Diana left her parents' house furious, disappointed, hurt, and sad. She said to herself, "How is it possible that the people who should protect me and look out for my well-being are the same ones who are now asking me to practically sacrifice my life to marry Roberto Zarco?"

It's inconceivable, she thought as large tears ran down her cheeks without knowing what to think or do. Her head was a mess. On the one hand, there was her family, which had always been the most valuable thing she had, and she knew that family is there to help each other in good times and bad.

With a grimace of pain, she wiped her face with the back of her hand, while saying in an almost audible tone, "It seems that my family only remembers me when things are bad. They rarely take me into account for important matters, but as soon as there's a problem, then they remember their daughter Diana," she said in an ironic tone.

"And what hurts me the most is that I'm a fool who always ends up sacrificing everything for the well-being of my family. But not today. I refuse. I refuse to marry Roberto. He's a womanizer of the worst kind."

"It's true that we were dating for a year. Our relationship began when I turned 18. I've known him for many years, and he had always pursued me. However, I knew him very well and knew what he was like, that's why I had never accepted him. However, after so much insistence and swearing that he would change, I ended up agreeing to be his girlfriend.

"At first, everything was honey and roses. He was cute, attentive, and I thought I was really the only one. But time made me realize that I was the only one, but the only fool who believed in him. He was only pretending to have changed, because little by little I began to realize that he was cheating on me. If it wasn't with one, it was with another, and I foolishly let it go. At first, everything he did hurt, but then, while he was doing it again and again, I think I stopped caring, and I really didn't care anymore what he did or who he was with."

"After that, when I turned 19, I definitely ended it. I was no longer interested in any kind of relationship with him."

"That day he was furious, he refused to end our relationship, he begged me, asked me for another chance. He swore that this time he would change, but it was in vain, he couldn't convince me, and he had no choice but to accept that our relationship was over.

"And today, a year after my relationship with him, my parents call me to come home, and I enthusiastically ask for permission at work to go, even though it's a bit far away. It doesn't matter to me. It's the first time my mother has asked me to come home. I rent a room from a lovely older lady, and that's where I spend most of my time. I only go home every now and then."

"And when I do go, I think everyone gets annoyed. I've always had a difficult personality, and that's why I think I don't get along very well with my parents. They almost always compare me to my sister Paola. She's older than me, and she has a docile and helpful personality."

"I'm more rebellious and determined, although the most important thing for me is family, and whenever they've needed my help, I'm there, willing to do anything to help."

"However, now I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. I know my father is in big financial trouble, and that's why he wants me to marry Roberto. He offered to lend him the money he needs in exchange for me marrying him."

"I don't know what the hell he's thinking. I don't love him, and I would never marry a guy like him. To him, I'm just an obsession, because if he really loved me, he would have given me my place when we were dating. I think the only thing he wanted was to be with me, and since I never accepted, it still hurts him that he couldn't have me, since, as he himself says, there is no woman who can resist him."

"And I won't deny it, he is handsome. When I thought he would really change for me, I felt happy and fortunate. I even remember how stupid I was."

"But it only took me a while to really get to know him. I was naive. The only thing that makes me happy is that despite how insistent he was that we have sex, I always refused, and even more so when he tried to justify his cheating by saying that it was all my fault for not agreeing to be with him since he, as a man, had needs. Ha! He's a stupid jerk."

"I feel a great pain in my chest that suffocates me. How is it possible that my parents, even knowing how he is and how my relationship with him was, are now asking me to marry him?"

Dina cried inconsolably, and without thinking, she entered the first bar she saw. Somehow, she needed to drown that pain that wouldn't let her breathe.

She entered the bar, approached the counter, and ordered a tequila. While they served her, she settled there, waiting for her drink. After a while, she had already lost count of how many she had had.

Finally, she felt drunk enough. Her face was burning. She took some money out of her purse and left it on the counter, then left. The bartender came back with her change, but by the time he arrived, Diana had already left, and although he spoke to her, all he could see was her back as she staggered away.

Diana went outside and crossed the street without paying attention. It wasn't until she heard the screech of a car that she came to her senses, only to realize that a car had hit her. Although it was only a slight graze, Diana lost her balance and ended up sitting on the pavement.

Without caring too much, she tried to get up, but she couldn't because of the state she was in.

The man driving the car immediately got out to see what had happened. He was annoyed by how irresponsible Diana had been in crossing the street without first checking that it was safe.

When he got close, the smell of alcohol immediately filled his nose, and he realized that the girl was completely drunk.

Diana, for her part, only looked up to see him, without saying a word, she just laughed.

Her attitude caused the driver a lot of annoyance. He immediately took her by the arm to get her out of there, and clenching his jaw, he said, "Are you crazy? Don't you realize I could have killed you? You're irresponsible! You have to check the street before crossing."

