Another semester was about to end and Luna could not be happier. These last couple of months were the best of her entire life. Somehow they managed to keep their relationship a secret for that long. Priya was always vigilant, but having Trish as their intermediary definitely helped them keep everything a secret. Sometimes they saw each other way less than what they would've hoped, but they understood that was the price to pay.

Guillermo had tried everything humanly possible to get close to her without any success; she was slowly becoming his obsession. He noticed that after that day in the studio field trip, she was even colder to him than usual. He was starting to wonder if she'd ever come around, and Priya continued to pressure him into getting together with Luna. He didn't know her motives, but it was clear that it had something to do with Thomas Hunt.

He had been observing their interactions and even though they were professional most of the time, there were times when they would smile at each other in such an intimate way, the way two lovers would. There were moments were he saw Hunt staring at her with the softest of eyes, lost in her perfection the way only a man in love would. The same way that he did.

Still, he refused to believe it. He knew that Luna had loved him very deeply, and being his first, he felt that he had made such an impact in her life that no other man could occupy that space. Besides, Hunt was the type of man to be with models and renowned actresses, not college girls, regardless of how beautiful or talented they were. Or so he liked to believe.

Thomas had been planning the whole thing for months and Trish was his willing accomplice. This was the last semester Luna would be taking with him as her professor before moving to other upper classes and field practices. It didn't seem that inappropriate to date a student that is not directly under your supervision. They would just need to wait a couple of months to announce the engagement, although he didn't want to wait too long for her to be his wife. Wife, it felt almost surreal to think of Luna as his life partner, as the future mother of his children; that is what he wanted the most in the world. He thought about how surreal it felt to think about a family, kids, the whole nine yards. Something he never really gave a second thought, now he felt like almost a reality.

He also thought about Priya and the blackmail. Once everything blew over, nobody was going to care about a bunch of rumors without evidence. Luna was going to be the future Mrs. Hunt, and happy endings always sell a hell of a lot better than unfounded gossip. The limelight will be on them and their fairytale love story, which they will modify accordingly so the timeline makes sense. Everything was going to be perfect. He had planned everything in his mind for so long…

Out of the blue, a random thought landed on his head. What if she said no? He always assumed her answer would be an outright yes, that he never really considered the possibility of rejection. He shook his head and just came to the realization that he just had to risk his heart and future, regardless of her answer.

They had called from the jewelry store to let him know that the ring was ready. He was on his way to pick it up when his cellphone rang. He looked at the display in his car's Bluetooth system and hesitated on answering once he learned it was Priya, who was calling for the eighth time that day. He took a deep breath and decided to press the green button.

"Hello, Priya, I'm driving, can I call you later?"

"Thomas! I've been calling you for hours now! I must speak to you, please"

She sounded desperate and Hunt was immediately concerned. "Is everything okay? What's the matter?"

"I need a friend more than ever before. My doctor just called to let me know I need to take more tests for what he thinks might be cancer. I'm so afraid, Thomas. Please…" she pleaded and his heart sank. Despite everything that had happened between them, he didn't wish anything bad to happen to Priya. After all, he cared for her.

"I just need to take care of some errands and I'll be available in about an hour. I can meet you anywhere you want, just let me know the name of the place"

"Can we meet at your house?" she sniffed, obviously distressed.

"At my house? I…"

"Please, I can't be seen in public, I'm a mess… And I'm imploring you…" she sounded so helpless that he felt like he didn't have an alternative but to say yes.

"Okay, I'll call you when I'm on my way so we can meet at my place" he said, hesitantly.

"Thank you…" she hung up before he could say a word.

Hunt took a deep breath, torn about what he should do. His gut told him that it was better to just stay away from her, but he didn't have the heart to turn away someone going through a life or death situation either. He knew that Priya didn't have a close relationship with her family, she was alone and afraid. How could he turn his back on her during those moments? He was sure Luna would've understood the position he was in.

He arrived at the jewelry store and was promptly received by the same salesman that sold him the ring.

"Mr. Hunt, it's a pleasure to have you here again. Your order just arrived a couple of hours ago. Please follow me to the office so we can go through the details"

Thomas followed the tall man through a long hallway, soft music played in the background. The muted colors and curvilinear decorations gave a stylish and contemporary finish to the building. They entered one of the rooms located almost at the end of the hall and the salesman took a small blue velvet box in between his long fingers. He placed the box in front of Thomas, who smirked looking at the tiny box and all the possibilities it represented; he took it in his hands and opened it slowly. The ring looked even more impressive than what he remembered. He was sure it was going to blow Luna away. He turned the ring around and focus his eyes on the engraving he had requested. "Forever you and me". The calligraphy was exquisite, with all the detail and perfection that only a highly skilled engraver could give it. He couldn't be happier.

