𝐺𝑈𝐸𝑅𝑅𝐴

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲: 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲

Andrés

After a long flight, a long drive, I am here. On her doorstep. Every emotion is flowing through me: Happiness, for I get to see her. Fear, at what her reaction would be. Envy, for the man she's now with. After all this time, I thought we'd run to each other's arms but I forgot how strong and resilient she can be. It's one of the reasons I love her.

I go to knock on the door but my body betrays me. It ignores my orders and instead gives into my fear. I couldn't move, I couldn't take the next step. What if her current husband answers the door instead? Would I be able to hold in my envy? My anger? I know it isn't his fault but the thought of her in love with someone else sickens me. It feels as if the world is swallowing me, having God watch and do nothing as he laughs hysterically. Maybe this will be the closure I need to move on. No, how could I ever move on from her?

Once I finally dare to knock, the door swings open and I am met with her gaze. Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes widened as they welled up with tears. She drops her things and brings her hands to cover her lips.

"Andrés..?" She murmurs.

"Hi, mi amor," I opened my arms for her. She doesn't wait for a second to jump into them. Her arms wrap around me as we both sob into one another. I never want to let her go again, I wish to spend eternity in her arms but I know now that's only a selfish desire. She begins to loosen her grip but I only hold her tighter. She rubs my back, reassuring me. I loosen my grip, looking at her but never letting go. She put her hands on my face as if admiring me. I do the same. I looked into her eyes with longing until they flickered to her beautiful heart-shaped lips. Our heads gradually moved closer and closer until our lips lightly brushed another. From then, we engulfed one another in a passionate kiss. Her arms wrapped around my neck as mine picked her up from the ground, her legs then wrapping themselves around my waist.

I walked into her house and laid her on the nearest sofa, she wouldn't let me go, so naturally I was on top of her. As much as I loved having her lips against mine the question still stood, itching the back of my mind where I had hoped to have kept it. Are you no longer in love with me?

I slowly back away, our love-hungry kiss vanishing to thin air. Her arms are still wrapped around my neck, not letting me go. Her pleading eyes almost making me give in but, I know I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy our love knowing she could be enjoying hers with someone else. So, as much as I dreaded to ask, I had to know.

"Todavia mi amas?" My eyes flickered to the ground.

"What? Of course, I do mi amor." She says furrowing her eyebrows. "Que te pasa?" Her thumb lightly brushing my cheek.

I sigh, getting off of her and sitting beside her, she does the same. I look down at my fidgeting hands, taking a deep breath before saying "Manuel found you."

She smiles, "I'm not surprised."

"Yeah but-"

"But what?"

"He found you registered under another last name. So I just wanted to ask-" Before I could, I heard little giggles escape her soft, warm lips. I look at her perplexed. "What?"

"You think I'm remarried?" I turn away from her, lowering my head while slowly nodding.

She grabs my face and makes me face her, "I will never love another man as I love you. You are my one and only, in life and death." Tears began to fill my eyes, she comforted me, kissing my tears away.

"I've missed you so much Dayanara," I say.

"I've missed you too, Andrés." We held each other for a good while in silence before speaking. I laid on her lap, looking at her as she looked down at me, roaming her fingers through my hair.

"Why is your surname Pacheo now?

"It's a cover name. A small throw off if anyone tries to come after me again."

"How are you alive?"

"I could ask you the same thing." She chuckles but then I feel her fingers stop roaming my hair, her body tenses as if she had home to a horrific realization. "Alois, my boys are they-"

"They're ok. They're alive and well." I felt her body tremble as she spoke, tears filling her eyes as I told her they were ok.

"That night," she started to say, "before you came I gave birth to Alois. The doctor was just outside with his gun, keeping watch as I rested. I fed Alois and he fell asleep. Since it wasn't safe I decided to hide him in our closet, where I assume you found him, when a man with a mask crashed in from our window. The doctor instantly reacted but it was too late, the man already shot him. I tried to grab the gun from the doctor but he shot me instead, not with a bullet but with a tranquilizer. I instantly began feeling dizzy and began to lose my balance but he caught me.

I don't remember anything after that. I remember waking up in a hospital bed and being rushed into an ER. I lost consciousness again and woke up in a hospital room with a note by my bedside. It said that you and my boys were..." I stood quiet, anger filling me. She must've noticed because she leaned down to kiss me. "It's ok. We're ok, they're ok and that's all that matters." I smiled at her. She then again comes to a pause.

"What's wrong?" I say, getting up from her legs to look at her better.

"There's something I need to tell you, Andrés." Before she could say anything we heard the door creak open. A young girl comes in, poking her head in first.

"Hey..?"