Love Has Faded

I watched their figures disappear into the distance, feeling as if my heart was tightly gripped by an invisible hand, suffocating me.

"You guys continue drinking, I need to step outside for some air."

I turned to face Luca, whose face was full of concern. I forced a smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes.

As soon as I stepped out of the bar, my eyes immediately caught sight of Camila and Mateo not far away.

At that moment, the two of them were leaning against the car, tightly embraced, kissing passionately.

Their fragmented conversation reached my ears.

"Mateo, why are you pretending to be drunk?"

"I’m pretending to be drunk because I like you and I want to get closer to you."

"After what just happened, you still dared to come close to me? Don’t do that again next time."

"What’s the big deal? Didn’t you say you only love me?"

I watched as Mateo picked Camila up around the waist and the two of them got into the car together.

My phone suddenly rang in my pocket. Trembling, I took it out and saw that the message came from the security system on my phone.

It seemed that Camila had been in such a hurry to leave today that she, who usually only drives her own car, was now driving mine.

Not long after I bought the car, I had encountered an incident where someone had tried to break into it and steal from it.

At that time, when Camila found out about the attempted break-in, she hugged me with red eyes, saying she wanted to install surveillance cameras on the car. She said she was worried about me and wanted to ensure my safety.

On the day the cameras were being installed, Camila had something come up and couldn’t make it, so the system was directly linked to my phone.

Looking back now, it was thanks to this surveillance that I was able to clearly see everything that had happened.

I watched the footage on the screen, seeing Camila and Mateo making out. Their clothes grew fewer and fewer, until they were almost completely naked.

Camila tightly embraced Mateo, repeatedly saying, "Mateo, I love you."

My eyes turned bloodshot as I stared at the woman in the footage, feeling a sharp pain in my chest that grew more intense.

I had been with Camila for six years, but I had never seen this side of her.

Trembling, I clicked the save button on the footage, closed the surveillance screen and turned around to head back to the bar.

When I returned, my expression was even darker and more somber. Seeing this, Luca poured me another drink and cautiously asked, "What happened?"

I didn’t answer. I remained silent, drinking one glass after another, not stopping.

At this moment, my mind was a chaotic mess. I didn’t know what to do, so I tried to numb myself with alcohol.

Seeing my silence, Luca quietly stayed by my side, drinking with me, one glass after another.

I lost track of time and before I knew it, the bar had emptied out and Camila’s call came through.

"Honey, why aren't you back yet? Are you still at the bar? I’ll come pick you up."

Before I could say anything, the call was abruptly disconnected.

I stared blankly at the phone in my hand, a faint voice in my mind growing louder, urging me to face the reality I had been avoiding.

When Camila arrived, I was still drinking. Seeing me in such a drunken state, she rushed over and snatched the glass from my hand.

"Honey, you can't drink anymore! Let's go, Adrian. We'll go home."

Seeing my furrowed brows, Camila softened her tone, gently placing a hand on me as she guided me toward the door.

As soon as the car door opened, a heavy, greasy scent hit me.

A wave of nausea surged in my stomach and I pushed Camila, who had been holding me, away as I instinctively gagged.

When I took the tissue she handed me, I clearly noticed a fleeting look of disgust and impatience in her eyes.