"Excellent work. This ring has a very profound sentimental value to me, I really appreciate your help with the customization. I would like to reiterate that I need complete confidentiality regarding this purchase"

"Of course, you can count on that" the salesman nodded and smiled.

Thomas proceeded with the sale and he was out of there in less than half an hour. He looked at his watch and realized he had a little bit of time. They finally finished the screenplay they've been working on before their break up and he had the USB drive with all the notes and corrections he made in the last couple of weeks. He wanted to see her before he had to deal with Priya, even for a few moments.

He called Trish and she sent her the message to meet in a nearby creek next to the dorms where she lived, which had been a sort of a meeting point lately. Trish confirmed and he headed directly over there. When he arrived, she was there, leaning against a willow tree waiting for him. He took the small box in his hand and hesitated for a little bit. His intuition told him that it was the time, right there and then. Why wait any longer? He could have everything right that second… but when he saw her, he realized she deserved the best, the dream proposal he had worked so hard on.

He should surprise her and make that moment the best of their lives as he had planned. It was the beginning of something so big that he never even thought possible, they had to celebrate with all the bells and whistles that such a moment deserved. He let go of the velvet box in his pocket and took a deep breath.

"Hey beautiful, I missed you so much today" he whispered in her ear as he circled her waist and buried his face on her neck, taking her sweet perfume in.

She giggled and turned around, kissing him in a swift movement. "Not as much as I missed you. Today you looked so hot in that purple tie I love so much… I wanted to just jump on you as soon as I saw you. And now you're here…" she leaned and gave him a deep kiss.

They kissed for a few moments before Thomas broke away and looked around. "We must be careful… but there is nothing I'd love more right now than to just be alone with you… all the things I would do to you…" he fantasized at that moment. "In the meantime, here…" he took the USB drive from his pocket and handed it over to her.

"The screenplay?" She smiled as she looked at the small storage unit.

"Completed with my notes. It's up to you to give it the last revision. I think this is going to be huge, Luna, I'm stoked! Once we're ready, I'm sure we can get funding almost immediately. We can even start the production while you're in school. We will need to contact a couple of lawyers, just for formalities, but this can be rolling in less than a year from now…" he was so excited about directing again that he couldn't contain it.

"I can't believe we did it! After everything that has happened, it's finally here and it couldn't be more perfect" she closed her hand and hold the small plastic square near her heart.

"Give it a look and let me know when you're done with your notes. Hey, I wanted to ask you… what are you doing Friday night?" he caressed her cheek.

"Friday? I think Addy and I are going to a charity event in the morning, but I should be free after twelve" she smiled mischievously. "Why? Are you going to kidnap me?" She said as she played with the lapel of his blazer.

"Yes, actually… for the whole weekend. You, me, and Catalina Island. We don't have class until Monday afternoon. What do you think?"

"I love the idea…" she shrieked.

"There's one more thing… we have one destination to add to the trip… my hometown. I want you to meet my family"

Luna was instantly wide-eyed and speechless "Wha… your… ahmm…"

"My mother and my sister Rachel. I don't think we can count on my brother Seth to be there, but I know that Rachel and my Mom will absolutely love you!"

"But… your mother? I… I don't know what to say…" she was so nervous that her hands started to tremble.

"Say yes, that's all I need to hear" he took her shaking hands in between his and gave her a sweet, slow kiss.

"I'll be honored to meet your family. I'm just too nervous…" she didn't know what to make of it. If they started to meet each other's family it could only mean that the relationship was getting serious enough. Who would've thought that she would be in a serious relationship with the legendary Thomas Hunt? There were times when she couldn't believe it herself.

For a second there she thought about her parents and how they would react to such news. Her daughter dating one of her professors, who is more than ten years her senior, and a well respected Hollywood director that her dad particularly admired. She imagined her dad being thrilled about the news, but she couldn't say the same about her mother. She knew she would have a million things to say before she would be okay with it. The important thing was that she was going to meet his mother, which would hopefully be much easier.

"I cannot wait for this weekend to arrive! I'll give instructions to Trish for your airplane tickets. We might need to travel on different flights, but we can also try to be very, very sneaky and travel together… imagine all the things we could do in the way…"

"I like that idea way, way better…" her pearl white teeth contrasted with her carmine lips, and he was hypnotized.

"We'll see what can be done…" he closed his eyes and kissed her forehead, embracing her deeply. "I should go… I have an appointment with a friend" he decided to keep his meeting with Priya a secret, at least until he knew exactly what Priya wanted from him. He did not want to leave her, he had a bad feeling about the whole situation. However, he knew that running away from Priya would be worse than just facing her. Also, if everything was as bad as she mentioned, he wanted to be there for support despite everything. He knew what it was like to go through something like that.

