Chapter 177

• VALENTINA
• The morning light came through the kitchen window in soft streaks, catching on the steam rising from my coffee mug. I stood at the counter, stirring sugar into the dark liquid, the spoon clinking against the ceramic in slow circles. My mind kept going back to yesterday. Gustavo’s steady gaze across the conference table. The way his voice had dropped when he said he thought about me every night. Those words had landed like stones in still water, rippling through everything I tried to keep locked down. I told myself it was just the argument talking, just the heat of the moment. But something warmer had started underneath the anger, something like nervous hope that made my stomach twist in a way I wasn’t ready to name. I’d cut Adrian loose for good. Blocked him. Deleted everything. And now the space he left felt strangely open, like room for something else to move in.
• I set the spoon down and took a sip. The coffee was sweet, almost too sweet, but it steadied me. I needed steady today. I walked to the bedroom, pulled out the light blue blouse and the black pencil skirt I’d laid out last night. The blouse felt cool against my skin when I buttoned it up, the skirt hugged my hips just right. I looked in the mirror and told myself I looked composed. Professional. Like someone who had her head on straight. I grabbed my bag, slipped on low heels, and headed out.