At those words, the woman shook her head.
-I’m the only one staying in this room at the moment. You must have found the wrong one.
Ariana pretended to look at her phone as she slapped her forehead.
-God, it was me who found the wrong hospital. I’m sorry to have bothered you.
-It’s okay.
The woman shook her head, seeming to be in a good mood.
The corners of Ariana’s lips curved into a smile and dropped the moment she turned away.
“This is the kind of woman Santiago would like!”
Her face was tense, and she felt the air around her so heavy that it was hard to even breathe, so she walked quickly until she was situated not far from the room, in a suitable place to hide.
After a while, she saw a man with a lunch box hurry past her, heading for the door of that room. She pushed open the door and entered naturally.
When he closed the door, Ariana clearly saw the soft smile on his face, a smile that normally pleased her, but that now hurt her.
That man was the same Santiago, the one who had just had a video call with her the night before, saying he loved her and wouldn’t be able to sleep without her.
Ariana took a deep breath and assimilated that scene. The funny thing was that she kept making excuses to Santiago.
After all, she hadn’t caught Santiago cheating on her, nor had she witnessed them being intimate together.
It was true that Santiago had a friendly persona, and it made sense that she would take care of her friend.
-Friend?
Ariana tugged at the corner of her mouth with a bitter smile.
Inside the room, the bandaged woman saw Santiago enter with a sweet smile on his face.
-You finally came. I was starving.
Santiago looked at the door and said to her:
-Did someone just come in? I saw that the door was not closed.
The woman froze for a moment and nodded.
-I didn’t expect you to be so attentive. Someone did come in. It was a very pretty woman who had gone to the wrong room.
Santiago didn’t think much of it, nodded and opened the lunch box in his hand, handing it to her.
-Eat it. It must still be hot.
The woman hurried to take it. When she noticed the food inside, the smile on her face grew even bigger.
-It’s been so long. I didn’t expect you to remember what I like to eat.
A trace of nostalgia shone in Santiago’s eyes.
-When you were in school, you only ate this every morning. Of course I remember.
Hearing this, the woman’s eyes lit up for a moment and she lowered her head blushing, taking small bites of the rice.
When she finished eating, Santiago put the things away and said to her:
-Your family should be here soon. I have something to do later, so I won’t be back.
Just as he was about to leave, the woman suddenly stood up and grabbed Santiago’s sleeve tightly. Her face was pale and she looked at him with teary eyes.
-Santiago, this time I came to Sogen City just to meet you. I want to be with you again!
The woman, also known as Natalia, was Santiago’s first girlfriend in college. The two started dating in their third year, stayed together for two years and broke up because they graduated and went to different cities.
Santiago frowned.
-We’ve been apart for a long time?
-Yes, I know. We broke up a long time ago, but we don’t have any conflicts. After I graduated from college, I went back to work in my hometown. But for many years, I’ve been regretting not staying in Sogen City with you.
Natalia pursed her lips, her eyes full of regret.
-“It’s been several years and I’ve been thinking about you every moment, wanting to be with you again. It was only recently that I decided to leave everything to come and look for you. It was also because I kept thinking about you that I didn’t pay attention and had a car accident…. -he said, taking a deep breath and looking at Santiago with red eyes.
-Can you give me a chance? For the fact that I left everything behind to come to you from thousands of miles away, can you give me a chance?
Santiago was tugged by the sleeve. He met her slightly red eyes, looked at her nervous, trembling lips, and couldn’t refuse.
He was about to speak when suddenly Ariana’s cold, clear eyes flashed through his mind and he came to himself.
-I’m sorry. I have a girlfriend now and I don’t want to let her down.
Natalia froze for a moment and her fingers gently loosened.
-Do you have a girlfriend? I can’t believe I didn’t know.
She laughed bitterly twice.
Santiago pulled his hand away and looked at the girl who was his first love. He couldn’t bear to see her pain, but he still spoke to her clearly.
-After I separated from you, I had quite a few girlfriends. And you, you’re the only one who’s still stuck in the same place. So don’t miss me either, find someone to start a new relationship and a new life properly.
Natalia bit her lower lip hard. When he was about to leave, she asked him:
-Do you like your current girlfriend?
Santiago paused for a moment, turned his head to look at her and nodded firmly.
-Yes.
-Do you love her more than me back then? -she asked again.
Santiago paused for a long moment before nodding slowly.
-Yes, I want to marry her.
Natalia laughed as tears slid down her face.
-All right.
When Santiago thought she was going to give up and could go home, he didn’t expect to hear her say:
-I’ve quit my job and plan to stay in Sogen City. Even though I can’t be your girlfriend, can we still be friends?
Santiago had already turned her down once and, seeing her nervous eyes, he nodded and turned to leave.
After he left, Natalia sat on the hospital bed. Suddenly thinking of something, she picked up her phone and searched for Santiago’s Whatsapp Moments.
There was nothing.
She paused for a moment, then remembered the other social networking apps Santiago used to use when they were together. After going through several of them, she finally saw a photo posted by Santiago on one of them.
The wording was “I love you.”
It was accompanied by a picture of a girl drawing on a drawing board.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, the white curtains were blowing and the girl’s long hair was floating in the wind. All was quiet as time passed.
Natalia enlarged the photo and stared with narrowed eyes at the girl in the picture, which showed only a small part of her face.
-Why does this face look so familiar? -he muttered under his breath.
She had a feeling that she had seen her somewhere, or recently, and had been impressed, but she couldn’t remember.
It wasn’t until someone knocked on the bedroom door that her eyes snapped open.
That girl in the picture came to mind, the same girl who had just said she had the wrong hospital.
Natalia was stunned when the nurse came in and helped her change her medication. She kept thinking about that incident.
“Why did that girl come to my door? Did she find out something and suspect Santiago, so she wanted to inquire?”
After Natalia noticed, she smiled. It seemed that Santiago’s girlfriend had no confidence in him.
It was also true that after Santiago broke up with her, he had several girlfriends, with whom he dated for a very short time. His girlfriend must now be feeling very insecure.
It was the perfect time for her to come to Sogen City.
Natalia touched the wound at the corner of her forehead and smiled with unusual gentleness.
Santiago had taken care of her all night without changing clothes, so she didn’t think he didn’t have feelings for her. Even if he still liked his girlfriend, Natalia was convinced that she would be able to win Santiago’s heart back.
***
Santiago’s heart fluttered all the way. Ariana’s and Natalia’s faces intertwined in his mind, and it was Ariana who finally stayed in his head.
He had liked Natalia, who was his first official girlfriend and the one he dated the longest.
But that feeling was long gone. And the first time he saw Ariana, he was stunned, and his liking for her was real and very strongly manifested.
Santiago shook the distractions from his mind, rubbed his tired eyes and headed for Albina’s house.
Ariana had left the hospital before him and was now standing in front of the Espina family home.
Thinking about what had happened at the hospital, she stood mute at the door.
Macos opened the door and almost bumped into her, startled.
-Ariana, what are you doing at the door? Why don’t you come in?
As soon as Ariana looked at him, Macos’ voice caught in his throat.
Then he carefully crouched down to match her height and approached her, cautiously asking, -Who bullied you?
Ariana’s eyes were red and watery, softening her indifference and making her look delicate. Macos felt his heart was torn just looking at her.
“He went out early in the morning and came back with red eyes. Something must have happened to him outside.”
-Tell me. I will take revenge for you.
Hearing that, Ariana’s nose soured even more and tears fell one by one.