Chapter 44

The storm was calmer; two weeks had passed since Santiago finally signed the divorce papers. The long battle with Santiago had drained her, but when the final signatures hit the last page, it felt as if the air in her lungs had changed. She felt lighter and freer. For the first time in years, she could breathe without feeling watched, judged, or owned. Domingo had remained stuck in her life like quiet rain after a storm. He didn’t rush her, didn’t pry. He just showed up when she needed peace. She found out he was just a calm man with a slow smile and eyes that seemed to see everything without speaking too much. And slowly, without either of them meaning to, friendship turned into something deeper… something that burned softly, like candlelight in a dark room. That night, he came to pick her up from the small house he had rented for her on the hill. She’d protested at first when he offered the place… said she could find her own apartment, but he’d insisted, calling it temporary until sh