Dominick blinked, thinking he was dreaming. But no — she was there, in the flesh.
"Mommy, I found Mr. Cookie," the little girl said, looking at her mother, unaware that she was frozen in place.
Jazmín stared at Dominick, unable to believe it. More than seven years without knowing practically anything about him. A whirlwind of emotions struck her — guilt coming back like a sharp blow.
"Iveth, go play with Mr. Cookie over there," Jazmín said, unable to take her eyes off Dom, who remained silent.
"Yes, Mommy!" the little girl exclaimed, lifting the puppy in her arms. "Come on, Mr. Cookie."
She began to walk with the little dog, and Dominick watched her go. The girl tripped, and Jazmín instinctively rose to help her, but the child got up on her own and kept playing. The woman sat back down.
Dom kept his eyes fixed ahead. He wasn't angry, just… shocked. Both of them sat in silence, not knowing what to say or how to begin. Where words once flowed without restraint, now there was only uncertainty.
"Hi," Jazmín finally broke the silence after a few minutes.
Dom didn't answer. He kept looking straight ahead, wondering if this was some cruel joke life was playing on him — or if destiny had decided to give him this chance everyone had told him to take.
"Is she your daughter?" he finally asked.
Jazmín looked at her little girl playing with the puppy, and her chest swelled with warmth.
"Yes, Iveth is my daughter," she replied, unable to hide a soft smile.
"She's beautiful. How old is she?" he asked.
"She'll be five in a few months." She shifted on the bench to sit more comfortably. "How are you, Dominick?"
"It's a bit ironic that you're the one asking that question," he said dryly, though his voice stayed calm.
She lowered her gaze.
"I'm so sorry, Dominick. Truly," she said, meeting his eyes. "I looked for you for months because I wanted to apologize — to ask for your forgiveness and make amends for what I did to you. But you had gone abroad, you'd disappeared, and I didn't hear from you again." Her voice trembled with sincerity, and her words caught his attention. She was describing exactly how he had felt for years. "I've lived with the guilt of what I did to you all this time, and now that I have the chance to see you again, I beg you to forgive me. I won't justify myself — I'm as guilty as Christian."
"I should never have betrayed you, and even less with your brother. I was a foolish, naive girl, and I deeply regret everything that happened. I'm the reason you don't speak to him — your only family. I just hope that after all these years, you can find the strength in your heart to forgive me."
Dominick listened, then turned to look at her. She had changed a lot, but she was still beautiful. Motherhood suited her. She looked truly happy.
"For a long time, I cried in silence, thinking about all the pain I caused you," she continued, glancing away. "I almost fell into depression, and I had complications during my first pregnancy. I had to find strength where there was none, but then he came along, and I had hope again." A large, genuine smile crossed her face — she looked like a woman who was deeply in love. "Arturo brought light back into my life. He helped me understand many things, and one of them was that I had to forgive myself first before expecting forgiveness from you. It took me a long time to accept that…" she confessed, wiping away a tear. "But I did."
Dominick looked at her, wounded. She had managed to move on, to fall in love again, to build a family… while he kept sinking deeper into darkness every day.
"Please, say something. Don't just stay quiet," she whispered. She reached out to touch him, but Dominick immediately pulled away, wary of her touch. "I understand if you don't want to talk to me, but I'd at least like to know how you've been — what you've done, why you're here alone." Her eyes landed on the empty bottle beside him. She swallowed hard. "Were you drinking? Did you sleep here?"
Dominick told himself there was no point in staying silent — that after all this time, he finally had the chance to say everything he couldn't back then. Without alcohol, without rage. Without that blinding fury that had consumed him the day he saw her naked in his brother's arms.
"I loved you so much, Jazmín," he whispered, feeling like he couldn't breathe. At last he was going to unburden himself as he hadn't in a long time — but this time it would be very different. She looked at him, holding back tears. "You were everything to me. My world revolved around you. I dreamed of marrying you, of starting a family…" He shook his head. "I was a fool to think you felt the same."
"Dominick…"
"Let me speak, please. I listened to you; now it's my turn to unload, to say everything I couldn't back then." He sighed deeply, searching for the right words. "When I saw you that day with him…" He paused, smiling bitterly. "I couldn't believe it. It felt like a nightmare, a scene from a horror film. I wanted to die in that instant. Christian was the only family I had left, and you were the only woman who ever had my love. After everything, it seems it still wasn't enough."
"You weren't to blame for anything, Dominick," she insisted, wiping the tears she could no longer hold back. "Christian and I were selfish. You were only a victim…"
"And still I blamed myself. All those years I thought I had done something wrong. I looked and looked through my memories for a moment, a word, or an action that would justify you, explain why you did it… but I found nothing. Alcohol became my companion and I spent whole nights drunk, lying in corners," he confessed. "I managed to quit for a while, but many times I returned to it. Every anniversary was a hard blow to me. I realized I wasn't a strong man — these things made me see that.
