Chapter 28 #2
The oil began to shimmer with the heat. Finn tossed the chicken into the pan and it landed with a sizzle.
“So,” Finn said, stirring the chicken. “I’ve never asked. Were you born here or in Chile?”
“Chile. Santiago. I moved here when I was eighteen for university. Stayed for career opportunities.”
Finn glanced at her. “How’s that working out for you?”
Elena laughed. “Well, my career is currently being sabotaged by a corrupt executive. So… not great.”
“There you go, talking about work again.” Finn teased, smiling as he added broccoli to the pan. Steam rose from the pan. The scent of garlic and ginger was filling the kitchen and making Elena’s mouth water.
“Do you go back ever?” Finn asked. “To Chile?”
“Once. When Miguel was a baby. I haven’t been back since.”
Finn looked at her. “Really? Why?”
“I’ve been meaning to. He needs to see his grandparents. For real, not just on the screen. I’m just… so busy.”
Finn nodded. “That must be hard.”
“It is. My mom keeps asking when we’ll visit. She wants to take Miguel to all her favorite places.”
“Do you miss being there?” Finn asked. He reached for the soy sauce, adding it to the pan.
Elena had to think about that for a moment. “I miss my family,” she said. “But our whole life is here now. Miguel’s school, his friends, everything we know. And I… I’m proud of what I built here. My career. My research.”
The words were out before she could stop them, and she instantly regretted them. There she went again. Making it about work. She couldn’t help herself, apparently.
Finn was quiet for a moment. She expected a stern reminder about the rules for the evening. He turned from the stove with a serious expression.
“You should be proud,” he said. “The work you’ve done is incredible. It will help a lot of people. I am sure of that.”
Elena felt warmth spread through her. “Thank you,” she said softly.
Finn held her gaze for a moment longer and then gave the pan a final toss. “Let’s eat.”
Finn prepared two bowls, and then they settled back onto the couch. Elena took a bite and had to stop herself from making an embarrassing sound of appreciation.
“This is really good.”
Finn’s face lit up at the compliment. They ate in comfortable silence for a bit. “So.” Finn picked up the TV remote. “Want to put something on?”
“Sure, what do you have?”
“Pretty much everything,” he said as he scrolled through the streaming app until a familiar heist movie popped up. “Oh! Ocean’s Thirteen!”
Elena burst out laughing. “God, you are obsessed with George Clooney.”
“I’m not obsessed with Clooney,” Finn stated in dramatic defense. “He’s just good at heists.”
“Uh-huh.”
“We talked about Ocean’s Thirteen on our first date. Made me want to watch it again.”
“Oh. Was that a date?”
“We had dinner together and then held hands in the parking lot.” Finn glanced at her. “That seems like a date to me.”
He was right, but she didn’t let it show. “I see. So, what does that make tonight? Our second date?”
Finn scratched his head in exaggerated deliberation. “I don’t know. We spent hours digging through financial reports and research data. Also, you’re wearing all of my clothes.” He paused. “Those sound like at least fifth date activities.”
Elena laughed at that. “Fifth date. Got it.”
He was right too. She was at his apartment. Wearing his clothes. Drinking beer with him. Eating the food he’d made for her. Watching a movie together on a Friday night. Whatever you called it, it didn’t matter. It was what she wanted.
“Unless you count the conference room,” Finn added casually. “Then this might be the sixth.”
Her body got warmer as the memory flashed before her. His mouth on hers, her back against the wall.
“That wasn’t a date. It was just my elaborate plot to make out with you,” Elena teased.
“I thought that was why we were there!” Finn said in mock defense as he laughed.
They settled back into the movie, but Elena felt the mood shift. Finn seemed a little more tense. A few minutes later, during a quiet moment in the movie, Finn turned toward her.
"Can I ask you something?" he said, voice gentle in a way that put her on alert. "About Miguel's father?"
Elena tensed, her fingers tightening around the cold glass of her bottle. It wasn't an unexpected question, especially given how much he knew about her life now, but it still caught her off guard. She rarely discussed her ex-husband with anyone, even Laura.
"What do you want to know?" she asked, trying to keep her tone neutral.
Finn seemed to sense her hesitation. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he said quickly. "I just... I've been curious. About what happened."
