Rebecca
That day’s class was wonderful. I always felt rejuvenated whenever we worked on the practical part, but this particular one had been different. Even with the tension from the previous day still lingering in my mind, something inside me felt more at peace. Maybe it was the reflection of the night Aaron and I shared. After everything he had been through, seeing him leave for work with a calmer demeanor was a relief.
I was leaving the classroom when someone started walking beside me.
"Rebecca, do you have plans after class?" asked Lilian, one of my classmates.
It was surprising how much she had been getting closer to me in the past few weeks. Always shy, but extremely kind, she seemed to have found some comfort in our conversations. The invitation for tea
AxelFor some reason I couldn’t explain, there wasn’t a single doubt in my mind. That child was mine. I felt it with an almost irrational conviction, a certainty that no test could sway. Fred, of course, tried to bring me back to reality with his usual pragmatic, skeptical view."Axel, you're fooling yourself again," Fred said, sitting in the armchair in my living room with a glass of whiskey in hand. "This woman is identical to Priscila. You're projecting everything you felt for her onto Kimberly. And now, with this pregnancy story… you're falling into the same trap."I felt anger rise inside me, but I held it back. Fred was my friend, my advisor, but sometimes he crossed the line."It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to deceive you.
RebeccaI couldn’t breathe.Aaron turned his back on me. He chose not to believe.The man who said he loved me, who promised to stand by me against everything and everyone… walked away.And he left me there. Alone. With Eric.My vision blurred with tears, but I refused to let them fall. Not in front of Eric.And he took advantage of the moment.“You see, Rebecca?” His voice was soft, but laced with venom. “If Aaron really loved you, he never would’ve believed me.”His words cut deep. Because, cruelly, they were true.
AaronI wanted to believe her.But how could I, when the evidence was staring me in the face? When those damned photos seemed to scream a truth I didn’t want to accept?I didn’t want to see Rebecca as a traitor, as someone capable of playing with my feelings. But I had been through this before. Paolla begged me to believe her. She said it was all a setup. And in the end, I found out the only person being fooled was me.What if I was being fooled again?The security guards told me Rebecca was standing outside the art school, apparently waiting for someone. My stomach twisted. If it wasn’t me, who was she waiting for?I stepped on the gas, practical
RebeccaI couldn't focus on anything in class that morning. Aaron was different. He tried to convince me that nothing had changed, that he still trusted me, but I felt deep in my chest that something was wrong.He was distant.The way he looked at me when he dropped me off at the art school before going to the office, as if he were fighting an internal battle, only reinforced that feeling."Rebecca, are you okay?" Lilian asked beside me, pulling me out of my thoughts.I blinked a few times before forcing a smile."Yes, of course. I'm just a little tired."Lilian seemed hesitant, but the
AaronWhen I arrived at the office that morning, I was still trying to focus on the company issues and put my worries aside. Rebecca was my priority, but the confusion from the previous day wouldn’t leave my mind. Everything about that afternoon with Lilian seemed strange, and even though Rebecca tried to explain, a doubt lingered like a constant annoyance.While reviewing a contract, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Leonel’s secretary:"Your grandfather needs to speak with you urgently."My heart tightened. "Urgently" was never a positive word when it came to Leonel. I took a deep breath, trying to prepare myself for whatever it was, and headed to his office on the top floor of the building.&nb
KimberlyI wasn’t expecting visitors that afternoon. Ever since I’d been discharged from the hospital, life had settled back into a quieter rhythm, and I was trying to ease into the routine again with Kathleen.When the doorbell rang, I answered it without giving much thought to who it could be. But when I opened the door, my whole body froze. Axel was standing there, tall, imposing. My first instinct was to slam the door in his face, but the shock kept me frozen for a few seconds."Can we talk?" he asked, his voice low and firm.A bitter laugh slipped out before I could stop it. "We have nothing to talk about."Ax