Cristina glimpsed through the window wall where she had a good view of the full moon. Captivated by its unique elegance, she took a deep breath and exhaled peacefully. 'Serenity…' Such a wonderful state of mind. A feeling that had been difficult to come by during her time in the city, but now it was the opposite. She took the whole picture in and completely mesmerized herself in its beauty. "It's a perfect night don't you think?" she asked rather loudly so her sister on the phone could hear. Turning around, she focused on her daughter who was quietly sitting on the couch. A giggle escaped the young mother's lips before playfully covering her eyes. "Peek-a-boo…"

The toddler let out an adorable laugh as she always enjoyed her mother's attention.

"I guess…" responded the older sister. "To be honest I haven't been outside so I can't really say."

Cristina placed a light kiss on Valeria's forehead before picking up the phone and heading towards the kitchen. She wanted to check on a stew that was cooking over the stovetop. "Did Juanito fall asleep already…?"

"He did… literally ran himself to sleep."

"He has so much energy for a three-year-old," chuckled the younger female. "By the way, I was thinking of asking Javier if he could take a few days off from work next month. I would love to visit you and the boys again."

"That would be great," came the response. "Just let me know ahead of time so I can prepare."

Cristina switched off the stove and moved the pot away from the heat. "We should make tamales," she suggested eagerly. "I'm sure Javier and Marco would like that."

A small laugh could be heard from the other side of the line. "You just love to plan ahead don't you…?

Matching her laugh, the twenty-eight-year-old opened one of the upper cabinets and pulled out a bowl. "Of course… I can already picture myself eating like four tamales while drinking a nice warm champurrado." Just the thought of that scenario caused her to squeal in excitement. She filled the bowl with stew and placed it to the side for it to cool. "Quick question, tamarind or pineapple water?"

"Does it matter…?" countered the older sister.

"Tamarind," decided Cristina after a quick thought. She opened the fridge and took out a small pitcher of tamarind water. "Give me a second," she requested before exiting the kitchen and placing the pitcher on the dining room table. As she was returning to the kitchen, she began to hear the heavy footsteps of her husband coming down the stairs.

"Cristina…?" called out Javier as he entered the dining room.

"Just a second," replied his wife from within the kitchen. A short moment later she appeared with two ice-filled cups. "Hi handsome," she greeted warmly before giving him a quick peck on the lips. "You came down just in time for dinner." In no way did she fail to notice that he was a little too well-dressed for a simple dinner. A small detail she decided to ignore. "Let me just bring out the food." Before even being able to turn around, her husband cleared his throat as a way to get her attention.

"Honey," he voiced while fixing one of his sleeves. "Did you forget the text messages I sent you earlier? I told you that I wasn't going to be able to stay for dinner."

"No no," quickly reacted the female as her demeanor changed from an affectionate wife to a more serious one. "Your message said that you might not be able to stay, but you would confirm. The fact that you never did, made me believe that you were going to stay."

"Well, I'm sorry about the miscommunication on my end but I really can't stay tonight."

"Of course you can't," acknowledged Cristina sarcastically while shaking her head. She left the cups on the table before turning her attention back to him. "So, what's the reason this time…? Dinner with a potential customer? Father-son meeting? Get-together with co-workers…?"

Javier shook his head slightly in response. He knew there wasn't any chance of ending this conversation on good terms. "I understand your frustration. I should have made sure you were awar-"

"It's not about that Javier!" she brashly interrupted. Aware of her sudden tone, Cristina took a seat next to the table and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's just that you're always working Mondays through Saturdays. Always gone before I wake up… and always home a few hours till bedtime." She became silent for a moment and turned away from him. She didn't want him to see her troubled expression. "All I want is to spend more time with you… is that too much to ask?"

"Let's not do this any longer," requested the male. He slowly kneeled down and looked her in the eyes. "You know I work this hard to provide the best life for you and Valeria. The two of you are my eternal motivation."

Cristina tried her best to show a genuine smile but couldn't. "When have I ever asked you to go above and beyond for us…? I really hoped that moving here would take your mind away from work; but now, you just seem to be working even more."

Javier let out a small chuckle as he kissed her hand. "And I thought moving here would allow me to focus more on the company. With your parents and friends all around you… I even feared that I would become expendable to you."

Not getting the humor, Cristina pulled her hand away and stood up. She slowly walked for a moment before eventually turning back to him. "That's not funny…" she murmured. "I really miss you… please don't leave us tonight."

Upon hearing those words, he felt a small lump forming in his throat. With a smile, he kissed and embraced his wife. "Everything was so much easier when we were dating wasn't it…? I bet you sometimes wish we could go back to those simpler times don't you?"

"Why can't we…?" questioned the female with hopeful eyes. "If this place isn't working out then I'm willing to move back to the city… Perhaps without the commute, you could spend more time with us. The three of us could take those long walks in the park, we could go to the movies, and how about those late-night board games again…?"

