Beyond the Apocalypse

#4 Breaking the Silence

Lila walked down the TVA corridor, heading to check on the research Five and the others were working on. Just imagining seeing him again in a few moments brought a smile to her face. But as she rounded the next corner, the smile froze.

Standing not far ahead was Diego.

Lila approached him hesitantly, her steps slower and more cautious. It was impossible not to notice how uncomfortable she became in his presence.

When they arrived at the TVA, they were initially assigned shared accommodations. However, Lila had asked if she could stay alone. She hadn't made the request directly in front of Diego, but he overheard her discussing it with one of the TVA staff. He had then agreed, saying it was probably for the best if they took some space for a few days after everything that had happened. Lila hadn't argued.

"Can we talk?" he asked. "I've been looking for you."

Lila nodded, trying to maintain an air of nonchalance. "Sure..."

They moved to the nearest quiet spot where they could have a proper conversation. It took almost a full minute before either of them spoke again. The tension in the air was palpable.

"Were you ever planning to tell me about this?" Diego finally asked.

"About what?"

"Everything. If I hadn't noticed your bracelet—" he glanced at her wrist, where she was still wearing it, his lip curling slightly, "—would you have told me what happened, or was it meant to stay your little secret?"

"Diego," Lila sighed.

"What? Don't I have the right to ask?"

"Of course, I planned to tell you, but not at the front door of our house, and definitely not in front of the entire family during the holidays. I wanted to talk to you calmly, just the two of us, when I'd had a chance to process it myself."

"So, it's my fault, then? For catching you off guard?"

"I'm not saying that, but you didn't exactly give me a choice. If I'd said I didn't want to talk about it, you would've pushed harder and accused me of who knows what."

"And rightfully so. I had a feeling something was wrong, and I was right."

"Yes, something happened, and I told you how it happened. But you're treating it like some fling from the last week, while for us, seven years passed, Diego."

"So, you slept with him," he said, almost hurt. It was as if he'd been holding on to some shred of hope—hope that maybe, just maybe, it hadn't come to that.

Lila sighed again, but before she could respond, Diego pressed on.

"How many times?"

"You're joking, right?"

"I'm not."

Lila bristled. "That's none of your business."

"It's none of my business? You're my wife, and he's my brother. It's very much my business!"

"Do you want a schedule too? A detailed rundown of what exactly we did? God, Diego!" Lila snapped. "We thought we'd never get back. We adapted to the situation as it was."

"So that's it? You gave in to the moment, and it's all over now? It ended when you came back?"

Lila's expression shifted in a way that made Diego pause.

"Answer me!" he demanded.

"I don't know what to tell you!" Lila exclaimed. "I didn't think I'd ever have to talk about this with you. I didn't think we'd ever come back. And then it all happened so fast, and before I could sort through my thoughts and feelings, we were staring death in the face... and now it's all different, and here we are."

"So, you could've just accepted never coming back? Never seeing the kids, me, or anyone from your family again?"

"What was I supposed to do? Do you have any idea what it was like, searching endlessly for a way back for years? Not a few hours or days—years!" She was furious now. "Should I apologize for trying to keep living despite it all?"

"So, if you'd stayed there, you would've stayed with him..." It wasn't a question; it was a realization. They both went silent for a moment before Diego asked, "Do you even still love me?"

Lila's face betrayed the exact look of someone who didn't want to answer.

"Do you love me or not?"

"Why do you keep pushing me like this? You know I don't want to answer!"

"Stop being a coward and just tell me the truth!"

"Fine! You want the truth? I don't love you, and after all this, I'm not even sure if I ever truly loved you. Is that what you wanted to hear!?"

Diego froze, her harsh response hitting him like a blow. Though he'd pushed her to it, he hadn't expected that. They stared at each other in stunned silence, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air.

Then both of them turned toward the door, startled as Five stepped into the room. He'd heard their argument from the hallway, rushed inside, and caught Lila's final words to Diego. The look on his face revealed he'd heard enough.