Nora stopped in front of me and, with a warm smile, placed a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee on the table. I breathed in the rich aroma and gratefully moved my laptop aside to make room for the cup.

"Thank you very much," I said appreciatively as I reached to warm my hands with the cup, as even though the local pub was nearby, I felt I had cooled down on the way there.

Nora tilted her head curiously, her eyes scrutinizing the glow of my screen. "Are you working on something special?" she asked, a spark of intrigue dancing in her gaze.

"I'm trying," I confessed with a frustrated sigh as the rebellious words resisted taking shape. "It's much harder than I imagined."

"Erik told me you're a writer. Are you working on a book?" she asked excitedly, her voice full of curiosity and admiration.

I nodded, sliding my gaze back to the blank screen. "More and less," I confessed with a resigned smile, feeling the weight of my own expectations pressing down on my shoulders. "Although I'm still not sure what kind of story I want to tell."

Erik had left the island the day before, and although we kept chatting through messages, I couldn't help but think of him more often than I consciously wanted to. It was impossible for me to write something about love without my memories with him hijacking my mind.

At this time of the afternoon, the pub was practically empty, except for a couple of people and myself. Nora sat down beside me, curious about my venture into being a writer.

"I like love stories," she said as she settled into her seat. My eyes drifted towards the bar, where Callum, the curly-haired guy, was busy preparing some drinks. Nora blushed and denied something that hadn't been asked aloud. I smiled innocently, though inside I knew there was something more between the two of them.

"We're just friends," she clarified, as if she could read my thoughts.

"He's very handsome," I said, admiring his face as she blushed slightly.

"Erik is too," she replied with a mischievous smile, causing me to blush as well.

"He is," I agreed, trying to hide a foolish smile.

"Do you like him?"

Before I even had the chance to answer, the door of the pub swung open. My amused smile froze instantly when I saw Nora getting up and enthusiastically greeting two newly arrived tourists. And I immediately knew they were tourists because they weren't speaking English... and because I instantly recognized Oliver, with his blonde lover on his arm.

A knot formed in my stomach, and my heart began to pound frantically. I felt the urge to vomit as I lowered my gaze, searching for anything to cover my face and hide. How was this possible? Of all the damned places in the world... why the hell did Oliver have to be right here on this remote island lost in the middle of nowhere? I felt trapped in a nightmare impossible to escape from.

"Andrea! What a surprise!" he said, quickly approaching the table.

A suffocating lump formed in my throat as I tried to control my breathing and force a fake smile on my face.

"Oliver... what are you doing here?" I asked, unable to avoid stealing a furtive glance at the blonde woman whom I had casually met and who innocently told me about her wonderful relationship with her boss.

"Well, you won't believe it. Lucía and I wanted to take a trip and explore this part of the world. We were recommended this island and thought... why not? Oh, sorry, let me introduce you to her," he said, as I felt my blood begin to boil.

The girl took a second to recognize me, but then showed a huge smile.

"Hey! You're the woman from the nail salon... I remember your eyes!" she said with a friendly smile, completely unaware of the truth.

Our encounter was pure chance. I didn't usually go to that area, but that day I wanted to surprise Oliver and take him out to eat after getting my nails done. And there she was, so in love that she couldn't stop talking about the love of her life, an older man who was about to leave his wife for her because their relationship was horrible.

When she unlocked her phone to show me a photo of them together, I felt my stomach churning with disgust. She didn't take long to tell me they had been together for six months, and at that moment my world fell apart.

"Yes, what a coincidence..." I replied with a trembling voice. I didn't have the courage to tell that naive girl who I really was, or who her beloved Oliver was. But maybe I should have.

I had no idea why the hell Oliver was there, but I couldn't bear to be under the same roof as him for another second. So I simply closed my laptop and put it in my bag with the intention of leaving.

"Are you leaving already? Come on, stay for a drink with us, you still... are you drinking coffee?" he asked, the cup still on the table. My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. How could he act like this? As if everything was fine and he hadn't shattered my life? I knew I couldn't stay a second longer in that place, with him.

"No!" I said, louder than I meant to, feeling a burning sensation in my chest threatening to explode.

"Oh, come on, Andrea. Don't be so dramatic," he said with a mocking smile as he held onto my arm tighter than necessary. I felt the urge to hit him over the head with my laptop, but all I could do was scream silently as I shook my head.

"I'm really sorry," he said as he continued to squeeze my arm, starting to hurt me. I could feel his fingers digging into my skin, and I had to hold back tears.

"I'm glad to see you," he added with a malicious look, intensifying my desire to escape even more. How could he be here? I had chosen that distant island precisely to get away from him, and now he was in front of me again, looking at me with his eyes full of malice.

Nora approached, worried about me, and asked if everything was okay. But all I could think about was escaping, leaving behind that cursed island and the monster in front of me.

"I have to go. Goodbye, Nora," I said with a strong pull to free myself from Oliver's grip. I struggled to get out, feeling my lungs struggling to get enough air. As I stepped outside, the cold island weather made my cheeks burn, and I couldn't hold back the tears that began to flow from the rage that consumed me. I walked back home with long, quick strides, locking myself in my room and closing the curtains, leaning against the wall as I struggled to breathe.

I couldn't help but wonder how it was possible. Why was Oliver there? I knew it wasn't a coincidence. He knew I would be here, he had come to rub his new girlfriend in my face, the one who, according to Virginia, he had proposed to. Why couldn't he leave me alone? I had left his life without causing more trouble than the fact of disappearing... Why was he doing this? What did he want from me? Anger and confusion swirled inside me, threatening to drown me as I faced Oliver's betrayal once again.

My body shook as I got up from the floor. I walked to the bathroom almost dragging myself, desperate to get away from him and his disgusting memory. With each garment I removed along the way, I felt the need to burn it, to destroy any trace of his presence in my life.

I turned on the hot water and submerged myself under it, feeling the intense heat trying to erase the marks his touch had left on my skin. But I couldn't escape that horrible feeling of his hands squeezing my arm tightly, or his malicious gaze. I screamed with fury, and my screams mingled with sobs as tears streamed down my face. I cried until there were no more tears left, and when I finally turned off the tap, I wrapped myself in a towel and crawled into bed, hiding among the sheets, wishing to disappear from the world and forget that he existed. But I knew it was impossible, because he would always come back to remind me that I couldn't escape from him.