CHAPTER 25
”You idiot, Micaela,” she mutters to herself, the disdain dripping from each syllable like acid. The cab ride home blurs into a mess of churning emotions and relentless thoughts about her recent encounter with Victoria. The air in the taxi feels thick, saturated with the unsaid and unresolved, as Micaela”s mind reels from the abrupt ending to what she had hoped might blossom into something more profound.
She”s furious, her anger simmering just beneath the surface. She had entertained the possibility, however slight, that Victoria might want to continue their adventure beyond the confines of that shared space. A rejection she could have handled—they had, after all, agreed it was only temporary. But the icy finality of Victoria”s farewell, that casual disconnect, stings sharply. It”s painfully clear that for Victoria, their days together meant nothing more.
Suddenly, Micaela”s throat tightens, a sob caught like a prisoner within. She”s been holding back tears since she left the publisher”s office, but the dam breaks the moment she opens her suitcase. Victoria”s scent clings to every piece of clothing, a cruel reminder of what”s lost, and Micaela crumbles.
She picks up her phone with a shaky hand, needing the comforting voices of her friends. ”The prodigal daughter returns,” Valeria answers, her voice edged with her typical brusqueness.
”Ela! Are you back in Madrid?” Ignacia chimes in, her voice bubbling with cheer.
Both friends” expressions shift as they catch sight of Micaela”s face on their screens—eyes swollen, nose red, the unmistakable signs of recent tears.
”Who do I need to kill?” Valeria asks, springing from the sofa and casting off her blanket as if it burns her.
”Can you come over this afternoon?” Micaela”s voice is a broken whisper, each word a struggle.
”I can be there in a couple of hours. I”ve got a meeting I can”t skip right now, but I”ll wrap up some things and head over,” Ignacia responds, her concern palpable. ”What happened?”
Micaela remains silent, afraid that speaking might unleash the flood of tears she”s barely holding back. She sniffs, trying desperately to fill her lungs and find her calm.
”Don”t worry, we”ll be there in a few hours,” Valeria assures her, her gruff tone softened by concern. Despite her often-gruff exterior, Valeria is deeply protective of her friends. She understands Micaela well and knows that sometimes she needs a moment to gather herself before she can discuss what”s troubling her.
”Yes, Ela, don”t worry. Whatever it is, we”ll figure it out together,” Ignacia adds, her voice both soothing and decisive.
Micaela just nods, her eyes still glossy with unshed tears, silently communicating her gratitude and desperation. She needs them, and thankfully, they understand.
After hanging up, Micaela sucks in a breath so massive that, if anyone were in the house with her, they”d be left gasping for air. She holds it, her chest tight, and with one swift motion, she flips her suitcase open. Gathering the clothes in her arms, she strides to the washing machine, shoving them in and slamming the door with a thud. She tosses in detergent and fabric softener, hitting the start button hard enough to echo. The machine whirs to life, obliterating every trace of Victoria from the fabric. Strangely, she doesn’t feel relieved, nor does she stress about not separating the clothes by fabric and color—a usual obsession of hers. Instead, a sharp ache lingers in her chest, clouding her thoughts.
Determined to keep busy until Valeria and Ignacia arrive, Micaela can”t just stand in the hallway with her thoughts spinning like the washer”s drum. She opens the windows wide to air out the stale, dusty scent of an unoccupied home. Dusting off the furniture quickly, she then heads to the shower. To her relief, time slips by faster than expected.
“Hello,” Ignacia is the first to greet Micaela, enveloping her in a bear hug.
“How are you?” Valeria joins them, placing a gentle kiss on Micaela’s head while the friends remain wrapped in their embrace.
“Like absolute crap,” Micaela admits with raw honesty.
“You’ll see, this will cheer you up,” Valeria says, lifting a cloth bag filled with beer and wine. “Let’s plan a murder.”
A laugh escapes Micaela, sudden and genuine. Just minutes in her friends’ presence, and her heart already beats a tad more normally.
Pulling out glasses and her favorite cup, Micaela begins to pour the drinks. She starts recounting to her eager friends how things changed, how the impossible became real. “Victoria and I... we really hit it off. We meshed so well it felt like we were a couple. We even held hands sometimes when we walked to our favorite bar in Vinuesa.”
“No way, the flexible hetero fell in love and you’re heartbroken to end it?” Valeria teases, eyebrow arched as she stretches her arm for Ignacia to pour more wine.
“It’s me who fell in love, and I got rejected.”
Ignacia chokes on her wine, spraying it across the coffee table. She has seen Micaela upset over lost concert tickets, family arguments, or that writer’s block that sent her to Vinuesa, but never shattered by love, and certainly never rejected.
“No freaking way,” Valeria exclaims, her voice a mix of shock and disbelief.
“Everyone falls in love sometime, right?” Ignacia stammers, unsure what else to say.
“The thing is, it’s not just about falling in love. It’s that Victoria showed me something different while we were together. She was affectionate, caring, always there for me. I was sure she felt the same way.”
”But she never actually said she didn”t want anything to do with you?” Ignacia”s voice softens as she probes, her eyes locked on Micaela”s.
”No need for words, her demeanor said it all. You should have seen how cold and quick her goodbye was, like she couldn”t wait to get rid of the nuisance.” Micaela”s voice breaks as she recalls the moment.
”Can someone be more heartless?” Valeria blurts out, the disgust clear in her tone. ”Okay, so she doesn”t want to continue whatever you two had going, but to act like that at the end? That”s just vile.”
Ignacia wraps her arms around Micaela as she sees her friend crumble once again. Valeria”s blunt words, though true, only deepen the sting of rejection.
”I think I”m going to give Victoria the book rights. I can”t handle everything that”s coming. The promotional tour will force us to spend a lot of time together, and I can”t face her, not after the last look she gave me before I left the publisher”s,” Micaela confesses through tears.
”What are you talking about? Don”t you dare,” Ignacia suddenly stands, her brow furrowed in disbelief. ”You know I understand. I”ve had my heart shattered more times than I can count on both hands. But to hand over your work, your dedication, to a woman who couldn”t act like an adult, who ran away like a scared little girl from a relationship? Absolutely not.”
Micaela and Valeria stare at Ignacia, their eyes wide as vinyl records.
”I don”t believe that woman doesn”t want anything to do with you,” Ignacia continues, her voice firm. ”I think she got scared. She walked into that house almost by force, had to spend time with someone she initially didn”t even like, and she left enchanted by you. She just couldn”t handle it, and her behavior was less than stellar.”
”She got smitten and acted like a total jerk,” Valeria translates, taking a proud sip of her wine.
”I don”t know, I really have no idea what to believe. It”s all so confusing,” Micaela admits, her voice laden with uncertainty.
”I think you need to rest, Ela. Let some days pass so you can look at this situation with a clearer mind. Making decisions now isn”t wise.”
”I seldom agree with you, Ignacia. But today—” Valeria fiddles with her phone, searching for some music ”—as the song goes, we”re going to have some fun. You need to clear your head, Micaela. So get up, it”s time to shake off the blues.”
Micaela sighs, feeling nothing but a desire to curl up and disappear. The idea of heartbreak is new to her, and she”s unsure how to cope. But maybe her friends are right; perhaps with time, she”ll feel better and move on as she always does. So she stands, lifting her glass of beer, silently praying the pain will fade quickly. Little does she know how wrong she is.