Episode 18

Carla had returned home from her friend's place after finalizing her divorce. Her mood wasn't great, but at least she wasn't crying anymore.

She wanted to go to bed early, but that wasn't part of Alexa's plan. Alexa called Manuel from Carla's phone while she was in the shower and invited him to go out. He, obviously, accepted without hesitation.

"Alexa, not today. Today, I just want to rest," Carla declined her friend's invitation.

"Of course not. We have to celebrate that you're a free woman," Alexa pulled the sheet covering Carla. "You know I won't let you be, so get up and get ready."

Carla knew Alexa wouldn't give up, so she reluctantly got out of bed and looked for something nice to wear.

After much searching, she decided on a sequined dress. It was going to be a night of partying, so it was perfect. She put her hair up in a high ponytail and applied dark but subtle makeup.

"You look beautiful," Alexa said when she entered the room and saw her.

"Thank you," Carla replied. "I need to go out, maybe we can have a drink here at home."

"None of that. Being cooped up won't help you. Remember you're still alive, everything else will fall into place with time. Now, let's go," Alexa took Carla's hand and dragged her to the car.

After driving for about thirty minutes, they arrived at their destination. At the entrance, Manuel was accompanied by Marcos.

"Hello, girls," Manuel greeted them.

"Hi, Manuel. Marcos, I didn't expect to see you here," Carla said with surprise.

"I invited them," Alexa said.

Carla glanced at her and smiled, her friend always got her way. The good thing was that seeing Manuel had lifted her spirits.

"Thanks for that, Alexa. It's a pleasure to meet you, Manuel Castañeda," Manuel said to Carla. "This is my friend Marcos."

"Pleasure to meet you, Alexa Villa," Alexa shook Marcos' hand.

"The pleasure is mine, Marcos Londoño," Marcos smiled flirtatiously.

After introducing themselves, the four entered and were taken to the VIP area. The place had a great atmosphere, so the night looked promising.

Everyone danced and drank. Carla was enchanted by Manuel; it was the first time she saw him without his elegant suit and perfect hairstyle. That night, he wore black pants with a white shirt, leaving two buttons open to reveal a glimpse of his chest. His hair was slightly messy, but he looked so handsome and sexy that Carla desired to touch him.

"How are you all doing?" Marcos asked.

"Fantastic," the girls replied.

"I'm glad to hear that you're having a good time," Manuel whispered in Carla's ear.

He was so close that Carla could feel his minty breath mixed with alcohol. Carla was about to respond when she felt someone pulling her arm.

"Stay away from my wife!" Mauricio shouted.

Carla looked at him with surprise, then filled with anger. Who did Mauricio think he was, causing such a scene?

"Let me go," she said and pushed him. "My wife? Don't make me laugh. Just leave and stop embarrassing yourself. Remember, we've already signed the divorce papers."

Carla said in a low voice, realizing that everyone was watching.

"As long as it's not effective, you're still my wife!" he shouted again.

"Now, I'm your wife? You didn't think so when you cheated on me," Carla responded angrily.

She was trying to remain calm, but Mauricio wasn't making it any easier. He grabbed her arm again, trying to take her away.

Manuel and the others, who had tried to stay out of it, decided to intervene seeing that Mauricio wouldn't calm down.

"Mauricio, it's better if you let her go," Manuel calmly said.

"You shut up and get out of the way!" Mauricio shouted again.

The entire club fell silent, observing the embarrassing incident.

"You've really lost your mind," Carla said, freeing herself from his grip.

"You're my wife, so you must obey," Mauricio said. Carla smiled at his words.

She approached him, standing just a few centimeters away.

"Obey you? You're mistaken. Ever since I signed those documents, you became a stranger. Now, go and leave me alone," Carla stepped away from him.

Manuel, upon noticing Mauricio's intention to approach her again, intervened.

"Listen and leave, Lopez. Don't make everything worse," Manuel calmly told him.

But the truth was that he had already lost his patience; he hated hearing Mauricio call Carla his woman.

"I won't let her stay with you. She's my wife, so forget about the idea of taking her to your bed!" I yelled again, losing control.

David remained silent, observing everything, but realizing that his friend wasn't understanding reason, he decided to speak to him.

"Mauricio, it's better if we leave," David told him.

"He's crazy. How do you think I'll let her stay with him?" Mauricio said, consumed by jealousy.

Manuel decided to ignore him and leave. As he was exiting behind Carla, he felt Mauricio's tug and received a punch to the cheek.

Manuel didn't want to respond to his aggression but, to be honest, he had been wanting to hit him back.

"Aren't you going to separate them?" Alexa asked Carla.

"They're not children, so they need to take responsibility for their actions. Besides, I might get hit if I interfere, so it's better if we leave them be," Carla calmly responded.

Mauricio and Manuel were in a frenzy, exchanging blows. Marcos and David watched them from a distance, understanding that they needed to settle their own matters.

"And are you not going to do anything?" Alexa asked Marcos.

"Carla is right, and besides, Mauricio deserves a couple of punches," Marcos responded, causing Alexa to roll her eyes.

Mauricio was quite drunk; hence, he couldn't defend himself well, giving Manuel the upper hand. David, seeing his friend being beaten up, signaled Marcos to help him separate them.

The security staff had called the police, so they arrived within minutes.

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