Aurelia grew up without much love from her mother, and she never thought her real dad would ever come into her life. But then, he did. Now, she wonders if it's too late for him to rescue her from the darkness her parents left her in, or if there's s...
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"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset Ramón. We can give Storm back and—"
Before I could finish, Cristián interrupted me sharply.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," he growled, his voice tight with frustration. "You'll have nothing to worry about. Ramón... he had a dog who passed away a few years ago."
"I didn't know..." I whispered, glancing down at Storm, who was now curled up peacefully, oblivious to the tension.
Cristián sighed, his tone softening slightly as he ran a hand through his hair. "It's not your fault. Ramón's just... still dealing with it. Storm probably reminded him of what he lost."
I nodded slowly, a feeling of suspicion creeping over me. Something told me he wasn't being entirely truthful, but I wasn't about to question him, at least not now.
"So, what do you want to do tomorrow?" Fernando asked, breaking the silence.
"I want to spend time with Storm," I replied, my voice soft but firm.
Lorenzo snorted, looking at me with a serious expression. "Okay, that's like the most boring thing I've ever heard."
I rolled my eyes. "Well, it's what I want to do."
"I have to agree with Lorenzo," Cristián added unexpectedly, catching me off guard. "Spending time with a dog all day? Really?"
"Leave your sister alone," Santiago chimed in, shooting them both a warning look.
"No, let's do something fun tomorrow," Lorenzo whined, clearly not ready to let the topic drop.
I hesitated, feeling a little outnumbered. "Okay..." I muttered reluctantly.
"Great! How about we have a family game night instead? Everyone can order their favorite food, and we'll make a whole evening of it," Lorenzo suggested with a grin, clearly pleased with himself.
A family game night. The idea hung in the air for a moment, heavy with unspoken feelings. The problem was, I wasn't really a part of this family—not truly. No matter how much time I spent with them, I couldn't shake the sense of not belonging, like I was on the outside, looking in.
"Sure, I guess," I said, forcing a smile, though inside, the familiar ache of isolation tightened in my chest.
Lorenzo, oblivious to my inner conflict, clapped his hands together. "Perfect! It's settled then. Family game night it is!"
The others began chatting about what games to play, debating between cards, board games, or something more competitive. As they laughed and planned, I found my gaze drifting toward the window, where the sky was slowly fading into twilight. I thought of Storm, the only being that made me feel truly at peace. Maybe tomorrow I could still sneak in some time with him before the chaos of the evening began.
