Guillermo

Olívia
Boston
Weeks later

"And what if you could find out everything about your family now, without even having to research, baby? If there were a report detailing your entire history?"

I’m dressing Valentina for the Halloween party. She’s going to be a little bee with wings and everything, and she’s the cutest thing in the world, but I just decided the headband with the antennas is definitely out.
She’s pulled it three times and bursts out laughing when she has the accessory in her hands, so I figured it’s become a sort of game, and I’m surrendering to a bee without antennas.

"There will never be a cuter little bee, my love."

"Aiiaiiiiaiii…" she sings with that beautiful smile that melts my heart every time.

Our trip to the mountains was a turning point.
Now I know I’m in love not just with her father, but with the baby too.

I still need to get ready. I’m going as a ballerina, and Guillermo as a bunny. I told him his costume should be funny, and he took that literally. When I asked why he chose it, he said Nina loves a cartoon about rabbits and laughs the whole time she watches it.

We also agreed to pretend to knock on his parents’ door to ask for treats or tricks and start Nina in the tradition, although it will still be a few years before she can do it herself.

"Olivia." Guillermo calls my attention again.

I heard him the first time, but I don’t want to think about my past—specifically the fact that I was abandoned by my biological mother—when things seem to be going so well in my life.

I lift my head to look at him. Guillermo sometimes asks me random questions like this about the possibility of finding my family.

"Why now?"

"It’s a simple question. If you had the option to know everything about your past, would you want to?"

"Probably, yes. To know the story, I mean, but I don’t know if I’d want to meet my mother. She didn’t want me, so going after her could be like forcing a situation, you know? Besides, I don’t think I could see her as my mother. I had a mother. A wonderful woman who did everything for me within her means. I never felt the lack of anything."

"So you wouldn’t mind knowing about your origins, then?"

"I didn’t say that. Maybe just out of curiosity, but blood isn’t everything. Valentina has my love, regardless of whether the two of us work out or not, and she’s not my relative."

He turns pale and seems like he’s about to say something, but Joaquín enters, interrupting.

"Who’s this beautiful little bee for uncle?"

Valentina starts jumping on my lap and has now become a one-winged bee.

"Thank you," I say to him with a serious face.

"Don’t be sour." He replies, and it’s so ironic coming from Joaquín that I start laughing.

He walks over to where I am and kisses my forehead.

"Much better this way. That angry expression doesn’t suit you."

"I’ve been trying to dress her for almost half an hour."

"She’s going to be a unique bee. Nina doesn’t need to fly. Uncle can carry her everywhere." He says, spinning her over his arm as if she’s flying, and our little girl laughs.

Since the incident with the theft accusation, Joaquín occasionally messages to see how I’m doing. He’s still not the king of friendliness, but I’ve kind of gotten used to his bad mood.

"Everyone ready?"

"I need to get dressed."

I give Guillermo a quick kiss and enter the suite bathroom.



Hours later

The party is fun.
Even Stewart Caldwell, the patriarch, is in costume.
He’s still young, and despite the difficulty walking and speaking, he insisted on participating in the event with his children.
Martina, as expected, didn’t show up.

"Thank you."

Mrs. Isabel stops beside me and places her hand on my face.

"For what? I didn’t do anything. You two are perfect together."

"But you’re giving us back our joy. After Stewart’s second stroke, we didn’t have many reasons to smile besides Valentina. So, thank you for reminding us that life can be good too."

"I’m the one who should thank you for letting me be here."

Again, she gives me that unreadable look, but this time, however, I’m not willing to let it go.

"I always feel like you want to tell me something but give up halfway. Why?"

I know I’m being bold, but I don’t like secrets, and my intuition has told me since the first day I met her that she’s hiding something.

"My son is very taken with you."

I open my mouth, surprised. It was the last thing I expected to hear.

"He went through difficult months with Nina’s mother. I’m not saying Guillermo is perfect. God knows I’m not that kind of mother, but he was a good father and also tried to be a good husband, even though he didn’t love her."

A part of me thinks I should tell her to stop because if he wants to talk about his marriage, he can do it in person, but curiosity wins, and I stay quiet, waiting. However, before she can finish, Rafe appears dressed as Julius Caesar and offers us popcorn.

I thank him and excuse myself.
Disconcerted, I try to step aside a little to think and head to the balcony. It’s already quite cold, but strangely, the door is open.

I was just going to close it and go back inside when I hear Joaquín’s voice.

"So, in the end, everything worked out."

"It seems so."

I recognize the other voice as Guillermo’s and start walking toward them, although neither of them has seen me yet.

"It was a great idea to make the world think you were in love. It was the only way to protect her."

I freeze instantly.
His words are like a dagger to my heart.
I cover my mouth in horror as everything we’ve done since the false theft accusation incident plays like a movie in my mind.
The press conference the next day, dinners holding hands, our trip to the opera.

I turn to leave, but I must have made some noise because in an instant, both of them are at my side.
I don’t even see Joaquín; all I can see is Guillermo approaching.

"No."

I raise my hand to stop him from touching me.

He still doesn’t stop, and I have to give everything I’ve got to hold back my tears.

"No," I repeat. "I’m leaving. Don’t say anything to your mother; she’s very happy. Don’t ruin her night, but I swear to God if you touch me, I’ll scream."

I turn my back, trying to maintain composure and not focus on anyone. When I’m almost at the door, Rafe calls me.

I’m afraid to turn back and face him, afraid I’ll start crying.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Home."

"What do you mean? We haven’t even eaten yet."

When he turns me toward him, he immediately pulls me into a hug.

"What did my brother do?"

"I don’t want to talk right now, I just need to get out of here."

"No way you’re leaving without me. I’ll take you home. I don’t know what happened, but you’re not going out alone looking this beautiful in that ballerina costume."

Even with my heart bleeding, I manage to smile.

"That’s better."

He opens the car door, but before I can get in, Guillermo appears.

"Enough," he says.

"I have to agree with that," I reply.

I don’t look at him for fear of losing control.

"I tried to tell you little by little. I tried not to hurt you, but I ruined everything. Now note this: there’s no way I’ll let you walk away without knowing the whole truth."



He’s not going to Martina’s apartment, but to his.

"I don’t want to go back to your house."

"You’re going to listen to me. There are things in my office I need to show you."

If the situation were different, I could laugh. The two of us arguing in costume on Halloween.
But there’s nothing funny about this story.

I look out the window.
The energy between us is so strong it’s almost tangible.
Like me, he seems furious, and I don’t understand anything.

He turns off the car and walks around to open my door.
We’ve done this so many times that it hurts my heart knowing this will be the last.

He takes my hand, and even knowing I shouldn’t allow it, I don’t try to pull away.

In the elevator, facing each other, the scene reminds me so much of what we lived through when I first started working at the hotel. I didn’t know it then, but even there, I was already in love.

"Whatever you’re thinking, it was all real."

"I won’t hear anything except what you said you need to tell me."

He doesn’t seem to have listened to me.

"I’m crazy about you, Olivia. Nothing you decide will change that."

I lift my face to look at him, and what I see hurts me. He’s suffering too.

"You lied to me."

"Never. I withheld things, but I never lied to you."