Chapter 3

Getting home usually helps, it’s the one place where everything feels stable, where nothing really changes, but today even that feels different, like something is about to shift and I just don’t know what yet.

“Lucas?” my mom calls from the kitchen, “you’re home.”

“Yeah.”

She shows up almost immediately, smiling in a way that makes me suspicious right away, too happy, too bright.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

She laughs, a little nervous.

“Nothing bad, I promise, but I have something to tell you.”

That alone tells me it’s not going to be simple.

“Mom…”

She takes a deep breath, like she needs courage.

“I’m getting married.”

I stare at her, processing, feeling the words take a second to settle.

“What?”

“I know it sounds fast, but we’ve been together for a year and I wanted to be sure before telling you.”

“Did Mark propose already?”

She makes a face and shows me the ring.

“We’re having a family dinner tomorrow, make sure you don’t miss it.”

Her boyfriend… yeah, I know him, and honestly, I don’t dislike him, he’s a good guy, he treats her well, and that should be enough, right?

“Do you really love him?” I ask in the end.

She doesn’t hesitate.

“Yes.”

And that’s enough.

I exhale.

“Then it’s fine.”

Her expression shifts immediately, relieved.

“Really?”

“Yeah, if you’re happy.”

She smiles, calmer now.

“Let’s have some wine to celebrate the good news.”

I hesitate for a second, because I already know that clashes with something else.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I’ve got something.”

“Something?”

“A party.”

She gives me a look.

“You? At a party?”

“Don’t start.”

She laughs a little.

“Whose party?”

I hesitate just a second before saying it.

“The team that kicked our ass.”

She makes an immediate face, scrunching her nose.

“Ugh, Lucas… that sounds awful.”

I shrug.

“Sofi invited me.”

And that’s enough.

She sighs, like she’s giving up on understanding.

“Well… I don’t get it, but okay. We’ll celebrate tomorrow all together then.”

I nod.

“Yeah.”

⸻

I step out of the shower with my head still somewhere else, trying not to think too much, about the game, about Mateo, about Sofi, about the way everything feels stuck in my chest, so I focus on the basics, on the simple things, on what I can control.

Dark jeans, a white t-shirt, a light jacket on top, nothing special, nothing that stands out, just enough so it doesn’t look like I was dragged out of the house, I run a hand through my hair, glance at myself in the mirror for a second and that’s it.

I don’t need more.

I grab my phone before leaving and, out of habit, check the team group chat.

Mistake.

Messages and more messages.

Complaints, insults, excuses, frustration.

“That asshole plays dirty.”

“The ref was bought.”

“We shouldn’t have lost like that.”

I clench my jaw as I read, close the chat without thinking too much because I don’t want to stay there, don’t want to keep going over the same thing, don’t want to think about the game or him, so I set my phone aside and take a deep breath, trying to clear my head, even if it’s just for a while.

Tonight I’m only going to do one thing, drink enough to not feel anything and leave early before it all becomes unbearable, no drama, no complications, not giving him more space than he already takes.

Simple.

Or at least that’s what I try to believe.

⸻

I go pick Sofi up, and the moment she gets in the car she already has that look, half excited, half annoyed.

“You’re late,” she says, crossing her arms, even though her smile gives her away.

“Be grateful I even came,” I reply, starting the car, “I almost didn’t.”

She rolls her eyes, but it doesn’t last more than two seconds.

“Drama.”

She leans in and presses a quick, familiar kiss to my cheek.

“You’re the best friend in the world, you know that?”

And there it is, that damn bittersweet feeling settling in my chest without permission, uncomfortable, constant, like no matter how much I try to ignore it, it always finds its way back.

I smile just enough not to ruin the moment, but I don’t say anything, because the truth is different, because I don’t want to be her best friend, I never wanted to be just that, even if I’ve pretended for so long that it was enough.

But I also didn’t have the guts to do anything when I should have, when I still had the chance, and now it’s too late, now the best girl I know is with an idiot.

And there’s nothing I can do about it.

⸻

The house shows up at the end of the street and for a second I think I got the address wrong, but no, it’s not a mistake, it just doesn’t look like a house, it’s a damn mansion, huge, lit up, music blasting from everywhere, cars lined up as far as you can see and people going in and out like it’s a club.

And of course, it makes sense.

Mateo Carter isn’t just ridiculously attractive… he’s ridiculously rich too.

“Wow…” Sofi mutters as she gets out of the car, “this is another level.”

I don’t answer.

I just close the door and follow her.

Inside, everything is noise, laughter, bodies moving to the music, people clearly already more than just “buzzed.”

Sofi doesn’t waste time, she pulls me toward the kitchen, grabs two drinks like she’s been here before and hands me one.

“Relax,” she says, “you need this.”

I take a sip and she’s right, for a while everything feels easier, lighter, we talk, we laugh, I even manage to forget why I didn’t want to come, like none of what happened earlier matters that much.

But it doesn’t last.

Because I start noticing it, the way her gaze drifts through the crowd, the way she keeps scanning the room over and over again, distracted, restless.

She’s looking for him.

Of course she is.

I tighten my grip on the cup without realizing it and step a little closer to her.

“Come on,” I say near her ear so she can hear me, “let’s find him.”

She looks at me, surprised, but nods.

And that’s how it starts.

We go upstairs, walk through hallways, open doors we definitely shouldn’t be opening, laughing a little at first like it’s a game, like there’s nothing serious behind any of this.

We reach a door at the end of the hallway, closed, and Sofi stops beside me, hesitating just enough for me to notice, but I can’t stop, not now, so I reach for the handle and open it without thinking.

And there he is.

Mateo, against the bed, with a girl, his hand slipped between her legs, his mouth on hers, both of them completely absorbed, like nothing else exists, like the world isn’t about to crash down around them.

Everything stops, not because of him, but because of her, because I don’t need to look at her to know what’s happening, I feel it, I feel the exact moment something inside Sofi breaks, clean, final, irreversible.

And when I turn to look at her, I confirm it, because in her expression there’s that emptiness that only shows up when something important breaks for real.

Because the heart of the girl I love…

just shattered right in front of me.