Veil of Deceit

Ana had started the day as usual. A cup of strong black coffee, with the exact flavor that woke her up every morning. She had checked her emails, with nothing urgent to pull her out of her comfort zone, and then tidied up her room as an automatic act. Her routines were predictable, safe, and in her world, everything aligned with the peace she desired. It was a day like any other, and as always, she felt in control of her life. But the afternoon came, and with it, a rupture that would change everything.

Nothing, not even the smallest sign, could have prepared her for what she was about to discover.

That night, after a long day at work, Ana headed to her apartment. The fatigue was noticeable in her steps, and her thoughts were already drifting toward the little everyday things waiting for her at home: dinner, a relaxing shower, maybe reading a bit before sleep. When she arrived at the door of her apartment, something strange stopped her. It was ajar. The door had always been locked by Javier, her boyfriend. Over the years, this routine had been unbreakable, a habit they both shared to feel safer. But today, that habit had been broken without warning, and something inside her warned her that it wasn't just a coincidence.

With a mix of uncertainty and a small spark of anxiety, she pushed the door open. At first, the apartment seemed calm. The soft lighting, the long shadows of the afternoon, and the muffled sound of the wind passing through the window slats. However, as she moved down the hallway, a sound caught her attention. Soft laughter, hushed murmurs. This was unusual, and her mind started to race as her steps slowed. The bad omen grew inside her like a thick fog, invading every corner of her consciousness.

She approached the bedroom cautiously, not knowing what to expect but fearing the worst. When she opened the door, it was as if the world vanished around her, leaving her suspended in the air, unable to move a muscle. There they were, Javier and Clara, her best friend, naked and entwined in bed. The scene seemed straight out of a nightmare, one Ana could never have imagined living through. She couldn't process it, couldn't understand how it had come to this point, how something so devastating could have happened in her own home, in her own refuge.

The silence was immediate, dense, unbearable. The laughter stopped, the murmurs ceased. Javier looked at her, his eyes wide open, filled with surprise and, for some reason, guilt. Clara, upon realizing her presence, instantly paled, her eyes widened, and a mix of panic and shame crossed her face. Ana stood there, paralyzed, watching the scene as the pain washed over her like a wave she couldn't stop. There was no room for explanations, no space for the "I'm sorry's" that were already starting to spill from Javier's mouth. The physical and emotional pain, all that she had never imagined feeling, hit her with a force that almost brought her to the ground.

Javier quickly jumped out of bed, as if merely being naked in front of her was a greater sin. He tried to cover himself, but he couldn't hide the guilt reflected on his face. His voice sounded trembling, empty of justification, but still, he tried to make her understand.

- "Baby!" -he shouted desperately, extending his hands toward her in an attempt to approach. But Ana stepped back, as though just being near him could contaminate her.