5

I followed him to the couch, sinking into the cushions as he sat beside me, his hand still holding mine.

His thumb traced slow circles on my skin, a gesture that always soothed me, but tonight, it felt like a distraction.

Like he was trying to calm me before something bigger came.

"Look, Salma," he began, his voice steady, "I know Vito hurt you. And I know it’s going to be hard to see him again. But we’re going to that wedding together. You and me. We’ll show him that you’ve moved on, that you’re happy. And who knows? Maybe it’ll be the closure you need."

I nodded, even though a part of me wasn’t sure I agreed.

Closure?

Was that really what this was about?

Or was it something darker, something I wasn’t ready to admit?

Juan squeezed my hand.

"Besides, it’ll be good for us. A chance to get away for a bit, clear our heads."

I looked at him, searching his face for any sign of doubt, but he seemed so certain, so confident that this was the right thing to do.

And maybe he was right.

Maybe this was the only way to finally put the past behind me.

"Okay," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "We’ll go."

Juan smiled, leaning in to kiss me softly.

"Good. You won’t regret it."

But as his lips touched mine, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

His confidence felt forced, like he was trying too hard to convince me, and it wasn’t just about the wedding.

There was something else, something he wasn’t telling me.

Later that night, while Juan was in the shower, I found myself pacing the living room, my mind racing.

I couldn’t stop thinking about his sudden push for us to go to the wedding.

It wasn’t like him to be so insistent, especially when he knew how much it bothered me.

And then it hit me.

Juan had been acting strange for weeks, maybe even months.

He was always busy with work, always on edge when it came to his father’s company.

I had brushed it off as stress, but now, with Vito back in the picture, everything felt… connected.

I went to the kitchen and grabbed my phone, scrolling through the texts Juan had sent me over the past few weeks.

They were all the same—short, to the point, nothing out of the ordinary.

But there was one name that kept popping up: Victor, his father’s business associate.

Victor had been involved with the company for years, but recently, Juan seemed to be spending more and more time with him.

And every time he mentioned Victor, there was something off in his tone, like he was hiding something.

I didn’t want to be suspicious.

Juan had always been honest with me, always open about his work.

But this… this felt different.

As I stood there, holding my phone, a sinking feeling settled in my stomach.

I knew I had to confront him, but I didn’t know how.

What if I was wrong?

What if it was just my paranoia getting the best of me?

But deep down, I knew I wasn’t wrong.

Something was going on, and it wasn’t just about the wedding.

When Juan came out of the shower, I was still standing in the kitchen, my mind spinning.

He walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice soft, but there was something in it—something that made my skin prickle.

I swallowed hard, turning in his arms to face him.

"Juan… is there something you’re not telling me? About the company? About Vito?"

His expression didn’t change, but I saw a flicker of something in his eyes—something dark, something that confirmed my worst fears.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice too calm, too controlled.

I took a step back, my heart racing.

"I don’t know. You tell me."

For a moment, he just stood there, staring at me, his jaw clenched.

And then, finally, he sighed, running a hand through his damp hair.

"Salma… there’s something you should know."

And just like that, my world shifted.