INICIAR SESIÓNCHAPTER THIRTY-FIVEAdrian had always believed that knowing the truth was better than living with uncertainty.He had built his life around that belief. He preferred difficult conversations to silent resentment, honest answers to comforting lies, and decisions he could stand behind to promises made merely to keep the peace.Yet, as he watched Maya sleep beside him that morning, he discovered there were truths he still struggled to accept.She loved him.She had chosen him.She had returned Daniel's bracelet because she no longer wanted to give her first love false hope.Adrian knew all of that, and still, a small, unreasonable part of him wondered whether Daniel would always possess something he could never give Maya.He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.Maya stirred, her eyes opening slowly.“Why are you staring at me?”“Am I not allowed to admire my wife?”“You are.” She smiled sleepily. “But you're doing it with the expression of a man who has just
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX Maya had always believed that the hardest part of losing Daniel would be learning to live without him. For seven years, she had imagined that moment in a hundred different ways. Sometimes she pictured herself running into his arms at the airport, crying against his chest while he promised never to leave her again. Other times, she imagined him arriving at her door with flowers, apologizing for every lonely birthday and every night she had fallen asleep holding the bracelet he gave her. In none of those dreams had she imagined sitting across from him in a quiet café, trying to remember how to speak to a man who had once known every corner of her heart. Yet that was exactly where she found herself on Thursday afternoon. Daniel had texted her that morning, asking if they could talk. He had been careful to add that Adrian didn't need to come along, and Maya had understood what he meant. This conversation wasn't about Adrian. It was about the two people they had be
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE Daniel woke up with a headache and the uncomfortable realization that he had dreamed about Maya. Not the Maya who had stood beside Adrian at the gala. Not the woman who had looked at him with tears in her eyes and told him she was no longer in love with him. The Maya he dreamed about was the girl who used to fall asleep on his shoulder during long drives, who stole his shirts and laughed whenever he pretended to be annoyed, who had worn the silver bracelet he gave her and promised she would wait. He had dreamed that she was waiting for him at the airport. Then he had woken up alone. Daniel stared at the ceiling for a long time before reaching for his phone. There was a message from Adrian. You alive? Daniel almost smiled. Unfortunately. Adrian replied almost immediately. Breakfast? Daniel considered ignoring him. It would have been easier to spend the day alone, nursing the ache in his chest and pretending he wasn’t thinking about the dinner from the n
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOURMaya had been staring at the message on Adrian’s phone for almost a minute before she finally looked up at him.“Daniel is coming for dinner?”Adrian glanced at the screen again, then set the phone on the kitchen counter. “That’s what he said.”“He agreed?”“He said he might come.” Adrian gave a small, uncertain smile. “I’m choosing to interpret that as a yes.”Maya tried to smile back, but the thought of sitting across from Daniel in their home made her stomach tighten. It had been difficult enough seeing him at the gala, watching the hurt in his eyes as he stood apart from them. Having him here, in the place where she and Adrian had built a life together, felt like another kind of test.“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked.“No.” Adrian was honest enough to make her laugh softly. “But I’m tired of only seeing him when we’re trying to fix something.”Maya lowered her gaze. “I don’t want him to feel like we’re rubbing our happiness in his face.”“I don’t e
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE Maya woke up to an empty bed. For a few seconds, she lay still, staring at Adrian's pillow, wondering where he had gone. Then she heard the sound of running water from the bathroom and relaxed, pulling the blanket closer around herself. The previous evening had left her emotionally exhausted. Daniel's pain had followed her home from the gala, and even though she knew she had made the right decision, she couldn't stop thinking about the look on his face when he told her he needed to let her go. She had loved Daniel once with the kind of certainty that made the future seem simple. Now she loved Adrian, and the future felt like something she had to fight for. The bathroom door opened, and Adrian emerged, dressed in dark trousers and a white shirt. He was fastening his watch when he noticed her watching him. "Good morning, sleepyhead." Maya smiled faintly. "Where are you going?" "Downstairs. I have a few things to take care of." She pushed herself upright. "
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO Daniel had always imagined that letting Maya go would be a decision he made when he was ready. He had imagined a day when he would wake up and realize that the memories no longer hurt as much, when hearing her name wouldn't tighten his chest, and when he could think about their past without wondering what their future might have been. He hadn't imagined standing in his apartment three days after their last conversation, staring at his phone and fighting the urge to call her. He missed her. That simple truth irritated him more than anything else. He missed the way she used to tell him about her day, how she laughed at his terrible jokes, and how she always knew when something was bothering him, even when he insisted he was fine. He missed the familiarity of loving someone who had once loved him just as fiercely. And he missed Adrian, too. That was the part he didn't know how to handle. He could be angry with Adrian. He could blame him for being the man Maya







