The resort's private dock smelled of salt, fresh orchids, and rain that had only just stopped. Horacio stood at the far end of the wooden walkway in an impeccable beige linen suit.

he told the foreman.

At first glance he looked like the perfect host welcoming a cast of actors, but inside his chest his heart was hammering: ever since the yacht docked, a sharp, warm pain had been telling him that she was there.

Among the overflowing laughter, the dark sunglasses and the luxury luggage of the play's stars, there was you, adjusting the camera around your neck and breathing the island's warm air.

As you passed by his side, your eyes met his. In that millisecond a dry, deep pull pressed on your chest, as if an invisible thread had entangled your heart. You were left breathless for an instant, but you forced yourself to hide it behind a faint smile so as not to seem strange.

said Horacio, recovering his composure with a rehearsed smile, though his voice sounded a little deeper than usual.

you replied, offering him your hand cordially and keeping your composure.

As he took your hand to greet you, a current of heat scorched his palm, making him hold his breath. At that very instant, a dense, unnatural shadow covered the sun for a blink. At the far end of the resort's main hallway, among the gloom of the palm trees, a silhouette in a red robe with a skeletal face watched them in silence, and the air around them turned icy.

Horacio deflected, letting go of your hand reluctantly when he noticed the figure's threat in the distance.

you commented with a slight smile, keeping to yourself the painful heartbeat that still rumbled in your chest, without suspecting that you had just touched the man who had been waiting for you for ten years.

he replied, watching you walk toward the lobby while he touched his chest, feeling how the invisible thread stretched toward the cast, without knowing which of them all could be his.