CHAPTER 20: FINAL HOURS

—Ahh... What time is it? said a sleepy Saval, who had just woken up, as he looked at his cell phone.

It's already 8, I better get up to go buy things for lunch, and I also have to get everything ready for the stream.

The stream...

Before, I was so excited for this day to come, to be with Semiel and Antonella live... but now I just want it to be over quickly.

I can't believe Semiel betrayed me. I noticed he was evasive and thought it was something else. I was even willing to confront Antonella for him. I thought she had something on him, and I find out they met in the cafeteria alone.

—Did they meet alone... could something else have happened?

Ashh, I need answers, but I already told Semiel yesterday that I didn't want to see him again, and what if he didn't betray me? No... I saw his look, I saw the guilt, but what burden do you carry, Semiel?

...….

Semiel ran his hand over his face before entering the broadcast. His head was still spinning from everything that had happened the night before. With Saval. With Antonella. With the truth he had hidden for too long.

But no longer.

The extension had been planned weeks ago. And although Saval had told him he didn't want to see him again, Semiel knew he would be there today. It would be the last chance he'd have to do anything. He couldn't waste it.

Yesterday I couldn't explain myself and Saval left, I lost him, but I can still fix it. I just have to wait for the extension to finish and then chase Saval and tell him everything, even about my feelings.

The important thing is that I have to stop Antonella from cheating on Saval anymore.

But first, I'm going to take advantage of the opportunity to make lunch for me and the old man, otherwise neither of us will eat. I can't fight that woman on an empty stomach. There are four hours left until the special stream.

....

An hour before the stream, Antonella looked at herself in the mirror and smiled with satisfaction. Everything was going as she'd planned, although not in the cleanest way. Still, it didn't matter; in the end, the result was the only thing that mattered.

Saval must have been a mess right now. She knew him well, knew how his mind worked. There was something charming about watching him struggle with his own emotions, trying to find logic where there was none. She had hoped he'd be more resilient, that he'd trust Semiel a little more, but no. It was even easier than she'd imagined. A few hints, a few ambiguous gestures with Semiel, and everything fell apart. Now, the good boy, the loyal one, the one who never doubted his friends, had taken a step back. And that step was all Antonella needed.

People always underestimated her, as if she were just a pretty girl with nothing more to offer. But she wasn't just any girl. She had learned a long time ago that manipulation was an art, and she was a consummate artist. Semiel, on the other hand, had been a problem. From the start, she knew she could toy with him, that there was a part of him she could never fully resist. No matter how much she adored Saval, how much she respected him, she knew he was afraid of losing her, and when you're afraid of something, it's more likely to happen to you. And she would make sure it happened.

The last conversation with him had been easier than expected. Semiel had tried to resist, but she knew exactly what to say. She knew just where to touch, how to push him over the edge. And in the end, she'd succeeded. She'd forced him to lie, had him backed into a corner until he betrayed Saval's trust. Who would have thought? The unbreakable Semiel, the perfect best friend, was now a traitor. All because of his eagerness to hide his feelings from Saval.

But Saval wasn't that easy. He was stubborn, with a nagging sense of justice and an almost unhealthy loyalty to his friends. That's why she had to destroy his trust in them first. An isolated Saval was a vulnerable Saval. And a vulnerable Saval… was someone more fun to play with.

He seemed so tender when he proposed to me, and when he thought he'd caught me off guard for that kiss—if only he knew I'd manipulated him into doing just that—he knew he wanted to give up. I won't allow that. I can't afford to lose such a fun toy.

She stepped away from the mirror, grabbing her phone. She checked the time. One hour until the extension cord. She should hurry, but really, she wasn't. She knew being late would disrupt those two's rhythm. She'd let the boys wear themselves out, let the atmosphere get awkward, before showing up as if nothing had happened. As if she wasn't the reason everything was falling apart.

Antonella smiled again.

Everything was going according to plan.