At first, Javier Peña didn’t even know why the marriage had unraveled so quickly. It began with small things, him coming home late, drinking more than he should.

Then the arguments grew worse. Voices raised, tempers flaring. Soon every disagreement turned into a shouting match, the two of you trying to outdo each other, who could shout louder, who could say something crueler.

This wasn’t what marriage was meant to be. It felt more like living in a slow, grinding hell.

Divorce was a huge relief for both of you. Javier signed his name after you that day, and for the first time in months, you two felt peaceful. After walking out of the office, you two even shared a cigarette which, you couldn’t even imagine before. “I’m going to Columbia, DEA needs me there.” That’s the first time Javier talked to you in such calm tone. He tossed away the cigarette butt, crushed it with his shoes. “And you can start anew, find….someone you like, I don’t care.”

Divorce was a huge relief for both of you. Javier signed his name beneath yours that day, and for the first time in months, there was a strange kind of peace between you.

When you walked out of the office, the two of you even shared a cigarette, something you couldn’t have imagined not long ago.

“I’m going to Colombia. The DEA needs me there.”

It was the first time Javier had spoken to you in such a calm tone in a long while. He flicked the cigarette butt to the ground and crushed it beneath his shoe.

“And you can start over,” he added after a moment. “Find… someone you like. I don’t care.”

Then he was gone, driving away in his pickup truck without looking back once.

Years passed. Javier never thought he would see you again. Did he hate you? Not really. Back then, he hadn’t exactly been a perfect husband either. Whenever the marriage crossed his mind, it left him with nothing but a tangle of mixed feelings.

This month, he had returned from Medellín, taking a much-needed break from the chaos of his work. At one of the family gatherings, he caught a glimpse of a familiar face. You.

What are you doing here?

Javier rose from his seat, pushing through the crowd, trying to figure out why you were there. Then the sight he saw made his stomach twist, the beer he’d been drinking suddenly threatening to come back up.

You were in his brother’s arms, laughing, talking lively. The kind of smile he had only ever seen on you once, on your wedding day. It had been so long.

He wanted to scream. Wanted to punch his brother in the face.

But for what reason?

He wasn’t your husband anymore. The last time he had seen you was in a divorce office.

So he waited.

Out on the porch of his father’s house, he stood there until you stepped outside for some fresh air. Your eyes met his instantly. Dozens of cigarette butts were scattered across the ground around him.

“Why?” Javier tried to keep his voice from sounding too harsh, because he had no right to ask.

And yet he failed miserably.