Mateo Covarrubias.

Diana smiled again, touching his face, and said, "Don't be mad, handsome. If you had killed me, it would have been the best thing that ever happened to me."

But unfortunately, I'm not that lucky.

The driver felt pity for her; she was so young and beautiful. How could someone like her, with a future ahead, want to die?

Diana let her tears flow as she remembered her mother’s words.

"Diana, my daughter, how can you be so ungrateful and only think about your own well-being without caring that your father might go to jail?"

"Let me go, I need to leave." Diana impulsively tried to pull away, but the driver didn't let her move an inch; he held her hand tightly.

Diana looked up, demanding that he let her go. When she saw him, he seemed familiar, and stepping closer to him, she said, "I know you."

She tried to dig through her mind to figure out who he was, but it was impossible; the alcohol wouldn’t let her think clearly, so she didn’t persist in remembering.

"It doesn't matter who you are; you're so handsome, and you smell so good that if you want, we can spend the night together."

"Don’t say silly things, girl. Just look at yourself."

"What? What's wrong with me? Don't you like me?"

Struggling against him, she said, "It doesn’t matter. Maybe I can find someone else. I’d rather give myself to anyone than let that idiot possess my body."

Diana was so drunk that she could barely articulate her words; however, she made an effort for everything she said to be clear.

"Let me go, idiot. I need to leave now."

The driver merely frowned in disapproval of what she had said, and without thinking twice, he picked her up and placed her in the back of the car, buckling her seatbelt. Without saying a word, he climbed into the front seat and started the car.

Diana tried to get out of the car, but it was useless. At that moment, she began to curse at the driver, who patiently only watched her through the rearview mirror without losing sight of the road.

Minutes later, they arrived at a large, beautiful estate.

He got out and carried Diana, slinging her over his shoulder and taking her inside. Diana hit his back, urging him to set her down.

As soon as he did, Diana approached him, and being so close, she was intoxicated by the pleasant scent he exuded. Amid her drunkenness, she thought, he must use an expensive cologne for it to smell so good.

"So, handsome, will you make love to me?" she said in a flirty and seductive tone that he couldn't resist.

However, receiving no response, Diana became annoyed and turned to leave, only to have large, rough hands grab her by the waist, pulling her against his body.

Diana turned to try to kiss him, but he was faster, quickly lifting her and carrying her up the stairs. He laid her down on a large, soft bed and lunged at her like a hungry wolf, kissing her mouth passionately for a long time until Diana emitted moans that were music to his ears.

Diana responded to his caresses, and they lost themselves in kisses and touches. Diana leaned close to his ear and said, "This is my first time."

The man furrowed his brow, doubts assaulting him, but he understood that the girl meant for him to be careful with her.

Without speaking, they continued to indulge in each other. The night was not long enough to satisfy all the desire he felt; he made love to her until she was exhausted, and although he wanted more, Diana had already fallen deeply asleep.

He felt frustrated at not being able to claim her once more, but he let her sleep after contemplating her delicate face for a moment and covering her with a blanket. He got up to freshen up, and while he showered, everything that had just happened replayed in his mind, a huge smile of satisfaction spreading across his face.

Afterward, he returned to bed, ready to sleep.

""

Roberto, with a triumphant smile on his face, happily held a glass while savoring a drink. The wine spread in his mouth, leaving a bittersweet and somewhat strong flavor, which gave him infinite satisfaction.

In his mind, he could only see Diana. As he laughed, he imagined touching her delicate body, showering her with kisses, ultimately making love to her as he had longed to do. Knowing that he would be the first man in her life made his smile grow even wider, and a warmth flooded his heart.

Roberto yearned for the moment when Diana would be his. He had pursued her for a long time, deeply in love with her; however, her difficult personality wasn’t conducive to their relationship, as she had always kept her distance from him. Though they had been boyfriend and girlfriend, Diana had never accepted being with him, constantly offering excuses and limiting their interactions to just a few kisses.

This left him feeling very frustrated; still, seeing her smile and spending time with her was enough for him to fall more in love each day.

Even though he loved her, his days of chasing women and being a womanizer didn’t cease, despite his promise to Diana that he would change.

Diana was aware of all his conquests. Although he initially fed her a bunch of lies that she believed, over time she stopped being jealous. Even though they were dating, she didn't confront him anymore; she saw him infrequently and didn’t care much about what he did or who he was with.

Roberto believed that Diana loved him so much that she didn’t mind his flings. As long as he acknowledged her as his girlfriend in front of everyone, her annoyance about his one-night stands faded, for they were just sex and nothing more. She knew very well that he loved her, and he loved her deeply, too. Although he initially thought about changing for her, it proved difficult, especially since living a sexually active life made it hard for him to settle for just kisses, and Diana was unwilling to offer anything more.