"Okay… I just hate being apart from you… I can't wait until this weekend. You need to tell me everything about your family! I want to give them the best impression"

"You will, just by being there and being yourself" he took her waist and brought her closer to him, kissing her lips. "I will see you tomorrow at school. Do your homework and dream about us, as I will" he grinned.

"Surely will" she smiled and he turned around, leaving her under the willow tree while the sun started to set in the distance. He turned around and her silhouette remained immobile, making him regret leaving in the first place. It will be temporary, every day is one day less to being with her forever…, he told himself, trying to sedate the inevitable guilt he started to feel.

She was about to leave when her office telephone rang. She ignored the first few rings when she realized she had left her car keys inside her desk drawer. She went back and answered the call while taking her keys.

"Hello?"

"Hello. I'm talking on behalf of Eastern Coast airlines. We have been trying to contact Thomas Hunt or his representative regarding this Friday's reservations. This number is listed as one of his work numbers"

Priya narrowed her eyes, unaware that Thomas had anything to do out of town this coming weekend. She knew she couldn't let the opportunity pass by.

"Oh, sure. I'm his assistant. What seems to be the problem?" she lied.

"Perfect! We don't have a first name for Mr. Hunt's companion. We need to verify the full name as it appears on the passport"

"Oh, I see. I apologize for that, I guess I mixed several reservations for future flights. Would you mind reminding me what the last name is? Mr. Hunt has several scheduled reservations with faculty and students, it's easy to mix up the names"

"Sure… let me see… two first-class tickets for Friday at 3 pm. Guest last name… Armstrong"

Priya felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had just been pour onto her when she heard the last name. They had been seeing each other for god knows how long, despite all her efforts. She started to shake, full of ire and rage.

"Oh… let me check…" she paused for a moment, pretending to check the information while she bit the inside of her mouth. "Yes, Armstrong. First name, Luna. May I confirm the destination?"

"Sure. The flight is from Los Ángeles to Manchester, New Hampshire"

Priya felt her stomach turn when she realized that Thomas was still dating Luna and had planned to take her to his hometown. Something he always refused to do for her, despite how much she begged him, he always refused to introduce anyone to his family. Why would he do that for Luna? There was only one answer.

"Oh, yes, I see. Thank you so much for calling"

"It's our pleasure to be of your service. Have a great day!"

"You too…" she hung up the telephone, absentmindedly.

"This can't be happening… I, I can't let this happen" Priya started to hyperventilate as she realized that her worse fears were about to become a reality "I won't let this happen…" she took a deep breath as she exited her office, sprinting to her car. She got into her car and drove to her house. She took a small travel bag and threw several items inside. Nobody was going to stand in her way, no matter the cost.

She took a small jar full of liquid and put it inside her purse. She went inside the garden and pressed the intercom button, waiting for him to open the door. She took deep breaths as she tried not to show her anger. The door buzzed and opened automatically.

"Priya, are you okay? What did the doctor tell you?" he looked sincerely worried.

"They need to take a biopsy to determine the stage and how severe it is, but the doctor wasn't very optimistic" her eyes watered and her voice cracked.

Thomas felt so bad, he didn't know what to say or do "Priya, you can always ask for a second opinion before you commit to any diagnosis. I will make some phone calls, I think I might know someone that can help you"

"Can I have a drink? I've had the worst of days" she asked as she reached for her temple, he felt sorry for her.

"Oh, sure. I'm sorry… would you like the usual?" He walked directly towards the bar he had in his living room.

"Yes, please" she dropped her purse on one of the couches and walked towards him. "I really need to think of anything else besides this right now… Do you still have that Beatles album I gave you for Christmas? I would love to just relax with a couple of songs… please…" he had just finished making her drink and was about to start his own.

"I'll make yours… I still remember just the way you like it…" she smiled.

He was hesitant but felt so bad for her and all she was going through that he just nodded.

"I'll be right back" he walked towards the hallway, leaving Priya alone in the living room.

She ran towards her purse, taking the small bottle and pouring the transparent liquid on the glass, immediately followed by a splash of whiskey and lemon. She hid the bottle in her pocket as the music started to play around the entire house.

He emerged from the hall, bringing the vinyl sleeve along to show Priya. She took his drink and handed it over as she took a sip from hers. "Just like the day you gave it to me, in perfect condition…" he smiled at her as he took a big gulp of the tainted whiskey.

"I remember that day like it was yesterday… we were so into the music that we burnt our Christmas dinner" both laughed at the memory, joyfully "neither of us cared and we ended up ordering Chinese. That was the best holiday of my life…", you could see the melancholy right through her tearful eyes.

