The morning sun slipped through the blinds, cutting across the dorm floor in stripes of gold and gray. Luiz had barely slept. Between the aching weight of the Valentine name and Clara's unexpected invitation, his mind had been a storm that refused to quiet.
He ran a hand through his hair, grabbed his jacket, and opened the door—only to freeze.
Mara stood there.
She leaned against the doorframe, her lips curved in that familiar half-smile, eyes sharp with amusement. The light caught the edge of her short black dress, the fabric soft and deliberate, the neckline daring enough to make him swallow hard.
"Missed me?" she asked, voice low and teasing.
Luiz blinked. "Mara… what are you doing here?"
She tilted her head. "You disappeared, Valentine. No calls, no texts. You don't just vanish on someone and expect them not to notice."
"I had… things to handle."
"Oh, right." She stepped closer, her perfume wrapping around him — warm, intoxicating, full of memory. "Family things. You and your secrets."
Luiz tried to step back, but she moved faster, her hand pressing against his chest. "You think you can just walk away?"
Her tone wasn't angry — it was hurt hidden under the shape of control.
For a long second, neither spoke. The air between them tightened, thick with something unspoken.
"Mara," Luiz said quietly, "this isn't a good idea."
She gave a small laugh. "Since when have we ever had good ideas?"
The silence after that said everything words couldn't.And though Luiz knew better, knew the chaos that always followed her, he didn't pull away.
The world outside faded. The only sound left was the echo of a mistake repeating itself.
—
When Luiz woke, the room was quiet again — sunlight softer now, sliding lazily across the sheets. Mara lay beside him, her hair tangled against his shoulder, her breathing slow and even.
He stared at the ceiling, guilt pressing into his chest like a second heartbeat.
Then the memory hit — Clara.
She'd asked him yesterday to take the day off with her. To hike, to breathe, to feel normal again.
Luiz sat up abruptly, careful not to wake Mara. His clothes were scattered across the floor like a bad confession.
"Mara," he whispered, reaching for his shirt.
She stirred, her voice still heavy with sleep. "Leaving already?"
"Yeah," he said, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I've got an errand… a meeting with one of my professors."
Mara turned slightly, watching him dress. There was something soft in her gaze, something dangerously close to trust. "You always have somewhere else to be, don't you?"
Luiz froze at the door. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
He hesitated… but then the phone in his pocket buzzed — a message from Clara."I'll meet you at the station in thirty minutes."
Luiz sighed, gripping the door handle. "Maybe another time."
He didn't look back as he left.
Outside, the air was crisp, filled with the sound of students heading out for the weekend. But beneath it all, Luiz felt something darker stirring — the sense that the lines between his past and present were starting to blur again.
And somewhere behind him, Mara lay awake now, staring at the ceiling, whispering his name under her breath.
The Valentine curse wasn't blood alone.It was the people he couldn't let go of.