After Antonio left, Diana slumped back into the chair, her breathing uneven. Her heart was pounding, not from excitement but from unease. She rubbed her temples, the memory of Antonio leaning in too close lingering like an unwanted shadow.
What did he expect? she thought, her frustration mounting. Antonio was charming, intelligent, and polite...everything her parents would want in a son-in-law. But he wasn't Alejandro.
Alejandro's rugged charm and magnetic pull had captured her in ways Antonio could never hope to. The thought of being with anyone else, even for appearances, felt wrong. But this wasn't just about her feelings. She was playing a dangerous game, and tonight had been a reminder of just how fragile her secret was.
As much as she wanted to run to Alejandro, she knew she couldn't. Not tonight. Not after what had happened with Antonio. She needed space to think, to figure out how to handle this growing pressure from her family and Antonio.