He thought that if Diana accepted being with him, he would change because he wouldn’t need to seek anything else—she would be everything he wanted.

What he didn’t realize was that Diana was becoming increasingly disappointed. In the beginning, due to the way he treated her—his tenderness, patience, thoughtfulness, and affection—she started developing feelings for him. She wasn’t sure if it was truly love, but it was something very strong.

She felt comfortable by his side and even envisioned a day when they would marry, dreaming of walking down the aisle in white beside the man she loved.

Diana.

But little by little, she came out of her dream upon learning of his betrayals, one after another. At first, she refused to believe it, and it was easier for her to believe all the lies he told her. However, after a while, she finally opened her eyes to realize that Roberto had not changed and that he never would. So, after one disappointment after another, she finally stopped feeling love for him, or whatever it was that she felt.

She tried to break up with him, but it was impossible for her; he was too insistent, so she decided to give him another chance. However, she really didn't care anymore, nor did she expect much from that relationship. She stopped giving importance to his betrayals, and since she saw him little, she really stopped complaining to him. On the contrary, she only focused on her work, getting extra hours so as to have an excuse not to see Roberto, until finally he got fed up with all this and on her 19th birthday, he definitively ended it, with no option to return.

At first Roberto begged her not to end it, but seeing how determined Diana was, he knew there was no turning back, causing him great anger.

Roberto was furious and without further ado, he threw the bouquet of flowers he had brought her for her birthday at her. Diana moved deftly so that the flowers would not hit her.

Roberto left, but not before telling her that she would regret breaking up with him and that he would patiently wait for the day when she would beg him to get back together.

Diana was left even more disappointed to see his behavior, since in front of her he had always been understanding and affectionate, but now she knew that this was the real Roberto.

Diana bent down to pick up the flowers, as they did not look good lying there.

Upon lifting them, she was only disappointed once more; seeing that they were sunflowers with a bit of foliage, she thought, "How is it possible that Roberto, in all this time, has never paid attention to me when I told him that I loved roses and, on the other hand, that sunflowers were the ones I liked least of all the flowers that exist?"

But since they had recently become fashionable and all the girls were putting photos of sunflowers on their profiles and buying blouses, accessories, and even blankets with sunflower prints, she thought that's why he thought she would like them and that she would be fascinated, since it was every girl's dream to receive a large bouquet of sunflowers.

Sighing, she said, "I think Roberto doesn't really know me, not even a little bit. It's a shame that these flowers are going to waste and end up in a trash can."

So Diana's eyes lit up with enthusiasm, and she took them, and removing the ones that had been damaged, rearranged the bouquet. She looked at it from all sides to make sure it looked good, and after checking it, walked a block further, to finally enter a church. With a bow, she placed them at the feet of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Diana made a final bow to leave the church in high spirits and return to work.

That morning, Roberto thought to impress her by surprising her with a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers; however, he was the one who was impressed, seeing his relationship with Diana over.

That day Diana felt excited and lighter; ending things with Roberto made her feel as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Encouraged, she entered and prepared to continue filing some documents at her work.

That day, Roxana, the lawyer she worked with, had given her the afternoon off to celebrate her birthday, but with nothing to do, Diana asked her to let her work. On the other hand, there were several pending tasks, so if necessary, she would work overtime.

That day, Diana expected a call from her parents and her sister for her birthday, but it was not to be, so she finally resigned herself to not expecting anything from anyone and stopped thinking about it.

At closing time, Roxana handed her a personal cake and a small box with a watch, while giving her an effusive hug, which made Diana feel somewhat sentimental, and tears threatened to come out.

So, thanking her, she set out to leave before she started crying. At that moment, they had arranged to go to a club to celebrate with some co-workers, so as soon as she arrived and changed her clothes, she went to the club. There, they all had some drinks and toasted. After a while, they were all dancing on the dance floor until a stranger approached Diana to dance. She glanced at him and agreed to dance. He was taller than her and very handsome. Diana danced a couple of songs with him, until her friend dragged her to the bathroom to go with her. When Diana returned, she looked for him with her eyes, but could not find him. Although she did not find him, in her mind Diana thanked him for having danced with her, because it had changed her day a little, since someone had been interested in her on her birthday. That made her have a little faith that somewhere there was someone who would truly love her, with a pure and sincere love, different from the love she had received so far from her parents and from Roberto, which many times, or almost always, made her feel like they were only looking for her because they wanted something from her in return.

After that, Diana did not see him again, so after a few days she no longer remembered him.

After spending the night with that stranger, Diana woke up the next day. Her heart almost stopped when she opened her eyes and saw that she was in a different place than her room. Like a bucket of cold water, everything she had experienced last night came back to her. She still remembered how she had asked that stranger to spend the night together.