Page 16 of Stronger Than Fate

“Never let doubts paralyze your actions. Always make all the decisions you need to make, even without having the security or certainty that you are deciding correctly”

—Paulo Coelho

Iarrived at the hotel at 5:30. It was Saturday, so I could rest without having to set an alarm. When I was lying in my bed, I felt calmer, although I knew that the situation with Henry was far from resolved.

At nine o’clock, my phone’s ringtone woke me up. It was Sol.

“Hi, Sol”

“I can’t believe you left without telling me! Why didn’t you call me?! You’re a terrible friend!”

“Stop shouting, please. Are you still at Niky’s house?”

“Yes, I’m still here. Niky doesn’t want me to leave and I don’t want to either. She believed, or at least said she believed your version, but just so you know, I’m clear that you left because of Henry Woollardy. When we meet, you’ll have to give me a long explanation because you’ve been evasive and I can’t stand that.”

“How do you know his name?” I asked, because it caught my attention that she knew his first and last name, I didn’t remember telling her.

“Niky mentioned it,” she said, though she seemed to become defensive and a bit nervous.

“You’re right. It’s true, I left because I didn’t want to run into him again. But please don’t say anything.”

“I won’t say anything. I’ll tell you that he came into the kitchen when we were having breakfast and asked about you, and when Niky told him you had left, he couldn’t hide his surprise and anger. You owe me a big explanation and I assure you that you won’t get away with this one.”

“The thing is that he just wants to get me into bed, nothing more,” I stated.

“That’s obvious, it’s not news, men like him always want the same thing, to take any woman to bed. But where do you know him from?”

“I met him once when he was at the hotel, and because you talk as if you know him.”

“Not at all,” she responded immediately. “Why don’t you come back? He’s gone already, he left right away.”

“I prefer to stay here. I’m sorry everything ended like this, I would have liked to spend the weekend with you all.”

“We’ll do it again another time.”

“I’m not going back to that house, I’m sorry for Niky, but just to be safe, I won’t go there anymore.”

“I agree with that. Next time it will be at your hotel or at my house.”

“Anywhere, except where I might run into him.”

“Why does he confuse you so much? You’re acting very strange. You’re not...”

“What?”

“Are you in love with Henry Woollardy?” she asked, though it sounded more like a statement, I even thought there was a hint of reproach in her voice.

“How could you think such nonsense?”

“Dalina, in this case I feel obligated to tell you to be careful. He’s a man who is several years older than you, a grown man and a great seductive charmer with extensive experience with women. Next to him, you’re just a girl, and I don’t say this justbecause of age, I say it because of your lack of experience. It worries me and I don’t like that this guy throws you off balance to the point that you want to run away. Stay away from him,” she said, and I don’t know why, but that last part seemed like a threat, but obviously it couldn’t be.

“Don’t worry. Have fun and I’m sorry for leaving.”

“I forgive you. Take care and don’t forget what I said,” she repeated, returning to being the considerate friend.

“I promise, thank you.”

I ended the call with my friend’s words spinning around in my head. I was convinced that Henry was only interested in sex without any kind of involvement, and apparently my friend thought the same. You could recognize that type of man just by looking at them. I shook my head, I didn’t want to keep thinking about him. It was better to try to get some sleep. I was about to do so when the phone rang again. I assumed it was Sol again who had forgotten to tell me something, but it was a number I didn’t have registered. I answered thinking it might be about something related to the hotel.