Chapter 3 In the Wolf's Den 🐺

It was exactly December twenty-ninth, and Lorelai had just turned twenty-two. She was excited; December was the month when Jonathan and his family stayed in Beluvia, and she hadn't seen him in over three years. Lorelai and Jonathan continued to see each other for a year when the Contreras family visited Beluvia.

Molly always visited her, and the two of them went out together, becoming known for their presence at all the parties and Molly's scandals. After that time, only Molly and Erick appeared.

The month was coming to an end, and no Contreras had arrived.

Lorelai couldn't wait any longer; she ran across the street towards the Contreras mansion. She knocked on the door, and one of the maids answered. She said that only the young Contreras had arrived. She didn't let the woman finish her explanation and entered, panting. She ran up the stairs. She reached one of the rooms, and the door was slightly ajar. Lorelai could only see the guest from behind. Astonished, she entered without asking for permission, sure that it was Jonathan. Lorelai hugged him from behind, surprising her beloved.

Quickly, he turned around, and she was right. It was Jonathan; she would recognize him anywhere. Lorelai wanted to surprise him, and she succeeded. Jonathan's tanned skin immediately paled.

"Lori, what are you doing here?" Jonathan felt his chest about to explode; Lorelai could touch him in a way no other woman could. He stepped away from Lorelai quickly, before he did something foolish. She was startled by Jonathan's disapproval, but before she could protest, another voice came from the bathroom.

"Jhonny, do you have another robe? This one is too wet." The husky and sensual laughter tightened Lorelai's heart.

Standing at the door, wrapped in a tiny towel, was the most elegant woman she had ever seen. She was an older woman with a sweet look and a wonderful smile, who must have been around twenty-four.

If it weren't for the situation, Lori would undoubtedly have become friends with that refined woman, but under those circumstances and with the immense pain that penetrated her soul, she couldn't be friends with anyone. For a moment, Lorelai stood still, observing every detail, measuring the vast differences between her and that refined woman who had undoubtedly shared more than a robe with Jonathan.

All those years, all she could do was think about him, that kiss, the hug, and the sweet words he had said. The woman watched Lori as if she were a strange creature in a zoo. Lorelai felt utterly humiliated; how could she compare herself to the elegant figure in Jhonny's room?

And why had he remained silent while Lori felt humiliated only by his gaze? Those words and that voice echoed painfully in Lorelai's ears; she didn't even wait for Jonathan's explanation. She ran as fast as she could, in tears. In her desperation, Lorelai was already nearing the door when Erick stopped her. They always said that opportunity made the thief, or something like that. And this occasion was perfect for winning the heart of a disillusioned girl.

"The steps of a seducer can be faithfully compared to those of a hunter. Silent, meticulous, and fatal."

"Lori, what's wrong?" Erick asked gently. "A face so beautiful shouldn't have such a sad expression."

Lorelai didn't respond, she just cried. She was so devastated that she didn't even have the strength to resist Erick's charms.

"Come, I'll ask them to bring some tea, and we can talk, and you can tell me what happened."

"No! Not here!" Lorelai protested. "I don't want to see her!"

"Who don't you want to see?" Erick asked.

"The woman in your brother's room! The half-naked woman in Jonathan's room! Who is she, Erick?"

Lori's eyes examined everything with melancholy. Erick threatened a smile but resisted. This moment of disillusionment was perfect for winning Lorelai.

"Oh, yes. The woman... She's Lindsay, Jonathan's fiancée. He didn't tell you about her? It's strange that he didn't tell you, considering how close you two are."

Lorelai felt a blow to her chest, as if nothing would ever erase that pain. All this time, she had rejected all the suitors who appeared, rejected every friend of Charles who tried to get close.

Lorelai hadn't even noticed Erick's interest in her.

"Fiancée? No, he never told me he had a fiancée. Since when is he in love? I thought he had already found love."

Erick suppressed the laugh that dared to escape.

"Oh, Lori, do you really think Jonathan took that silly game seriously? He couldn't choose a wife between two children..."

"Children? I wasn't a child!" Erick smiled at Lorelai's indignant expression.

"Well, who said you were a child? My angel, that's what Jonathan used to say. He enjoyed the attention you and Rebeka gave him. He never cared to know who had kissed him, if he had wanted to, he would have asked me."

"You know?"

"What? That Jonathan kissed you? Of course, Lorelai, and he knows too, he always knew. After all, why do you think he remained silent? He wanted to have kissed Rebeka, you know, didn't he?"

Lorelai nodded, swallowing all the words that vanished from her mind. Tears threatened to fall, but her pride wouldn't allow it.

"My little brother is very much in love; Lindsay seems to be the right girl. They dated for a while in the first year of college, but they broke up. And now they've realized they should be together. Isn't it a beautiful story?"

"Yes, of course, it's the perfect story! How foolish I am!"

Lorelai was completely shattered by the discovery. She had never loved anyone as much as she loved Jonathan, and now everything was lost.

A new feeling had taken hold of her; Lorelai called it bitterness.

"We all know that a hurt woman cannot be held responsible for her actions."