Page 112 of What Happens in Paradise

Cooking and baking weren’t my forte. But Alejandro loved food. It was his passion and the way to his heart. I wasn’t expecting a sponge cake to make him forgive all the mistakes I’d made and I knew he must hate me, but I needed him to know how sorry I was. And I hoped that by doing something outside of my comfort zone, like baking, just because I knew he’d like it, it’d show him that I was trying to make an effort.

I hoped that the gesture would be one small step towards a long path of forgiveness.

It was probably too late to salvage any hope of a relationship with him, but I had to try. Men like Alejandro didn’t come around every day and I was a fool to let him slip through my fingers.

I’d had a lot of time to think this past week and I’d realised a lot of things.

I’d been worried about the age gap thing, but Alejandro had displayed a more mature attitude than me. None of us knew what would happen in the future. All we could do was live for now.

I’d been worried about whether Alejandro would wake up one day and want children, by which point, it’d be much harder for me to fall pregnant. But who’s to say that I wouldn’t wake up in six months’ time and decide that I wanted children?

It was impossible for anyone to predict the future. I didn’t know what was in store. All I knew was how I felt right now. And as much as I’d tried to deny it, I loved Alejandro with all my heart. I was scared to admit it before, but now I wanted the world to know.

There were billions of women in the world and I was the one he wanted to be with. And even if every single man on earth offered themselves on a platter to me, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was only one man that I wanted: Alejandro.

He had everything I wanted in a man and more. He was so loyal, so kind, so caring, so loving. And whether we got to spend five years together or forever like I hoped, I wanted to treasure every single second.

Once I’d transferred the cake to the box I’d bought, I ordered a taxi to drop me at Alejandro’s apartment. I had to send a package to his place from the hotel a few months ago, so I still had his address on an old email.

Luckily, when I arrived, someone was just leaving the building, so I was able to get inside without ringing the buzzer.

When I found his door, I placed the box on the floor, knocked the door, then left.

It wasn’t fair to just turn up unannounced and expect him to talk to me. I’d left the cake; now I had to leave it to him to decide whether he wanted to contact me.

As the taxi pulled up back outside my building, I spotted a large, black Mercedes parked in front of the main door.

I took out my key and just as I put it in the lock, I heard my name being called.

‘Jasmine?’

I spun around, then my eyes popped as I saw a tall woman with short, dark hair.

‘Oh my goodness, Celine. What are you doing here?’

‘I got your email. Can we talk?’

‘Oh! Great! Yes! Of course!’ I stuttered, opening the door and leading her up to my apartment. It was only when I opened the door that I remembered that the open-plan kitchen was a tip. ‘Sorry about the mess.’ I winced. ‘I’d just finished baking.’

‘No problem.’ She waved her hand. ‘You have a lovely home.’

‘Thank you.’ I exhaled. It was a modern and minimalist style apartment with simple décor. Plain white walls with some paintings I’d bought when I’d moved to Spain lining the walls, oak wooden floors and neutral-coloured furniture. ‘Would you like something to drink?’

‘Water would be lovely.’

Once I poured two glasses, I joined her on the sofa.

‘So, you said you read my email?’

‘I did. And Alejandro’s.’

‘He emailed?’ I frowned.

‘He did. So did his sister. And several former guests including Stella and Max. Multiple times…’

‘Oh,’ I said, unsure whether she was annoyed that she’d been bombarded.

‘And it made me really angry,’ she said. My stomach twisted with dread, but then just as I was about to protest and stand my ground, she continued. ‘When I first set up the Love Hotel, I wanted it to be a place of positivity, love and happiness. An idyllic retreat where couples could find love and somewhere the best people in the business would enjoy working. I always wanted it to have a family vibe. A warm, welcoming atmosphere.’

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