Sunny arrived at Abuela's just as the afternoon light filtered through the old iron gates, warm and familiar.
She was already rehearsing what she'd say when she saw Sofia—some teasing comment, maybe a hug tight enough to make the little girl squeal—when she collided with someone solid.
"Oh—Chef— I mean— I'm so sorry, I didn't see you," Sunny blurted, her words tangling as she stepped back.
Alejandra stood before her, still, composed, watching as Sunny's fingers fidgeted nervously at her sides.
Nothing about Alejandra had changed, and yet everything felt different.
Her hair was pulled back neatly, her posture sharp, her presence commanding without effort.
"You look good," Alejandra said simply.
The words hit Sunny harder than she expected. Her mind stuttered, as if it had forgotten how to function.
"Th… thank you," she managed, her voice barely steady.
Before the silence could stretch any further, Xavier stepped into view beside Alejandra.
Tall, well-dressed, wearing a polite smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"You must be the former employee Mariana talked about," he said smoothly.
Sunny let out a small, awkward chuckle, grateful for the interruption—until a familiar voice cut through the tension.
"Mama bear! You came!"
Sofia launched herself at Sunny with full force, knocking them both to the ground in a tangle of laughter.
"Hey, hey—slow down," Sunny laughed, wrapping her arms around the child. "You'll hurt yourself."
Sofia pulled back just enough to study her face. "Where's Papa?"
"She's waiting at home," Sunny said as she stood, brushing herself off.
Sofia's attention shifted, her curious eyes landing on Alejandra. She tilted her head thoughtfully.
"You must be the grumpy princess Abuela always talks about," Sofia announced.
Sunny's heart skipped. "Baby bear—where are your manners?"
"Mama bear," Sofia insisted, grabbing Sunny's hand, "let's go home before Abuela changes her mind."
She tugged Sunny toward the stairs, her small strength surprisingly determined.
Halfway down, Sunny glanced back.
Alejandra was still standing there, watching her—really watching her—with an intensity that made Sunny's chest ache.
She hadn't meant to forget Alejandra. Life had simply… happened. Olivia, routines, stability.
But seeing her now made Sunny's heart stutter, memories pressing in where she'd buried them.
By the time Sunny buckled Sofia into her seat, her hands were shaking.
She told herself it was nothing—just the rush of the afternoon, the near-collision, the surprise of seeing a face she hadn't prepared herself for.
But the lie fell apart the moment the car door shut and the world went quiet.
Alejandra Castello.
Sunny rested her forehead against the steering wheel for a brief second, eyes closed.
She hadn't thought about her in months. Not deliberately.
Life had a way of demanding attention—school runs, work deadlines, dinners that needed cooking, Olivia's steady presence filling the spaces where chaos used to live. Safe. Predictable.
And yet one look from Alejandra had undone her.
"You okay, Mama bear?" Sofia asked from the back seat, her voice small and concerned.
Sunny forced a smile as she straightened. "Yeah, baby. Just tired."
The engine came to life, but Sunny barely noticed the drive home.
Her mind replayed the moment again and again—the way Alejandra had looked at her, the quiet weight behind you look good, the way her gaze lingered like she had something to say but didn't trust herself to speak.
Sunny's chest tightened.
She hadn't forgotten Alejandra because she didn't care.
She'd forgotten her because remembering hurt.
That night, Sunny showered, changed, tucked Sofia in, went through the motions like muscle memory was carrying her where her mind couldn't. She walked to the kitchen.
She thought pretending everything was fine would help her forget.
Sunny pressed her palms against the counter, breath shallow.
She remembered Alejandra's hands—strong, steady, the way they had once held her like she might slip away if loosened even slightly.
The kisses they'd shared months ago surged back uninvited, vivid enough to make her skin prickle.
She swallowed hard. She had told herself that the kiss had been a mistake.
A moment born from confusion and unresolved history.
Something easier to bury than to understand.
But Alejandra's eyes today had said otherwise.
Later, lying in bed, Sunny stared at the ceiling, listening to the low hum of the ac. Sleep refused to come, she's torn between two ladies.
Had she really moved on? Or had she simply chosen the easier road?
Sunny turned onto her side, clutching the pillow to her chest, her heart aching with a truth she hadn't allowed herself to name.
Alejandra hadn't just looked at her.
She had looked at her like she still mattered.
And that—more than anything—terrified Sunny.
Sunny tossed and turned on the bed unable to sleep.
By the time she sat across from Melissa in the dim kitchen, a mug of untouched tea between them, the adrenaline had finally drained—leaving her raw, exposed.
Melissa didn't rush her. She never did.
"Start from the beginning," she said gently.
Sunny wrapped her hands around the mug, more for grounding than warmth.
"I went to Abuela's to pick up Sofia."
Her voice trembled despite her effort to keep it steady.
"I wasn't paying attention. I bumped into someone and said Chef—God, Melissa, I felt stupid immediately." She gave a small, breathless laugh that didn't carry any humor.
"Then I looked up."
Melissa's eyes softened. "Alejandra."
