Leonel's Adam's apple moved noticeably. After a pause, he asked, "Do you want me to call a cab for you?"

"I can get one myself," she replied.

She discarded her dress into the trash. As she moved to Leave, Leonel's voice followed softly. "Did you dress up so elegantly tonight just to tempt me?"

Alexis didn't respond and she exited swiftly.

The door closed softly behind her. Leonel's gaze lingered on the closed door, his thoughts adrift.

Unexpectedly, a warm droplet fell upon his arm.

Realization dawned on him as he lifted his head slightly.

In the aftermath of their intimacy, it became clear to him how completely he had lost her.

As they had sex, she was distant and barely present. And the name she softly murmured was not his.

Leonel let out a soft, imperceptible laugh at that moment.

It was nearly two in the morning when Alexis arrived home.

Calvin was still up, waiting.

He had left a lamp on and was seated on the living room sofa, engrossed in a book. But he awaited her return.

Alexis looked slightly weary when she entered.

Calvin glanced up at her. With the intuition of a man who knew, he could discern from her expression that Leonel had been intimate with her.

After a brief silence, Calvin rose and poured her a glass of warm water. With a soft voice, he offered, “I'll make you something to eat."

Alexis halted him with a single word, "Calvin."

Her voice was raspy, tinged either with sorrow or physical strain.

Calvin didn't probe; he simply approached her.

Alexis rested quietly against his shoulder and said quietly, "When I get pregnant, let's return to Braseovell."