throat tightened. “I’ll never take it off.”
• Diego brushed his thumb across her cheek, wiping away the last of her tears. “Good. Then no matter what he does, he’ll never own all of you.”
• Eena pressed the bracelet to her chest, feeling its warmth. For a moment, she let herself believe that this small piece of Diego could save her from everything that was coming.
• Amidst all this, she felt the weight of tomorrow pressing down on her.
• Tomorrow, she would sit across from Carlos Castillo. Unbeknownst to her, a man who would rewrite her life with a single word. And nothing in her life would remain the same.