HECTOR
The sun was sinking slow, dragging soft strokes of coral and gold across the sky—like it was trying to give the old place a little grace it didn’t deserve. Especially not for a guy like me. I stood at the edge of the dining room, caught off guard by Rubi’s silhouette slipping down the hall, smooth and quiet as smoke. She didn’t realize it, but she lingered here—lingered in me—with the kind of quiet presence that stays long after the noise is gone. She used to hold all my light in her hands. Let it fall through her fingers like it never belonged.
Tonight wasn’t about big moments. That was tomorrow—her birthday, the flash of diamonds, the music, the masks. Tonight… I just needed one thing to be real. Just her. Just me. No echoes, no past clawing through the silence. If I could give