Sunny nodded. "She didn't say much. Just watched me. Like she was… taking me in." Her throat tightened. "Then she said it."
"Said what?"
You look good.
Sunny swallowed hard. "That was it. Just three words. But it broke me. Because it wasn't casual. It wasn't polite. It sounded like… like she'd been holding it in."
Melissa leaned back slightly, already understanding.
"I couldn't even respond properly," Sunny continued.
"My brain just—glitched. I stuttered like I'd forgotten how to speak."
She stared down into the tea. "And then he stepped in."
"Xavier," Melissa said.
"Yes." Sunny exhaled sharply.
"He smiled at me. Said I must be the former employee Mariana talked about." Her fingers curled around the mug.
"It was a nice smile. Practiced. But it didn't reach his eyes."
Melissa's jaw tightened.
"He stood too close to her," Sunny said quietly.
"Like he was staking a claim. And Alejandra didn't pull away… but she didn't lean into him either."
She looked up at Melissa then, eyes glassy.
"The way she looked at me, Mel… it wasn't nostalgia. It wasn't regret. It was like she still saw me. Like I still mattered."
Melissa was silent for a long moment.
"That's the most dangerous look there is," she said finally.
Sunny nodded. "I'd convinced myself I was a chapter she'd closed. That I was just… history. But the way she watched me walk away—" Her voice cracked.
"It undid everything."
"And Xavier?" Melissa asked carefully.
"He noticed," Sunny said without hesitation.
"I don't know how, but he did. The smile stayed on his face, but his eyes… they were sharp. Like he was measuring me."
Melissa reached across the table, squeezing Sunny's hand. "And how did you feel?"
Sunny didn't answer right away.
"Like I'd been lying to myself," she said softly. "Like I'd built a safe life and convinced myself it was the one I wanted. But one look from her and I remembered who I was before I started choosing safety over truth."
Melissa studied her, expression unreadable.
"And now?"
Sunny closed her eyes.
"Now I know avoiding her was never about moving on," she whispered. "It was about surviving the fact that she still owns a part of me."
The room fell quiet again, heavy with understanding.
Melissa finally spoke. "Sunny… people like Alejandra don't love lightly. And men like Xavier don't smile without reason."
Sunny opened her eyes, fear flickering there.
"I know," she said. "And that scares me almost as much as how badly I wanted her to say more."
"Don't fret, I'd make the bastard regret ever laying a finger on you"
Later that night, Alejandra sat across from Mrs. Smith in the quiet living room.
The familiar space offered little comfort.
"It's been a while since I last saw you," Mrs. Smith said gently.
Alejandra sank into the couch, rubbing her temples.
"How was your trip with your fiancée?"
"Don't call him that," Alejandra snapped. Then, softer, "He's just an asshole."
Mrs. Smith sighed. "You've been back less than an hour and you're already spiraling."
Alejandra dragged a hand through her hair. "I saw her today."
Mrs. Smith looked up adjusting her glasses. "Who?"
"Sunny," she said, her voice weakening. "I bumped into her. She looked… beautiful."
A pause.
"And the assignment I gave you?" Mrs. Smith asked carefully.
"She showed up at my house less than a day," Alejandra admitted.
"I kissed her. I didn't regret it." Her jaw tightened.
"I thought about her the entire trip. Every damn day. Xavier noticed—I know he did—but how do I explain that I'm craving a woman? That I want the warmth of her body, her breath on my skin? That her moan—" She cut herself off sharply.
"It's not normal."
Mrs. Smith removed her glasses, studying her closely.
"When are you going to stop denying what your heart wants?"
"I can't," Alejandra said.
"Abuela expects me to get along with Xavier. I can't afford to put her life in danger."
"Keeping everything bottled up only keeps Sunny in the dark," Mrs. Smith said.
"She has no idea how you feel."
"I was told she had moved on," Alejandra replied bitterly.
"You don't know that for certain."
"I do," Alejandra said sharply.
"Olivia called me weeks ago—she wanted my advice" Alejandra paused.
"Advice on what?" Mrs Smith asked.
"She.... had kissed Sunny for the first time. She didn't know if it was normal"
"What was your response?"
Alejandra stares at her palms.
"At first my chest tightened in disappointment but i had to let it go" Alejandra said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Then she called again last week, begging for Sunny's address."
Mrs. Smith's brows lifted. "Did you give it to her?"
"Yes," Alejandra said without hesitation.
"I didn't have a choice. If I don't have the courage to say how I feel, then at least someone who does deserves to treat her right."
"You still have a chance," Mrs. Smith said softly.
Alejandra shook her head. "Sunny deserves better. I won't destroy the peaceful life she's built."
"And you?" Mrs. Smith asked. "Where does your happy ending fit in?"
Alejandra let out a hollow laugh. "Happy endings don't exist for Castellos. Only sacrifices. I don't even know what I am anymore—"
Mrs. Smith's voice softened.
"This is the first time you've spoken about someone who wasn't Mateo."
Alejandra's eyes darkened. "I don't want her to end up like him. I watched Antonio put bullets in his head—over and over. I couldn't survive seeing Sunny hurt." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I would become a monster just to protect her."