He remembered it clearly, that was one of the best Christmas for him as well.

"Life is funny… one day you find everything you've been looking for your whole life, living at the top of the world. The career, the respect… the one…" she paused, looking at him. "And all of the sudden, everything ends and you die. Ironic, isn't it?" she laughed, drinking the entire contents of her drink.

"Priya, you're not going to die, not like that, not now. I'll be there, really" he could only imagine the uncertainty that she must feel, he kept on thinking that it was so unfair for her to go through that alone.

Priya smiled with such confidence that it was a bit unsettling. "I know you will…"

Thomas started to feel very dizzy and nauseous. "I bet you feel very light-headed right now. Like if you just had twenty times the amount of alcohol you normally would. You're going to feel drunker and drunker by the second, and in a few minutes I will have all the answers I need"

"What?" He didn't know if her words were some kind of prophecy, but he felt dizzy and completely fragile.

"I know about you and Luna. I know that you're planning a trip back to New Hampshire for the weekend" she said, assertively.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" he lied.

"Of course you do, and I really, really hate it when you lie to me in my face. I don't know what that woman did to you, but she is definitely going to pay for this… big time" her eyes had a darkness that shook him to the core.

"Priya… what did you do?"

"It's not what I've done what should concern you, it is what I'm about to do, you haven't seen anything yet… and you can't do anything about it" she smirked, with a conviction for revenge that scared him.

"You're going to pass out in about five to ten minutes. Then, I'm going to take a bunch of pictures and videos of you and me in… well, some incriminatory situations. I'm going to have so much fun with that, remembering every single millimeter of your skin. And guess who is going to be the guest of honor for that show… your favorite student…"

"Priya… don't…" his brain began to pound inside his head.

"There is one thing that I still refuse to believe… I know that you're taking her to Manchester so you can introduce her to your family, there is no other explanation since there are no big events or festivals in that region at this time" she deduced. "But I asked you so many times to introduce me to your mom and your siblings that I lost count. You always said that your family was off-limits. I don't know if you remember, but one time while we were very drunk at that charity fundraiser that Marianne Delacroix organized back in 2009, you mentioned how the only way you would introduce a girl to your mother would be if you were thinking of something very serious, like marriage. I waited so long for that invitation that I was so sure I was eventually going to get…"

Hunt sits down on a couch, feeling how everything spun out of control inside his head.

"And today I found out that not only I'm about to lose my life, but I'm about to lose you, which I love even more. I'm going to end this once and for all… and things will be just as they should"

"Priya… you cannot do this…"

"I can and I will. By the time you wake up, Luna is going to be so far away from here it'll make your head spin, and hopefully, you will never see her again"

He heard her words spin inside his head, swirling and repeating over and over. He felt increasingly weaker, everything around him seemed fuzzy and away, like a memory that never happened.

"I just can't shake off this idea that you were about to make a huge, huge mistake… I apologize in advance for what I'm about to do, I know it is not polite to go through people's stuff, but I think you'll understand if you were in my shoes" she said as she looked around for anything that would answer the question that was on her head.

Thomas grunted in the living room as she searched for evidence anywhere she could find. She went inside his room, looking for the clothes he had on earlier. She saw his blazer hanging out from his coat hanger, and she instinctively went for it.

As soon as she grabbed the jacket she felt the weight. The weight of all her dreams and hopes vanishing in the air. She inserted one hand on the pocket and felt the velvety texture of the curved box, soft like a cotton ball. She took it out of the pocket and hold it in between her small fingers. She walked out to the living room, where Hunt remained confused.

"Why do you have this? I thought you never wanted to get married… what the fuck is this?!" she yelled at him, with all the fury of a hurt woman.

"I love her, Priya. Why can't you understand that?"

"Shut up! You don't know what the fuck you want. She doesn't love you as I do, nobody can! I'm doing this for your own good… so we can be together"

"Priya, stop this right now so we can talk about it. Don't do anything you might regret later"

"I didn't fuck this up, you and that woman did. Say goodbye to that stupid nonsense, from now on there will be no Luna in our way"

Thomas looked at her face, emptiness filled her demeanor. Tears were flowing through her cheeks and she raised the small box to her eye level so she could analyze it better. The blue velvet felt so incredibly soft under her fingers that she caressed it for a couple of seconds while gathering the nerve to open it and reveal its content. Finally, she opened the box so slowly that her hands began to tremble. The lid sprang back and the brilliance of the diamond blinded her for a few seconds. Her eyes widened in terror, horrified by the implications the ring had.

"Forever you and me…" she read directly from the inside of the band. "This is so ironic that I just feel like laughing. You will not see her again, ever. That is now a fact" she smiled as he saw her figure fade out little by little until everything turned dark.