Chapter 57 The Silent Promise.

Chapter 57 The Silent Promise.
Chapter 57.

The Silent Promise

That night, Lucas goes up to Alicia's room. She is deeply asleep, exhausted by the confrontation with Carolina and the frantic work pace. The dim light from the bedside table illuminates her pale and vulnerable face. Lucas approaches the bed. Regret over his jealous reaction and the humiliation in the car consumes him.

He sits gently on the edge of the bed, looking at the woman who is his friend, his lover, and his anchor. He strokes her hair with infinite tenderness.

“I promise you I’m going to resolve everything,” he whispers, his voice thick with emotion. “After the project presentation, I will fix it. This chaos, Carolina, the doubts. I assure you, Alicia. Just give me this time.”

Lucas leans down and gives her a chaste kiss on the forehead, a silent vow that peace will return. Then, he withdraws, leaving the promise hanging in the silence of the room.

Temporal Marker

The days pass in an exhausting work whirlwind. The house becomes an extension of the office. Alicia and Lucas barely see each other outside of planning meetings, submerged in rebuilding the project. The tension between them remains: a mix of repressed desire and resentment from past arguments.

The Unexpected Scene

It is Saturday morning. Alicia goes down to the living room looking for a file she left in the study last night. The weekend promises to be long, full of work.

As she approaches the living room, the sound of a forced laugh stops her. She peeks in discreetly.

The scene hits her with the force of a cold slap. Carolina is sitting on Lucas's lap, nestled against his chest on the large leather sofa. Carolina, in a low-cut silk dress, is trying to seduce him, her lips actively seeking Lucas's, her hands encircling his neck.

Lucas, although showing an expression of discomfort and rigidity in his posture, has not immediately pushed her away. He is in that horrible limbo of not wanting to start a drama, allowing ambiguity to be his answer.

Alicia does not say a word. Her presence is enough. She enters the living room and lets out a soft, but deliberate, throat-clearing cough.

Lucas, sensing Alicia's unmistakable presence, reacts with the speed of panic. He abruptly pushes Carolina away, almost throwing her to the side of the sofa. His face becomes a mask of guilt and shame.

Carolina quickly regains her composure, with a contained smile of victory, knowing that the scene has served its purpose.

Alicia does not give Lucas a chance to excuse himself. Her cold eyes lock onto his for endless seconds. It is a look devoid of pain or jealousy; it is pure frigidity, a distance that freezes Lucas's blood. She sees the betrayal, but she doesn't feel it. She has detached emotionally.

She turns and begins to leave the living room.

“I'll wait for you in the study,” Alicia announces, stopping right on the threshold. Her voice is perfectly flat and professional. Then, she continues her way to the study.

Lucas gets up from the sofa, ignoring Carolina. “Lucas, where are you going?”

The Implicit Boundary

Lucas arrives at the study. Alicia is standing by the window, looking out at the garden. The room is flooded with the morning light, which illuminates the dust suspended in the air but does not dissipate the heaviness.

“Alicia, please, let me explain. It was nothing, she caught me by surprise…” Lucas begins, desperate to close the wound.

She turns, her eyes fixed on him, that unshakeable coldness disarming him.

“I know what I saw,” Alicia says, her tone monotonous. “Don't worry. I don’t need details. Tell me what I should do. Shall we review the projections or start with the risk diagram?”

Alicia's indifference is his harshest punishment. Lucas feels like he is talking to a robot; the emotional connection has been severed.

“Alicia, look at me. She caught me by surprise. I swear.” Lucas tries to approach, putting a tender hand on her shoulder.

Alicia moves to the side, pulling away from his touch. She moves with a subtlety that disarms him.

He tries to approach again, intending to cup her face in his hands.

“No,” Alicia says. She turns her face away, avoiding his kiss. “Don't ever kiss me after you have kissed her.”

The declaration is a temporary vow of chastity, an insurmountable barrier. Lucas freezes, the humiliation of the refusal is both public and private.

“I'm sorry, darling,” he says, his voice full of remorse, the fury of yesterday’s jealousy replaced by guilt. He rests his forehead against hers, a gesture of intimacy without lip contact.

Alicia does not yield an inch. “I feel like it's going to be a long weekend, Lucas. Why don't we just get started?”

Professionalism prevails. Passion and love have been suspended, replaced by the only language they have left: work. Lucas knows the only way to win Alicia back is by earning her trust.

Lucas, wounded by her coldness, accepts the punishment. He approaches her from behind, holds her by the waist, and instead of kissing her lips, buries his face in the curve of her neck, just below her ear.

“Don't do this to me, Alicia,” he whispers.

She feels his hot breath on her skin. Desire, though suspended, is a sweet poison. Lucas kisses her neck with desperate devotion; the contact is a territorial declaration and a plea.

Alicia feels a shiver that is not repulsion, but forced surrender. She closes her eyes but maintains emotional distance.

Lucas stands up, settles into his chair, and resumes his role, though the tension between the two is now a rope about to snap. Need has become a constant in the office.

“Let’s continue with the project,” she asks, moving away from him.

The Lunch Battle

When lunchtime arrives, Carolina decides to make her next move, feeling emboldened by the morning's spectacle and the fear of humiliation. She approaches Alicia, who is reviewing documents in the living room, with feigned innocence.

“Alicia,” Carolina begins with a soft, almost complicit voice. “I would like to spend quality time with Lucas tonight. We were thinking of going to a restaurant, but I would like to surprise him here with a romantic dinner. If you don't mind, I'd like you to leave us alone. It would be a great help.”

The hint is clear: Get out, tonight he's mine. It is an order disguised as a favor request.

Alicia looks at her, her expression unreadable. She understands the manipulation. She knows Carolina is trying to reaffirm her position and punish her for the morning's scene.

“Okay, that’s fine,” Alicia responds with a calm that unnerves Carolina.

“It is?” Carolina asks, surprised by the ease.

“Yes.”

“Great, thank you, dear.” Carolina radiates satisfaction, believing she has won the territory battle.

“Okay,” Alicia merely says, and walks away. Her step is calm, but in her mind, she is already devising a malicious counteroffensive.