Chapter 1 - When the Heart Doesn't Ask

No one wants to become "the other woman."

That's not in any fairy tale we were told as little girls. We never heard stories where the main character dreamed of loving someone who didn't belong to her, much less becoming a hidden chapter in someone else's life.

But what they don't tell you is that the heart doesn't always obey reason; falling in love, more often than not, isn't a conscious decision you make. And though many people find it absurd, though they love to say "you choose who to love," the truth is... it's not always like that.

In my case, it wasn't like that.

I didn't choose to fall in love with him... it just happened.

No warning, no permission asked.

And if I'm being completely honest with you, I'll admit I would give anything to make it so it had never happened.

Maybe... if I hadn't fallen for him, my life today would be different. Maybe my world wouldn't be so full of cracks, my heart wouldn't carry these wounds, and maybe—just maybe—I wouldn't still think about him every night like I do now...

I wouldn't still love him the way I do, despite knowing that what we had... will never be possible.

Because I know. Because I always knew.

If you want to understand a little better why I say I never wanted to fall in love with him, you'll have to come with me to the past, to a time when my world was simpler—before my story turned into the mess I now carry with me.

Before I became the woman writing these lines... a woman marked by forbidden love, by a feeling that overwhelmed her and ended up trapping her in a web of lies she never imagined weaving.

And for the curious ones already wondering,

"Who is he? What's the name of the man who stole her breath and holds her heart captive without even knowing it?"

I'll give you the simplest answer in the world: his name is Fabián.

As simple and ordinary as any other name... but for me, the most dangerous, the most addictive, the most impossible to forget.

And how would I describe him?

I could tell you to picture the most perfect Adonis your imagination can create... and that was him.

Tall, very tall—maybe around six feet, maybe more. I never cared to measure him, because every time I stood in front of him, I felt small.

His eyes were swirling honey, sweet, hypnotic, able to make you lose all sense of time with just one look.

And his lips... oh, those lips... full, tempting, the kind that beg to be kissed, bitten, devoured.

I confess, I loved biting them when we kissed, pulling them between my teeth, feeling his breath quicken beneath my mouth.

His arms were wide, strong, able to lift me up and pin me against the wall when desire overflowed.

Those arms wrapped around me, held me, reminded me that in that moment, it was just the two of us.

His chest, broad and warm, was my refuge, where I could rest my head, listening to his heartbeat with my eyes closed, wishing time would stand still.

But if we talk about his best feature, without a doubt, it was the one we don't always mention but we all know matters...

A perfect length and thickness, capable of making me lose my mind just by seeing it.

Shamelessly, I admit there was nothing more delicious than feeling him inside me, moving with a skill and intensity that made me scream his name.

God had been incredibly generous with him... I used to joke it was unfair for a man to have it all—face, body, and... well, you know.

But calm down, girl... hormones, behave.

Because yes, his body was a masterpiece.

And if you're wondering, yes, he was also that cliché of a man who wins you over with a mischievous smile.

He wasn't blond, but his light brown hair perfectly highlighted his masculine features.

He could have easily been a brother to any Greek god from a romance novel.

Everything about him seemed perfect. Seemed... and here's where the big "but" of my story comes in.

Yes... you've probably already guessed it, because in stories like mine it's almost obvious.

Everything was beautiful, exciting, addictive... until the cruel truth hit me:

Fabián had a girlfriend.

That's right... a girlfriend.

A woman I never met but whose ghost was always between us.

And that's where my beautiful fairy tale came crashing down.

All the love, all the passion, all the unspoken promises... drowned in the poison of betrayal.

Because I never wanted to love someone like that.

I never dreamed of being "the other woman."

I never wanted to live in anyone's shadow.

But by the time I realized it... it was too late.

My heart already belonged to him, my body already craved him, and my soul had already surrendered... to every caress, every word, every lie disguised as desire.

And the most ironic thing?

Even knowing we'd never have a future...

even knowing I would always be a secret story to him...

I couldn't stop loving him.

And here I am, telling you my truth.

Not so you'll judge me.

Not so you'll understand me.

Just so you'll know... sometimes the heart doesn't ask. It just feels.

And by the time you realize it... it's already too late to escape.

Because no one wants to be "the other woman"...

but some of us end up becoming one, loving in silence, suffering in the shadows...

and still... loving.