CHAPTER 24: THOUGHTS BEFORE THE MEETING

Saval lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind was a mess, tangled with contradicting thoughts, memories that no longer seemed to fit with what he believed to be true.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow they would meet at the park, and everything would be resolved. Or at least, that's what he hoped. Because right now, he didn't know what to feel, what to think, what decision to make.

His emotions were a storm, pulling him in every direction. A part of him was relieved that the subathon had gone well for his first time, but the betrayal of that kiss between Semiel and Antonella still stung. And on top of that, Antonella had accepted his confession. It was what he had always wanted, what he had dreamed about so many times. He couldn't erase what she had meant to him in the past—the times she made him feel alive, the shared glances, the conversations that made him feel special.

But at the same time, he couldn't ignore what had happened between her and Semiel. He couldn't ignore the way his best friend had looked him in the eye and told him Antonella was lying, that she was just manipulating him.

Manipulation. That word kept echoing in his mind over and over again. Dante had warned him before, but only now was he starting to accept it. Because back then, Antonella had been untouchable in his eyes. Any criticism against her had seemed ridiculous.

But now… now everything was different.

Because now, Antonella and Semiel had kissed.

That was what haunted him the most. He could understand that his relationship with Antonella had changed, that she wasn't the same person he remembered, that maybe—just maybe—she was playing with him. But what he couldn't understand, what hurt the most, was the image of Semiel and Antonella together. Even if his friend swore it wasn't his fault, even if he looked at him with that pleading gaze, silently begging him to believe, the doubt remained.

—F*ck— Saval rolled onto his side, feeling the weight of the night pressing down on him.

If tomorrow didn't bring him clarity, then he had no idea what he was going to do.

...

Antonella smiled, staring at her reflection in the mirror as she ran a brush through her hair.

The call had been a disaster and a masterpiece all at once. She had gotten exactly what she wanted—she had sown doubt, driven another wedge between Saval and Semiel. Now, all that was left was to watch the pieces fall into place.

Saval… Saval was still hesitating. He still had that naive loyalty to Semiel that irritated her to no end. But tomorrow, she would make him doubt even more. She would make him feel lost, confused. And in the end, he would choose her.

Because that was how the game worked.

She wasn't about to let such a fun little toy slip away.

And Semiel… ah, her little, annoying puppy. Always barking, always trying to protect Saval from her. As if he had any right, as if his presence was anything more than a useless interference in the story she was writing. But the fun part was watching him struggle, watching him cling to something that would inevitably slip through his fingers. It was hilarious that he thought no one had noticed how he looked at Saval.

—Oh, Semiel, did you really think no one would realize the way you looked at Saval?

Because it didn't matter how much he shouted, how hard he tried to warn Saval… in the end, everything depended on her.

And she wasn't going to let them go. Or maybe she would—but only with a relationship shattered beyond repair.

....

Semiel woke up exhausted. He hadn't slept well, barely managing to close his eyes for a couple of hours before his alarm dragged him out of his misery. He sat on the bed, letting his thoughts settle as he forced himself to wake up. He knew today was going to be difficult.

Slowly, he got out of bed, feeling the tension weighing on his shoulders. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to see Antonella's face, hear her manipulative voice, watch her smile like she was in control of everything. But he had to. Not just for Saval, but for himself. He couldn't let this continue. He couldn't let her win again.

He turned on his phone and saw the unanswered messages. None from Saval. None from Antonella. Just a couple of university notifications that didn't matter. He took a deep breath and headed to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face.

When he looked at himself in the mirror, for a moment, he didn't recognize the person staring back.

There was anger in his eyes. But also fear.

Not fear of his own words—he knew what he had to say. But fear that Saval wouldn't believe him.

Because if Saval chose Antonella… then everything Semiel had done, everything he had tried to warn him about, would have been for nothing.

He couldn't let that happen.