Maybe it was the beer, or the lingering high of their discovery, or just the way she felt safe around Finn. Whatever the reason, Elena found herself wanting to tell him. "It's okay," she said, drawing her knees closer to her chest. "It's not a secret. Just not something I talk about much."
She took a long sip of her beer, organizing her thoughts. Finn waited.
"I gave up my career when Miguel was born," she began, her eyes fixed on some point across the room. "After years of education and making a place for myself in research, I left it behind. It was what Mateo wanted.”
The name felt strange to say. She rarely spoke it aloud these days.
"He had very traditional ideas about family," she continued.
"He'd grown up with a stay-at-home mother, and that was the way he thought it should be.
And honestly, I loved those early years with Miguel.
Being there for every milestone, watching him grow. "
Elena smiled faintly at the memories. Miguel's first steps, his fascination with insects, the way he'd demand ‘one more story’ every night with big, pleading eyes.
"But I felt myself... disappearing," she admitted. "Little by little. I told myself I’d stay on top of research developments, keep up with developments in the field. I tried to read journals, stay up to date with colleagues. But everything started feeling farther and farther away. Eventually, I barely recognized myself.”
She shifted again, relaxing as the words flowed more freely.
"Mateo was supportive in his way. He'd watch Miguel so I could go to an occasional conference.
But there was always this underlying expectation that his career came first. That my career was the disposable part of the equation.
Maybe I could have eventually made peace with it, found some kind of balance that worked for all of us. But then I found out about the affair."
Finn went very still beside her.
"All those months I was at home, sacrificing my career to be the perfect wife and mother.
He was with her. Sometimes they'd meet right after work, before he came home to us.” Elena was surprised to find her voice steady.
The pain of the betrayal had dulled over time.
She glanced at Finn and found him looking at her with an intensity that made her heart beat a little faster.
"When I confronted him, he didn't even try to deny it," she continued. "He said he'd fallen in love with her, that he wanted a divorce. Three months later, they moved to Boston. Miguel and I stayed here."
She drained the last of her beer, setting the empty bottle on the coffee table. "After he left, I threw myself back into research. Probably too far in that direction. I was determined to rebuild everything I'd given up, to never depend on anyone else again."
Her eyes found Finn's in the dim light. "But sometimes I wonder if I over-corrected.” When she finished, her voice cracked. “If I've become so focused on proving myself professionally that I'm not present enough for Miguel."
Elena felt lighter, having shared this piece of herself with him. The story of her divorce wasn't a happy one, but it had shaped her in ways both good and bad.
Finn was quiet for a long moment after she finished.
Then he stood, reached for her hand, and pulled her up with him.
Before she could ask what he was doing, his arms were around her.
He wrapped her up in a fierce hug. Elena pressed her face against his shoulder and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
“You deserved so much better,” Finn whispered.
Elena had told herself the same thing a thousand times, but she didn’t always truly believe it. But hearing someone else say it, hearing him say it—made her believe it. “Thank you,” she whispered back.
They stayed like that a moment longer. Then Elena pulled back just enough to look up at him.
Finn’s eyes dropped to her mouth for just a second.
Elena closed the distance and kissed him.
Finn was still for a moment, surprised. Then his hand came to her jaw, and he kissed her back.
It wasn’t gentle. It was desperate, like he’d been holding back and just couldn’t anymore.
Elena’s fingers fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer.
Finn’s other hand tightened on her hip. They stumbled back toward the couch and Finn fell onto the sofa.
Elena followed, straddling him, intent to not let the kiss stop for even a second.
His hands were everywhere. She could feel how much he wanted this. How much he wanted her.
Elena pulled back just enough to catch her breath. She tugged at Finn’s shirt, pulling it over his head and tossing it to the side. Then she did the same with hers.
“Elena—”
She kissed him again, silencing whatever he was about to say. She didn’t want him to think. Didn’t want either of them to think. She just wanted this.
But Finn pulled back and held her at arm’s length. “Wait,” he said, breathing hard. “Elena, wait.”
“What’s wrong?”
His expression was torn. “I can’t… I can’t be the reason your life falls apart.”
That was the last thing she expected him to say in this moment. “What?”
Finn’s hand came to her face, brushing her cheek. “You’ve sacrificed so much for your career, for Miguel. What if being with me puts all of that at risk?”