When Mariela Logan went to pick up Jaime Herman from a drinking gathering, she overheard a conversation coming from inside the private room, and she paused at the door. Jay, Juliette is back in the country. What about Mariela? Jaime sounded indifferent. What about her? You’ve been with her for three years already, right? Now that Juliette is back, who are you gonna choose?
Through the crack in the door, Mariela saw Jaime light a cigarette. Amidst the swirling smoke, he fell silent for a moment, and then, in a low voice, he said, I don’t know. I don’t want to hurt Mariela, but I can’t let go of Juliette either. His friend sighed, Juliette is your beloved. Your relationship back then was so intense; it makes perfect sense that you can’t let go of her.
Another friend of his chimed in, Come on. Mariela has been with you for three years, and she’s so pretty. And you can’t let go of Juliette? Still? Jaime rubbed his temple and said, his voice carrying a hint of weariness, I admit Mariela is very pretty. I pursued her precisely because she reminded me of Juliette. Over the years, I’ve been trying to find similarities between her and Juliette.
