Her gaze was fixed, disbelieving, on the scene unfolding before her. Daniel, her fiancé—the man with whom she had planned a life together—was naked, sweaty, and tangled up with Bárbara. Her half-sister.
The world seemed to stop.
Estrella had returned earlier than expected to the luxurious penthouse she shared with Daniel Serrano. Upon arriving at the office, she noticed that the important documents she was supposed to present weren't in her briefcase. Thinking she had left them at home, she decided to go back. She never imagined that decision would shatter her soul.
She opened the front door with her key, and as soon as she crossed the threshold, she was greeted by a symphony of moans and gasps that froze her blood.
—"Oh, baby... more... don't stop..."—the female voice was a lascivious whisper, unmistakable.
—"You drive me crazy, babe"—Daniel growled between powerful thrusts, the rhythm echoing clearly.
Paralyzed in front of the slightly ajar door, Estrella not only witnessed the betrayal… but also the venom in the words spilling from the mouth of the man who claimed to love her.
—"You're so damn sexy, Bárbara..."—Daniel whispered between gasps as he pounded into her desperately—"Not like your frigid little sister. Cold. Bland. She doesn't turn me on at all."
—"Then why are you still with her?"—Bárbara purred, wrapping her legs around him.
Daniel let out a dry, bitter laugh.
—"Because I have to. My grandfather has insisted on that damn union since we were kids. 'Good for business,' he says. But if it were up to me, I'd have ended it with Estrella a long time ago. I'm tired of pretending. You actually make me feel alive."
Estrella felt her soul crack. Every word was a whip, one betrayal layered upon another. He hadn't just cheated on her physically—he had demeaned her, humiliated her, used her.
Her hands trembled. Her vision blurred from rage and grief. But she refused to collapse there. No. If she was going to burn, they would burn too.
She took a determined step forward and slammed the door open. The impact against the wall exploded like a gunshot.
—"Enjoying yourself, Daniel?!"—she shouted, her voice broken yet steady, laced with restrained fury—"What a disgusting show."
For a moment, she couldn't breathe. Her heart pounded so loudly she feared they might hear it. A bitter knot formed in her throat.
The betrayal hadn't just knocked the wind out of her—it had torn out a piece of her soul.
Daniel turned, startled, sweat still glistening on his forehead, his breath uneven. Bárbara clutched the sheets, feigning a modesty she never had.
—"Estrella! I... this isn't what it looks like"—Daniel stammered, desperately searching for a non-existent excuse.
—"Isn't it? What is it then? A dress rehearsal for a play?"—she snapped with biting sarcasm—"I saw you, Daniel. I saw you come inside my sister. Bárbara! Or should I say the snake my father raised out of pity?"
—"Don't start with your drama!"—Bárbara spat, rising shamelessly from the bed with only a sheet wrapped around her—"Don't look at me like you're some saint. Always so perfect, so entitled... even with the men. But Daniel was never yours, Estrella. Never."
—"Shut up"—Estrella muttered, shaking with rage—"You have no idea what he meant to me. You're a traitor. My own blood!"
Daniel stepped forward, suddenly remorseful, hands raised as if that could stop the storm he had unleashed.
—"Estrella, I swear it was a mistake. I was confused... it was a moment of weakness..."
She stepped back, nauseated just by looking at him.
—"Don't touch me. A moment of weakness? For how long? Because that didn't look like a first-time thing. How many times, Daniel? How many times did you lie to me, sleep next to me after rolling around with her?"
The silence that followed was all the confirmation she needed.
Estrella took a deep breath. The pain pulsed within her, but she wouldn't let them destroy her. Not in front of them.
—"I don't want to see you again. Not you"—she glared at Bárbara—"and not you"—she snapped at Daniel—"It's over."
She turned away, proud and shattered, while tears fell without permission. But not once did she look back.