Episode 1

The clinking of glasses mingles with the laughter and murmur of the restaurant. We're all gathered around the table, our voices competing with the soft background music, but nothing can dim the glow that emanates from Katy. She smiles from ear to ear, almost trembling with excitement as she raises her hand and lets the light catch the ring she just showed us.

"Oh my God, Katy, it's gorgeous!" Ana exclaims, bringing her hands to her face as if she had seen a museum jewel.

I smile too, my cheeks burning with pure excitement. The ring shines, yes, but what catches me is not the stone itself, but what it means. A promise, a future, a dream come true. Katy speaks breathlessly, telling us every detail of how Daniel knelt in the middle of the park, in front of the fountain that was always his favorite place, and I feel my heart beat to the same rhythm as hers as she recreates the scene.

"I couldn't stop crying," she says, laughing, while fiddling with the ring.

We all laugh, excited, and at that moment I find myself wondering what it would be like if I were the one showing off a ring.

I take a deep breath. The idea shakes me strongly, but it's not foreign to me. In fact, I've been thinking about it for weeks. I'm twenty-seven years old, I have a good job as a graphic designer in a company that inspires and challenges me, and next to me... is Stefan. The man I chose, with whom I have shared three years of my life and whom I still look at with the same fascination as the first time I saw him.

I remember that day as if it were a scene painted in oil: the gallery was full of modern paintings, intense colors and dramatic shadows, but everything disappeared when I saw him. So proper, polite, with a warm smile and a deep voice that seemed to want to wrap you in confidence. He spoke to me of art, of travel, of dreams, and he did it with such sweet detail — tucking a strand of hair behind my ear when it came loose while I leaned over to observe a painting — that I had no choice but to melt hopelessly.

What started with shy glances and long conversations ended, months later, in the most beautiful relationship I've ever had. Three years together, three years of details, of unexpected flowers, of notes in my purse with phrases that I still keep as treasures. He's handsome, yes, but what really made me fall in love was the way he made me feel unique, as if I were the most important thing in his world.

Now that we have both finished our studies, that he has joined his father's company and I have taken a great professional step, I feel that nothing stands in the way of the next great chapter of our lives. I'm dying to start a new life with him, to take our love to the next level.

"Maybe so, right Emma?" Laura says, nudging me. "You'll be next, right?"

I laugh, but my chest fills with a warmth that betrays me. What if she's right?

Because in the last few weeks I've noticed Stefan... strange. More quiet, more distant, as if he were hiding something. I've been worried ever since, but now, listening to Katy, everything makes another kind of sense. Maybe he's plotting a surprise, maybe something as big as a ring hidden in a small velvet box.

I glance at my phone, resting next to the wine glass. The screen remains off, with no messages or calls, and a pang of unease runs through me. He hasn't called or responded to anything since yesterday, which is rare for him.

I leave him another short message, almost casual, just to see if he's okay.

When I look up again, Katy is still talking about the preparations, how they told their parents, how happy she is. I smile too, and while I discreetly caress the cold surface of my glass, I think that maybe Stefan is, at this very moment, looking for a ring.

The idea gives me a sweet shiver, one of those that runs down the back like a secret too big to keep. I look at my cell phone again, smile to myself and leave it aside. Now I want to focus even more on what my friend is saying. After all, this could be the prelude to my own story.

The night feels warm when I close the door of my apartment and I still have the smile painted on my lips from the meeting with my friends; Katy's happiness is contagious and I keep imagining what it would be like if one day I were the one showing off a ring on my finger. I leave my purse on the table, take off my heels and, before I even change clothes, I check my cell phone. Nothing.

I sigh. I've been trying to talk to Stefan all day, and the silence is starting to make me uncomfortable. I dial again, convinced that this time he will answer. The ringing sounds... and then I hear his voice.

"Hello."

I stand motionless, relieved. "Finally! Are you okay? You had me worried, Stefan."

"Yes... I was busy." His voice sounds tired, as if he had been running with a thousand things on his mind all day. "My father returned to the country."

My eyes widen and a huge smile spreads across my face. "Really? That's wonderful! So... will I finally get to meet him?"

I have wanted that moment for a long time. In three years of relationship I never had the opportunity to see his father, he was always traveling and absent. I want to welcome him properly, let him know how important his son is to me.

"Stefan..." I say excitedly before he can say anything. "If your father is okay with it, I could prepare a dinner here, in my house. The three of us together. What do you say?"

Silence. I can barely hear his breathing on the other end of the line. Finally he responds with the same heaviness:

"I'll see you tonight at eight."

Nothing more. No emotion, no reproaches, no details. I stay with the phone glued to my ear even after he hangs up, but my heart is beating hard and anxiously, as if to overthink his curt attitude. Maybe he's exhausted, I think, maybe his mind is on a thousand things right now and it's better not to bother him. What matters now is that in a few hours I could be having dinner with the most important man in his life.

And I want everything to be perfect.

I get to work. I tidy up the apartment until every corner shines, place candles and prepare a menu that makes me feel proud. I cook as if each dish were a declaration of love, imagining the smiles I will see later, the approval of Stefan's father, the sparkle in my boyfriend's eyes as he feels proud.

When I get ready, I carefully choose an elegant but sober champagne-colored dress. Nothing tight, covered down to below the knees and with long sleeves. Stefan likes me to wear these kinds of outfits. I put on just the right amount of makeup and keep my hair tied back quite simply. I want my first impression to speak of respect, warmth and love.

The clock strikes five past eight when I hear the door open. It's Stefan. He has the key I gave him months ago and enters without announcing himself, as he always does. I leave my room and my heart skips a beat.

"Hello, love." I approach him and, as usual, try to kiss him.

But he turns his face and avoids it.

I stand paralyzed, with the kiss suspended in the air. My gaze shifts to the door, hoping to see someone else behind him.

"Where's your father?" I ask, still smiling.

Stefan looks at me expressionlessly.

"He's not coming."

I feel something break in my chest.

"What do you mean he's not coming? Why?"

He takes a deep, heavy breath.

"Because he's not... and I'm not staying either."

I frown, confused. I look at the immaculate table, the hot dishes, the lit candles. Everything becomes unreal to me.

"I don't understand," I whisper. "What do you mean? It's Friday, you always stay for the weekend."

Stefan runs a hand through his hair and fixes his eyes on me coldly. "I've come for two things. The first is that someone will come tomorrow to pick up the things I have in this place and the second..." He stops for a second, and at that moment I feel that I'm running out of air. "Is to tell you that I don't want to continue with this relationship anymore. I don't want to be with you anymore."

I freeze, unable to react. The sound of the candles crackling on the table is the only thing that reminds me that the world keeps turning.

"What?" The word breaks in my throat. "Are you... breaking up with me?"

He nods, without blinking.

Rage rises like fire.

"Tell me why! I deserve an explanation, Stefan!"

His lips curve into a bitter grimace.

"I got bored of you," is all he says.

Without a caress, without a kiss, without a single look of regret, he turns around and leaves, leaving me alone, standing in front of a table that now seems like a cruel monument to my illusions.

And I collapse in silence, sure that everything I thought was stable has just crumbled in the blink of an eye.

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