"I spent a long time hating you. Many people were harmed by that hatred that completely clouded me. I was blinded; I boxed every woman as a traitor because of you. I used them at whim, and today I'm not proud of that." He squeezed his face with his hands. "Now, after seeing you," he turned to face her. She had her lip caught between her teeth to keep from sobbing; her eyes were red and her cheeks wet with tears, "and confirming what I asked myself so many times, I realize I wasted many years of my life hating you."
Dominick looked at the little girl still playing with the puppy, then at the woman he had once loved so intensely it hurt — the same woman who had made him hate in ways he never imagined…
"You were happy while I remained buried in my misery." Jazmín was about to say something but he raised his hand to stop her. "Say nothing. It's not your fault — it's mine, for clinging to something that wasn't worth it, for believing hatred toward you made me strong. In reality, the hatred, the rage, all that resentment I carried was the only thing that tied me to you. The part of me that wouldn't let you go was the same part that despised you with intensity." He leaned a little closer and wiped the tears from her cheeks; she caught his hand.
The physical contact — something he hadn't felt from her in a long time — felt cold, impersonal. There was no longer that overwhelming fire from years ago. On that park bench that had witnessed the fierce passion he once felt for Jazmín, Dominick realized he no longer loved her; it had all become a sweet memory, and the bitterest experience of his life.
"But today, I want to do it." He squeezed her hand lightly. "I want to let you go so I can find myself, because I want to try to heal the wound you left, to change what I've become. And that's why… I forgive you," he whispered.
Jazmín closed her eyes, feeling the peace Dom's words gave her.
Even though she was very happy in her married life, Dominick was that part of her past she had never closed — a chapter that was finally coming to an end in that moment.
"I never thought this day would come," she smiled, opening her beautiful eyes. "I was almost certain I'd die without being able to make things right with you."
"Although things will never be the same again in any sense," he said softly, "I want you to know that I forgive you. After so much time I realized something I had refused to accept. It hurts that it's so late, but it's something that can't be changed."
He felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders—liberated. It hadn't been easy, but he'd done it. The cold night had helped him think, to reflect on his life and the things he'd done over the past few years. His friends' advice, which instead of annoying him, had only sought his well-being…
"Dominick, there's something I need to tell you," Jazmín said softly, lowering her head in embarrassment. "I was really scared, and I don't know if this is the right time, but I hope you'll understand my decision—that you won't judge me, or worse, hate me again…"
He frowned.
"I don't understand," he said.
"Dominick, when—"
Jazmín's phone began to ring, cutting her off. Her husband's name lit up on the screen, and she couldn't help but smile.
"I'm sorry, give me a second."
Dom nodded, and she stood from the bench, instinctively placing a hand over her rounded belly.
He watched her smile as she listened to the voice on the other end. She caressed her stomach slowly... He had imagined her pregnant so many times. And now that he saw her, knowing that child wasn't his, he felt something strange stir inside him.
Jazmín returned and sat back down.
"I have to go," she said. "But I need to ask you something, Dominick. I need to talk to you about something really important, but it can't be today. Do you think you and I could—?"
"I suppose so," he murmured, cutting her off.
"Are you staying here? Do you want me to drive you somewhere?" she asked.
Even though he had forgiven her, her presence was still a little uncomfortable. After all, that didn't really change anything.
He nodded. He had no money, and his leg had started to ache—he'd completely forgotten about it. He needed to change the bandage.
They both stood up and walked toward the little girl, who hadn't stopped smiling. She asked why he was limping, and he simply replied that he'd had a small accident. He opened his mouth to give the hotel's address but stayed silent. The only one who didn't stop chattering excitedly was the girl—though her mother had scolded her several times, she would only stay quiet for a few seconds before starting again.
Jazmín stopped the car in front of the hotel. Dominick was about to get out when she said:
"When do you think we could see each other again?"
He turned to her.
"The day after tomorrow, does that work for you?" She nodded. "At six. I'll be waiting for you in the hotel restaurant."
He finished opening the door and stepped out, walking into the hotel as fast as his leg allowed. He took the elevator and pressed the button that would take him to his floor. Soon after, he was stepping into his room. He went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked awful—dark circles under his eyes, unshaven, his expression tired. There wasn't a trace left of the man he once was…
A faint smile formed on his lips. He had taken the first step. Even though there were many things left to fix, he had made it his goal to show his friend that he deserved that information. He also told himself he'd recover what was lost—he'd talk to Maximiliano and Lizet, apologize to Gregory, and hardest of all, he sighed deeply, he'd try to stop drinking. Something he knew had become an addiction, though he refused to admit it.
He searched until he found a pair of scissors, trimming down his beard before shaving it completely. He remembered there were other parts of his body that needed attention too…
When he finished, he looked at his hair—it badly needed a decent cut. He called room service and asked for the hotel's stylist to come up.
Soon after, the man arrived and gave Dom a quick haircut. When he left, Dominick took a long shower. Half an hour later, he stepped out of his room with a new purpose to fight for.
He entered Maximiliano's office and saw Marcus eating something while the brown-haired man organized some papers. Both of them looked at Dominick in silence.
Marcus smiled—a small, almost imperceptible smile. His friend had made the right decision.