Chapter 3

Everyone was chatting in groups, while Pablo decided to pull away. He sat at a reasonable distance from the others, his expression a mix of disdain and weariness.

"Everything okay?" Kevin asked as he sat beside him.

"Yeah." Pablo fixed his gaze on the ground. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you're here alone and quiet. That’s not like you."

"It’s just stress and exhaustion. By the way, how’s married life treating you?" He shifted the topic. Kevin smiled, a special sparkle in his eyes as he thought about his new reality.

"Though it’s obvious things are going well. Looks like Laura’s treating you wonderfully," Pablo teased.

"Being with her makes me feel whole. I love that girl in a way I never thought I could love anyone."

"You’re a lucky guy," Pablo muttered, almost like a lament. Kevin gave him a curious look.

"So are you," he said, patting Pablo’s shoulder. "You’ve got a beautiful family."

"Yeah..." Pablo replied, hesitating. "I have a beautiful son."

"And a beautiful wife," Kevin finished for him with a smile.

"Yeah, it’s just that things with her aren’t great. How do you and Laura make it work? You’ve been together for as long as we have, and you two seem more in love every day. Is it because you weren’t married before?"

"Stop talking nonsense! I feel even closer to Laura since we got married. It’s different because we’ve only been living together for a month, and we don’t have a kid. But it’s not marriage that ruins relationships—it’s the people in them."

"Look, Pablo, you and Jimena never really had time to figure out if you were ready to take that step of uniting your lives forever. You got swept up in the excitement of the moment, then married because of the pressure our family put on you after the pregnancy."

"But, despite that and whatever issues you’re facing, I think there’s something special that ties you two together. And I don’t just mean Adrián, though he’s part of it. I think you both lacked time to develop your relationship before tackling the challenge of building a family together. It’s up to you to reclaim that time. I know you love each other, and you can overcome this."

"There’s a problem, Kevin," Pablo muttered, lowering his head. "I’m attracted to another woman," he admitted sadly.

Kevin stared at him in shock. "Are you serious?" he asked, bewildered.

"It’s not like I’m in love or anything," Pablo clarified nervously. "It’s physical. She’s gorgeous and incredibly sensual. I haven’t been with a woman in a long time... This is driving me crazy."

"What do you mean you haven’t been with a woman?" Kevin asked, astonished. "What about Jimena?"

"I can’t bring myself to touch her," Pablo confessed. "We haven’t been intimate since we got married. Her belly was already showing then, and I was afraid of hurting her."

"That’s ridiculous! Pregnant women can have sex. In fact, it’s good for them."

"I didn’t know that. I tried not to overthink about it. I know I’ve been a jerk and selfish, but I was terrified. A kid and a marriage weren’t part of my plans yet."

"And after the pregnancy?"

"She couldn’t. And when she recovered, the baby took up all her time, and she stopped taking care of herself. Her breasts were full of milk, and sometimes it even leaked onto her clothes. I don’t know, we just never tried. I think we both knew our marriage was a mess, so she focused on the baby, and I focused on work."

"Wow. But anyone can see Jimena loves you deeply."

"And I love her. But the passion is gone," Pablo lamented.

"If you love each other, then the passion is still there. It’s a product of love—they go hand in hand if you let them. You just have to stop overthinking it and stop labeling everything. Like you always tell me: Stop being an idiot, Pablo!"

Both of them laughed.