Chapter 2

Early in the morning, Pablo combed his hair in the mirror. Although he was dressed casually, he looked effortlessly stylish and incredibly handsome, making Jimena stand there, mesmerized. She noticed how much his hair had grown, the tips were brushing against his neck; it seemed he had decided to let it grow long.

Jimena couldn't help but admire him in silence, captivated by how striking and masculine he was.

"Are you leaving already?" she asked, shaking the bottle with one hand while holding the baby in the other arm.

Pablo approached the boy and filled him with kisses, flooding Jimena's senses with his fresh perfume. She closed her eyes at the feel of his closeness, parting her lips in silent invitation. He, however, looked at her as if she were something strange and kissed her on the forehead, leaving her deeply disappointed.

"Right, you don't see me as a woman anymore," she said, her gaze filled with sadness. The weight of guilt hit him immediately as he remembered his careless words, and he stepped closer until their lips almost touched.

"Stop talking nonsense," he whispered against her lips.

Several shivers ran through the blonde's body at that sensual gesture. She kissed him with desire and longing since that kind of closeness had become a rarity between them. 

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, as Pablo quickly claimed he was running late. He didn’t even tell her where he was going.

A hollow emptiness filled her chest, and once again, tears traced their way down her cheeks.

***

The whole family had decided to gather at Pablo's parents' mansion.

"Hey, everyone!" Pablo greeted, making sure to be noticed. Everyone was surprised to see him arrive alone.

"Where’s Jimena?" Genaro asked, scanning the room.

"She wasn’t feeling well," he lied.

"Such a shame," his mother said. "Why didn’t you bring Adrián?"

"Because he cries a lot when he's away from Jimena," he explained. "And I wanted to have some peace, at least for today. I need a day of quiet." His mother gave him a disapproving look but didn’t reply. "By the way, haven’t the lovebirds shown up yet?"

"Kevin and Laura are on their way," Cristian said, stepping forward and giving him a friendly pat.

"It’s been a while, Pablo!" Claudia greeted him, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh... looks like you’ve finally gotten out from the loony bin," he retorted, mocking.

"How mean you are!" she said, crossing her arms. "I just don’t understand how Jimena could ever have gotten involved with someone like you."

"And I don't understand how they let a madwoman like you, who chases men, roam free. “Marry me or I'll kill you...”," he mocked, shifting his voice to mimic the blonde's tone.

"Asshole!" she spat, clearly offended. "That was slander. I don’t need to chase any man; on the contrary, it’s them who chase me," she said, tossing her hair from one side to the other.

"I can imagine," he said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her. "Kevin was dying for you, too—along with the art teacher harassed you so much that you filed a restraining order,” He mocked her. "The artists are after you!" he exclaimed sarcastically. In response to his taunt, Claudia nearly slapped him.

"Enough!" Paulo intervened. "Stop airing your sister-in-law's dirty laundry, or you might end up being the one she starts getting obsessed with, especially if her tastes change. Such crazy people tend to be interested in the forbidden."

"Paulo!" Clara called out, her tone reproachful. "Don’t talk about my niece like that, please." She fixed her gaze on him and then on Pablo. "Be considerate of her; she’s been through a lot and suffered enough." Both of them scoffed in response.

"Can we change the subject?" Cristian shot them both a glare. "We’re here to spend time as a family not to fight like cats and dogs," Cristian added sharply.

"That's true," Pablo's mother agreed. "Let's leave the uncomfortable topics behind and try to have a pleasant time." 

"Mum, this family is full of uncomfortable topics," Pablo replied with sarcasm. "So what are we going to talk about, then?"

"Shut up already, you idiot," his sister complained.

"Speaking of nuts!" he exclaimed mockingly.

"Speaking of jerks!" she retorted, making a face. "By the way, what time is Kevin getting here?"

"Speaking of obsessive love," Pablo whispered.

"I heard you, asshole," his sister tapped his shoulder. "Kevin is my favorite cousin, so stop saying nonsense."

"That’s crystal clear to me, little sister," he said, looking at her with mischief. "He’s your ‘favorite’ and only cousin."

"I don’t even know why I’m talking to you," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

At that moment, Kevin and Laura entered Pablo’s parents' mansion and greeted everyone enthusiastically. Immediately, Jessica rushed into her cousin’s arms.

