Page 76 of Please, Forgive Me
Maria Gabriela, on the other hand, froze in horror. Her eyes went wide, her hands flying to her face as if that could make the situation disappear.
“Oh my God!” she yelped, bolting out of frame. “Max! Drop it! Drop it right now!”
I lost it. The laugh exploded out of me before I could even try to hold it back. I hated that it was so funny—but it was impossible not to laugh. The sight of her running around after the dog, completely panicked, while I watched helplessly from the other side of the screen—it was just too much.
“Diego, stop laughing!” she yelled, still chasing Max, while I doubled over, laughing so hard I could barely breathe.
“I’m sorry, but—” I gasped between fits of laughter, words barely forming. “This is—oh God—this is hilarious!”
After what must’ve felt like an eternity for her, she finally managed to pry the “toy” out of Max’s mouth.
When she came back into view, her face was flushed, mortified—but there was a hint of reluctant amusement in her eyes.
“Alright,” she said, catching her breath, trying to pull herself together. “Can we get back to what matters now?”
She was embarrassed, but I could tell she was laughing at herself too, even if just a little.
I finally calmed down, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye.
“Sure. But honestly… that was the highlight of my night.”
She glared at me, cheeks still pink, but then she cracked, laughing too.
“I’m never living this down…”
I watched her for a few seconds, her laughter soft and genuine.
That smile—God, that smile—it made her even more beautiful. Somehow, that ridiculous moment had brought us back to something familiar, something easy.
For a brief second, it felt like we’d gone back in time, before all the anger and pride had built walls between us.
“It’s unforgettable,” I said quietly, still smiling.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. She held my gaze, and I could almost feel that old spark flicker between us again—the one I’d spent months trying to bury.
Then she grinned, breaking the silence.
“Anyway,” she said, with a mischievous glint in her eye, “about tomorrow’s meeting…”
I nodded, forcing myself back to business, though the smile lingered.
“Let’s review the schedule, Maria Gabriela.”
CHAPTER 31
“Sometimes we need to lose ourselves to truly find ourselves in love…”
MARIA GABRIELA
I even thought that maybe my video calls with Diego would help smooth things over between us before my last month was up—but that’s not what happened.
If anything, things got worse.
The hours at the company blurred together. Working here was intense, and I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. Diego kept throwing one report after another onto my desk, with deadlines no human could possibly meet without sacrificing a few hours of sleep.
Today was no different.
“Maria Gabriela, I need you to review these contracts and finish the presentation for tomorrow morning,” he said, handing me yet another stack of papers without even looking at me.