Javier caressed his wife gently on the cheek, "I love you so much." He turned towards a nearby counter and picked up the keys to one of their cars. "And we're not moving back," he stated firmly. "I want this place to work out… for the three of us. And to tell you the truth, I am starting to get bored with all these meetings. Perhaps it won't be long before I decide to take a break from them."

"Why can't you start today…?" she immediately asked. "Can't you just cancel and-"

"Cristina…" sighed the male not wanting to continue the conversation. "I already gave my word."

The young mother turned away with a look of defeat before deciding to just give in. "Well, you should eat before leaving then."

"Honey I- "

"Don't even try," scoffed the female. She picked up one of the cups and poured tamarind water in it. "I want to have dinner together… at least give me that."

Javier was silent for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. "Of course," he responded before taking a seat. "I guess the meeting can wait."

Cristina felt a hint of relief by his response but was nowhere near satisfied. "Let me just say 'bye' to my sister and then I'll bring the food."

As she left the dining room, the male took a sip from his cup. 'A little watery' he thought. Knowing that it was due to some of the ice having melted, he placed the cup down and continued to wait. He wondered if the reason why Araceli requested this night would also be a reason for her to wait.

Later that night, Javier parked his car next to the cabin. The sight of a dim light coming from the inside confirmed to him that she was still here. A smirk formed on his lips as he walked towards the front door. His curiosity began to peak. What could she possibly see in some stilettos for her to wait this long for him?

"You're late," informed Araceli as he entered the cabin.

The male turned to the small kitchen and spotted her leaning towards the counter with a bottle of wine in hand. "I was about to go home."

"Well," he began while walking to the other side of the counter across from her. He grabbed the bottle from her hands and took a rather long sip. "Cristina wasn't too happy about me leaving."

"Should we be worried?" she asked teasingly with a raised eyebrow.

Javier placed the bottle down and focused on the female. "So, tell me about these shoes?"

Not wanting to answer the question just yet, the young female moved the bottle further away and climbed on top of the counter. Now just inches apart, she leaned forward and started seducing him. "Let's not talk about that just yet," she stated in between kisses. "Right now, I'm going to treat you just right." The two locked lips for a short period of time before she was picked up by her lover.

"Then let's not waste any more time," he voiced. And with a malicious smile, he carried her into the only room in the cabin.

A near-dead silence surrounded Cristina as only the soft snores of her daughter were heard. With a shaky hand, she clicked the 'track' option on her screen. A message that read 'searching' started flashing in front of her. The female took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves a bit while the program searched for the location of the car her husband took. 'How cruel,' she thought. A safety measure the couple had once gotten in case their cars were ever stolen, now being used by one of them to track the other. She wanted to trust her husband, she really did. But how much longer was she supposed to accept his excuses for spending late nights away from home without getting suspicious.

After around a minute of searching, the screen displayed a map with a marker indicating where the car was. It was as if her entire body had been thrown into a pool of ice-cold water when she confirmed her suspicions. 'He went there…' she desperately thought. 'He actually went there.' On the screen, it showed that the vehicle was located half an hour away. Just outside the village and into the woods. Words couldn't describe the wave of emotions she was feeling. Everything in her demanded to know why he lied again? What was he doing there? She closed the laptop rather harshly and tried her best to calm down. The unknown was driving her insane. So many questions that her reasoning wanted answers, but her heart preferred to stay ignorant to. "I have to be overthinking it…" she said to herself. Was there any basis to doubt her husband? All she knew to be true was the presence of a wooden cabin in that location. This could all be her insecurities playing mind games. Javier was a respectful and loving man. He always placed Valeria and her needs above his own. In no way did he deserve this lack of trust.

But she has also seen the bank activity. She knows about the continuous withdrawals. Every time she would question him about his work meeting or business dinner the next day, his answers would be somewhat inconsistent. She clutched her head in frustration as her common sense screamed 'infidelity.'

"No, no, no," she voiced abruptly as she stood up and began pacing back and forth. So many emotions were going through her head yet she still wanted to cling to the possibility of being wrong. She turned to Valeria who was still sleeping peacefully. A disheartened but warm smile formed on her lips. Amazing how only her daughter could bring out such a reaction from her regardless of what she was going through. "I'm just overreacting… Javier is a good husband and I can trust him… but if I can't?" There it was again. That uncertainty which continued to rip away at her. She wanted to trust Javier but how can she continue to pretend like everything is perfect when there is a terrible doubt. Her eyes drifted to where the keys to their other car were. She knew where he was so why not go and finally get an answer. Perhaps at the end of the day, she will laugh for having such ridiculous thoughts. Or at the very least, she will finally have an answer. Even if it's one that will cause her great suffering. At that moment her mind was made up. She picked up the phone next to the laptop and started dialing. 'Hopefully, mom is still awake to watch Valeria.'