"I’ve missed you so much, Kevin!" she said, gazing into his eyes with intensity. "I thought you’d never make it back from Paris."

"I was only gone for a month..." he said, caressing her cheek.

"A whole month of honeymoon, huh, you little rascal?" Pablo said, walking up with a mischievous smile. "No wonder," he added with a wink, "it was twenty-six years of abstinence. I even started to think you were asexual."

"Still as charming as ever, cousin," Kevin said, shaking his head, amused.

"As wonderful as your month in Paris must have been, I know you missed me just as much as I missed you because your life without me is boring," Pablo teased, then hugged him tightly.

"Let go of me!" Kevin said, trying to pull away. "I’m a married man now..." he joked.

After greeting everyone, Laura decided to sit down, leaving Kevin to chat with Pablo.

"Looks like you’ve done well, little cousin!" Claudia approached her with a sly smile.

"Hello, Claudia," Laura greeted cautiously. In response, Claudia made a face.

Kevin made his way over to where Laura was sitting, but he was intercepted by Claudia.

"Long time no see, Kevin!" she said, getting close and planting a playful kiss on his cheek.

Noticing the malice in her cousin’s gesture, Laura took a deep breath and tried to ignore her. She wasn’t going to give Claudia the satisfaction of letting her get under her skin, though she couldn’t completely hide her displeasure. Kevin sat down next to her and intertwined his hand with hers, suspecting that she didn’t appreciate Claudia’s flirtatious behavior.

"Is everything okay?" he whispered in her ear. She nodded silently, and he kissed her cheek.

"Where are Jimena and the baby?" Laura asked, noticing their absence.

"She wasn’t feeling well, that’s why she didn’t come," Pablo replied with a hint of guilt.

"Let’s go to the terrace!" Pablo's mother announced, and everyone followed her.

The family was discussing various topics, especially the long honeymoon that Laura and Kevin had taken.

Pablo, on the other hand, distanced himself from the others. He simply felt like a cruel, heartless jerk.

He looked at the phone he had taken out of his pocket, unsure whether he should call her or not. He hadn’t mentioned the meeting to her because he just wanted one day out of his routine. 

A day without diapers, vomit, or shouting.

He craved a moment of complete peace, one that didn’t involve work, or his wife and child. He felt selfish, but still, he was with his family—this wouldn’t be complete peace. He dialed the number, but she didn’t answer. He squinted his eyes in frustration since this was typical of his wife. After three attempts, she finally picked up.

"My God, Jimena! Is it so hard to answer the phone?"

"Sorry," she sounded distant. "I was feeding Adrián, and the phone was in the bedroom."

"Whatever! Part of your family and mine are at Dad’s house. Everyone’s asking about you." There was a brief silence.

"But… you’re telling me now?" She sounded sad, her voice weak.

"Sorry, I forgot."

"I can imagine…" she replied, incredulous.

"Are you coming?"

"Apologize to everyone for me," she answered, feeling down. "I don’t feel well."

"Well…" He really did feel like a bad person. "You looked fine this morning."

"But I’m not in the mood, Pablo. I…" There was a pause.

"Forgive me, okay? These days, the stress has me acting like a complete idiot."

"It’s okay. But I’m not sure I want to go. I know Claudia’s in the country… Is she there?"

"Yeah. Don’t tell me you’re not coming because she’s here. You two have always been so close."

"You know our relationship got tense after you and I got married. Also…" Another silence. "I don’t want her to see me like this… I’m not ready for her teasing."

"See you like what, Jimena?" he asked, annoyed.

"You know… I’ve changed a lot since the pregnancy…"

"Stop talking nonsense," he muttered almost in a whisper.

"Coming from the guy who no longer sees me as a woman." She sniffled on the line.

"Jimena…"

"It’s okay, I don’t blame you," she said, her voice cracking. "I’ll be fine. You enjoy your day with the family."

"Whatever you say," he scratched his head. "I’ll leave early anyway. We’ll talk when I get back."

"Okay."

She ended the call. In response to the awkwardness and guilt, Pablo rubbed his temple and sighed.

"I'm a damn fool!" he lamented, after putting his phone away.