Chapter 3 The Unexpected Visit

Sebastián's parents' house, once a place of laughter and joy, was now filled with meaningless conversations, forced laughter, and furtive glances. The party, which had initially promised to be an opportunity to relax, had turned into a series of awkward interactions. The warm lights in the living room gently illuminated the faces of the guests, but the atmosphere was dense, as if something important was about to be revealed.

Ana stood at the back of the room, observing the scene. Her wine glass was only half full, and her nervous fingers twirled it between her hands. Sebastián had spent most of the night talking with his brother, Tomás, and some of the people gathering around the buffet table. However, Ana couldn't shake off the feeling of being disconnected from everything around her. Something within her had changed in the past few weeks. The mention of Gabriel, Sebastián's growing distance, the cold routine of their marriage... everything had led her into deep reflection.

Suddenly, the front door opened with a sound that cut through the background music, and in that instant, Ana felt a small shiver run down her spine. It was a subtle presence, but a penetrating one. Sebastián quickly lifted his head, his face flushing for a brief moment, though his expression remained serious, controlled. Ana watched, both fascinated and unsettled.

A tall figure, with dark, slightly tousled hair, entered the room. His presence was imposing, almost as if the air itself had recognized him. Gabriel. He was not a stranger to Ana, not at all. The last time she had seen him, time seemed to have frozen between them. Though they had exchanged no words, something in their gazes had spoken far more than any conversation could have expressed.

Gabriel moved slowly toward the center of the room, greeting some family members with a timid smile, but his eyes lingered on Sebastián for a moment before shifting toward Ana. Their eyes met briefly, and in that instant, the world around them seemed to fade away. Words were unnecessary, as if everything that had happened before this moment had left an indelible mark between them-something that neither time nor circumstance could erase.

"Gabriel?" Sebastián's voice was tenser than Ana expected. It was a mixture of surprise and something deeper, something hidden beneath his calm tone. "I didn't know you were coming..."

Gabriel smiled enigmatically, a gesture that conveyed as much mystery as familiarity. It wasn't a welcoming smile, but rather a knowing one, as if they were both aware of something the others ignored.

"I had a change of plans. I thought this would be a good occasion to... catch up," Gabriel said, his gaze scanning the faces of the guests, but always returning to Sebastián-and then to Ana.

The guests, who had mostly been scattered around the room, began to notice the strange energy that had emerged with Gabriel's arrival. A palpable tension filled the air, thickening it. Murmurs began to spread, and some smiles became stiff.

Ana, both curious and uneasy, tried not to show her discomfort. She remained near the table, feigning interest in a trivial conversation about the weather with one of Sebastián's aunts. However, her eyes couldn't help but follow Gabriel's movements. It wasn't just his presence that unsettled her; it was the way he carried himself, the way he looked at Sebastián, that she couldn't stop analyzing. What had happened between them?

Before long, Gabriel approached Ana, leaving the others behind. His gaze was direct, almost disarming. His eyes, as intense as she remembered, looked at her with a mix of recognition and something deeper-something Ana couldn't fully decipher.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Gabriel said, his voice deep but soft, as if he was waiting for Ana to remember him completely.

Ana, feeling a slight chill, nodded slowly.

"Yes... a long time," she murmured, unable to articulate more. Her mind was filled with unanswered questions, and Gabriel's closeness only made everything more confusing.

But before she could process her thoughts, an unexpected comment from Sebastián's aunt cut through the tense air. She approached Gabriel with a somewhat mischievous smile, as if she knew him very well.

"Oh, Gabriel, you've always been like family, haven't you? You and Sebastián got along so well. I can't believe how much time has passed since those days when you two... well, you knew everything about Sebastián-not just as a friend..." The aunt spoke without much thought, unaware of the immediate shift in the room's energy.

A brief silence settled in the room. All eyes turned to Gabriel and Sebastián, who exchanged a significant look. Sebastián, who had maintained his composure until that moment, pressed his lips together, his expression hardening.

Gabriel smiled with a hint of cynicism but said nothing in response. He merely raised the wine glass in his hands and lifted it slightly in Sebastián's direction.

"Those were different times," Gabriel said, hinting that there was much more behind that statement than met the eye.

Ana watched the interaction, her mind racing with questions. What did those words mean? What kind of friendship-or something more-had Gabriel shared with Sebastián? And why was there such a loaded gaze between them?

The guests continued their conversations, but the atmosphere had changed irreversibly. The tension was thick in the air, and Ana couldn't help but feel trapped in a web of secrets she wasn't even sure she wanted to untangle.

However, one thing was clear: Gabriel was not just a friend from the past. And Sebastián, despite his efforts to maintain a facade of normalcy, could not hide what he truly felt.

The night went on, but for Ana, the weight of the unspoken, the hidden, the unrevealed, surrounded her like a shadow she couldn't shake off