Chapter 1
Veronica smiled as she rode the elevator to the apartment where she lived. Against all odds, she was able to leave work early and get home before her usual time. She lowered her head, took a brief look at the bag in her hand, and clenched her hand into a fist with excitement. There, she carried the gift she had bought for her boyfriend. That day they were on their anniversary—two years as a couple, one year living together. Since she could not make a reservation at one of the restaurants Gustavo liked so much, she decided to prepare her favorite meal. She wanted to show him how much she enjoyed being with him, although the celebration would be simple.
When the elevator doors opened, and she arrived in front of her apartment, she arranged the bags in such a way in her arms, that they did not bother her to open the door very slowly. She did not wish to reveal her presence so soon; she wanted to surprise her boyfriend. However, when the door was fully opened, she was the surprised one. On the sofa in the living room, Gustavo was naked while having intimate relations with another person.
Veronica’s mind went blank for a few seconds; she could not process the scene in front of her eyes. The man with whom she shared her life, who made her promises of love daily, was cheating on her with another woman in her own home. From momentary paralysis, she went to anger in a matter of seconds. She wanted to hit them both for the damage they were doing to her.
A blow to her chest made her react. She closed her gaping mouth and went all out against the infidel. Against the one who owed her respect and was ending the relationship.
“You bastard, in my own house, not even because it’s our anniversary, you couldn’t stop yourself from defiling the place where I live!” Veronica exclaimed when she reached him and started hitting him with one of the bags.
The surprise of being discovered was reflected in the looks of the two lovers. They stood motionless on top of each other without knowing what to do. However, Gustavo pulled himself together quickly, stood up, and grabbed Veronica by the arms to stop her from continuing to hit him. Then he pushed her away and began to look for the clothes he had lying on the floor, putting them on slowly as if they were alone. That made Veronica angrier; she wanted to kick him to get him to cover his body as soon as possible. The woman who accompanied him dressed silently and left the apartment almost running, closing the door with a loud bang that made the woman who remained inside jump imperceptibly.
“Is that the neighbor on the sixth floor?” Veronica asked, astonished, still looking at the closed door, “How many have you cheated on me with?” Then she thought it over; it was something she didn’t want to know, so she asked him not to answer.
Gustavo ran his hand over the back of his neck and sighed with annoyance. Not only had he been interrupted when he was getting more pleasure, but now he had an angry woman in front of him.
“It’s the first time with her,” he said without emotion in his voice.
“First time with her, do I have to thank you?” she asked wryly.
He snorted as if she were just talking nonsense. A few seconds later, he asked her why she was home so early; she never left work until her working hours were over. He cringed when she replied that she wanted to surprise him for their anniversary. Gustavo had forgotten; otherwise, the date with the neighbor would have been another day, and he would have saved himself so much trouble. After seeing himself discovered in that too, he preferred to attack.
“You caused this,” he said, blaming her, “you spend too much time at work, and you don’t give me time. You don’t take care of me as I deserve. I am a young man with desires that must be satisfied.”
“Excuse me if I have to work to earn money to live,” she said. “You are unfaithful and shameless; are you really blaming me? If you wanted more intimacy, you only had to ask for it, but no, it was better to be with other women.”
Gustavo gave her a look full of irritation, which made Veronica laugh. The man was serious when he blamed her. It was something unusual, but it was happening. She had gone from being the victim to being the victimizer.
She couldn’t believe how blind she had been to him; she thought the feelings she felt were reciprocal, but she was mistaken; someone who loved you couldn’t act the way he was acting. He didn’t even ask her for an apology; the betrayal for him hadn’t happened; if she was careless, she was the one who would have to ask for forgiveness.
“I want you to pack all your things and leave my house right now.” She demanded.
“You’re not serious; you love me; let’s solve this like adults,” he answered with a smile on his lips.
“You’re crazy if you think I’m going to forgive you, that you cheated on me with every woman you could get your hands on. I want you out of my house in less than an hour.” His brazenness continued to surprise her; in front of her was not the man she thought she knew.
She pushed him away when he tried to pull her close to his body for a hug. Then he wanted to kiss her, and she slapped him. He had no boundaries.
She decided she wouldn’t give him a chance; she had already given him a chance when they started a relationship and took him to live at her house. He had failed; she wouldn’t wait for him to fail again.
“Don’t be silly, Veronica; it was a little slip; you’re giving it too much importance—more than it carries,” he insisted.
“Don’t be cynical, Gustavo; get out of my house before I get much angrier. I feel like hitting you every time I see your face.”
It took Veronica a little time because he resisted, but she managed to get out of the cheater who had cheated on her for two years. She would no longer see his silly face.
“I’ll come back for you,” he announced.
“I don’t want to see you here anymore, so don’t ever try to come back,” she growled.
After Gustavo left, she cleaned the apartment as if there were a plague inside it. She wanted to clean every trace in the living room, and make sure the room was clean in case he had used it before she arrived. Keeping busy didn’t give her time to think about her ex, or that she had gone from wanting to celebrate to being a single woman.
She was just getting out of the shower, her body still wet, when she received a message from her supervisor at the company she worked for. The man was asking her to deliver a project she had been given very recently. He was asking for an almost impossible task. She replied to the message, asking for at least three more days; however, her request was rejected; she had until Monday and could not delay any longer.
That job is urgent; we need it without fail; don’t make us look bad, Gardener. Under the order, Veronica read the threat that her job was in danger if she did not do what they demanded.
The tiredness of the day and the sadness she felt, got the better of her. She needed to forget for a while what was happening in her life. However, she did not want to be there alone, lamenting the failure that had been her love affair. She took clothes from the closet and left the apartment. She entered the first bar she saw. Inside the place, there was a good atmosphere, but as she would rather not be bothered by anyone, she sat down in a corner of the bar. After the first drink, the others came almost one after the other, and she drank non-stop until she forgot her problems.
She was waiting for a drink she had ordered, when she felt someone talking next to her. She turned her head and found a very handsome man looking at her with a flirtatious smile. She wanted to ignore him, to pretend she hadn’t seen him, but he was very insistent; he wouldn’t let her ignore him. When she realized it, they were already talking as if they were old friends.
“That man is an idiot if he lets you escape. You are beautiful, fantastic, and funny. The one who lost was him, not you,” her new friend told her, his voice affected by the alcohol. “You deserve better, at your level.”
“I need a man who doesn’t want to have sex with every tenant in the building where I live,” she said, supporting his words, “and I’m going to get him, I’m sure.”
“If your ex bothers you, call me, and I’ll kick him out of your house,” William promised.
“Let him roll down the stairs with every kick you give him; no going down the elevator,” she asked.
“Of course, she deserves no finesse from us,” he replied.
Veronica started to laugh, with the characteristic laugh of a drunk, to imagine Gustavo on the floor while William defended her. It was very funny to her, or so it seemed to her, because of the level of alcohol she had in her blood. Her new friend joined her with a laugh.
William watched his new friend, and even though he was drunk, he was deeply attracted to Veronica; she was very attractive. She was close to what he was looking for in a wife. An idea germinated in his mind, and took root. Without stopping to think about it so much, he asked her:
“Will you marry me?”
