Episode 2

...VALENTINA SIERRA...

I met Iván, the popular guy who was liked by all but didn't seriously date anyone. His grandparents owned a car company as well as several fields where they breed and sell animals, from what I know. If they do something else, I'm not sure, I suppose they do.

The most important things are managed by his uncle, a man who is around 33 years old, I'm not exactly sure. His wife died in a rare traffic accident two years ago, and since then, his interactions with others have worsened. He has a son who is excessively cared for by his trusted people.

I don't know if it's just my impression, but that man looks at all of us with hatred, including my boyfriend Iván, who is his own nephew. He scares me, and I wouldn't see him if it weren't for the fact that my boyfriend spends a lot of time at his house. Even when he organizes a party, he does it at his uncle's house because he is so busy that he rarely shows up, and even if he does, he goes to his room and doesn't come out for the rest of the night.

My best friends are Carla Bermúdez and Alison Villavicencio. They have their occasional "boyfriends" who last maybe a season, if they're lucky. I know they've already had relationships, and they've told me what I'm missing out on, but I still follow the tradition imposed on me by my parents.

I remember a long time ago when they took me for a gynecological check-up because they told me I needed a check-up along with routine tests. In my mother's family, there have been several cases of cancer, and that's why prevention was better.

I truly want to marry Iván, escape from the control of my parents and their vastly different traditions. Sometimes, I feel like they take better care of me than of my sister, who is only a few years younger than me, but I can't understand why. Besides, I don't understand why virginity is so important if, from what I've read, it's just a thin membrane that no one sees. It also doesn't mean that losing it would change a person's life.

I've tried to defend my thoughts, but for my parents, virginity signifies a woman's destiny, and nothing can change their minds. Furthermore, I feel their theory lacks logic. So, what about the victims of rape? I refuse to believe they're sluts.

My parents like Alison, but the opposite happens with Carla whom they detest, although I don't know the reason. So, when Iván organizes a party, I lie to them, saying that I'll stay with Alison, and that solves the matter.

Iván's parties are incredible, his uncle's house fills up completely, and it seems not to bother him. My boyfriend thinks he lives somewhere else, but I don't know, nor do I care, about anything related to that man.

The worst part is that sometimes the demon is in a terrible mood, and that's when I feel fear but also the desire to tell him to go to hell and find out what's going on with him. If his wife died, he should move on, maybe find a girlfriend who can relieve his stress, as my boyfriend says.

My boyfriend and I were playing billiards at the home of the unpleasant and bitter man when he arrived in a very bad mood and too early. I couldn't hide my annoyance, and his hatred towards us was evident. Such a strange guy.

"You, to my office. I need you to explain several things," he looked at Iván with the utmost coldness, who quickly left the place, forgetting about me.

"What are you doing in my house?" he questioned, crossing his arms.

"I was with Iván, don't you see?" I also crossed my arms. He was crazy if he thought I would let myself be intimidated, although deep down, I was nervous.

"If you know what's good for you, stay away from him, from this house, and..." he looked at me threateningly. "Get out of here."

"Do you think you can order me around? And are you threatening me? I'm not afraid of you," I said, looking at him with more hatred than ever.

"GET OUT OF HERE, if you don't want me to throw you out myself," he shouted at me, but then he spoke to me with fury. He shouldn't have repeated the order. I just left.

I decided not to go back to that house until there was a party to avoid crossing paths with him.

I knew that Ivan desired me and that I desired him too. If I just gave him what he wanted, I would have to marry him and bid farewell to my parents' rules. It was perfect, a perfect plan. My friends would assist me, and at the next party, I would execute the plan that would unite Ivan and me for the rest of our lives.