Maybe I should become a teacher. My class would be about the rules to avoid falling in love. The first one is never kissing the person who's been on your mind if you'd like to forget them. This will only make you think of them more and catch yourself smiling every minute... I mean it! Every stupid minute! Don't follow my example. Although I wanted to convince myself otherwise, I felt everything but regret after that kiss. My heart pounded when I remembered it... Don't judge me! I'm sure emotions make you crazy sometimes. Despite that, I couldn't admit to anyone how I truly felt. I was still heartbroken because of Dirk and did everything to stop the four-letter emotion from returning... Who am I kidding? It already did! I just had to make sure it wouldn't get stronger. Francis whined as I drank alone in a tavern. It was evening already, so the dinner would happen soon. I huffed as Maartje, Laurens, and Nuria showed up.

I glanced at my dog, "Yeah, Francis, I can't have one moment of peace..."

"Don't be grumpy," Maartje sat on my right. "We must talk about your attitude."

"We're confused," Laurens frowned. "Why have you been avoiding Miguel all day?"

Nuria sipped her ale, "You two were inseparable until yesterday and now you're ignoring him?"

I rolled my eyes, "Can't I have some privacy?"

"We're family. There's no privacy," my cousin pushed her rum glass away as if she wanted to see me clearly. "Please, tell us what's going on."

I sighed, "I just need some alone time."

"Storm, you can fool many people, but not us," my oldest friend rubbed his hands. "Are you worried about the dinner?"

"Finally, someone who knows I'm not constantly thinking about feelings!" I forced a smile. "Because that'd be very stupid."

"There are feelings! I was right!" Maartje grinned widely. "Laurens, hand me the gold coins."

He rolled his eyes and did what my cousin asked. Even though I tried to hold my laugh, I couldn't. My friends were unbelievable. Francis barked, seemingly surprised.

I narrowed my eyes, "You made a bet on my personal life? Seriously?"

My master gunner shrugged, "That's what friends are for."

"You and Miguel are slower than broken-legged turtles to get together," Maartje kept the coins in her vest. "Besides, he's our friend and doesn't deserve to be avoided."

I took a long sip of my rum, "For the hundredth time, I'm not avoiding him!"

"Even Francis knows you're lying," my cousin glanced at my dog. "I'm not leaving until you tell the truth. I can stay here all night."

"Well, I can't!" I scowled. "I need to meet the mysterious woman soon!"

"Come on, guapa..." Nuria caressed my arm. "We want to help."

"Fine!" I squeezed my eyes shut. "Do you promise not to overreact?"

The three nodded. Deep down, I wanted to reveal everything. I couldn't keep the truth to myself anymore. Francis licked my boots, apparently trying to calm me down.

I took a deep breath, "Miguel and I kissed last night."

My friends cheered and gave me endless pats on the back. Nuria and Maartje hugged each other... No, I'm not kidding. I put both hands on my face, regretting what I'd said already. Francis wagged his tail and ran around the table... Not even my dog listened to my request! I chuckled as Laurens gave two gold coins to Maartje and two others to Nuria.

So much for avoiding an exaggerated reaction...

"Here's to the union of two wonderful people!" my oldest friend clinked glasses with the two women. "I'll become poor if I keep making bets..."

"I've waited so long for this!" Maartje's eyes gleamed. "Eva's finally with a man who truly deserves her."

"Our prayers have been heard!" Nuria's lips curled into a face-wide grin. "I told you lighting those candles would work!"

"We aren't together. I won't be with anyone after Dirk broke my heart and..." I frowned while turning to Nuria. "Did you say candles?"

Laurens crossed his arms, "I can't believe I wasted a toast!"

My friends were so silent that it seemed I was at a funeral. They went from cheering to grieving in a few seconds... Wasn't that pleasant? Simply wonderful! Francis recoiled. I bit my lower lip, hoping no one would interrogate me.

Nuria scowled, "Who's Dirk? What exactly did he do? I swear I'll kill him..."

My cousin stared at the table, "I'll explain everything later if Eva allows me. To summarize, he was a complete idiot who treated her horribly."

"Love died for me," I huffed. "I'm not repeating the past."

"Don't let that bastard stop you from being happy!" Laurens looked deep into my eyes. "Miguel is nothing like him!"

I shook my head in denial, "I can't risk getting hurt again."

"You're comparing garbage to gold! Miguel will never mistreat you," Maartje's eyes widened. "He's nicer than me because I almost sent Dirk to hell a long time ago."

I chuckled nervously, "What do you mean?"

"Bosch came back drunk to Ocean Storm once and wouldn't stop talking about swimming," my cousin sighed. "I wanted to make him walk the plank, but Miguel disagreed. He said that'd be cruel and you'd get upset."

"You nearly threw Dirk to the sharks?" I laughed. "My family is indeed the craziest!"

"Dios, I regret eating those shrimps!" Nuria put a hand on her mouth and seemed nauseous. "Anyway, past heartbreaks aside, how do you feel about my brother?"

Should I be honest?

My heart started beating faster just with the thought of Miguel. Although I tried to ignore it, my emotions only grew stronger with time. Perhaps they've been there because, deep down, I knew I'd made a mistake with Dirk. Tess was the only true happiness he gave me. I shouldn't have insisted on that damn relationship, hoping the idiot would change. I was more afraid to be with someone different than with a toxic man... Yes, you may laugh! I took a deep breath, sick of suppressing my emotions.

"I can't stop thinking about Miguel. The way he makes me smile, his touch, his sweetness... Life is much better with him. Everything seems right when we're together," I grinned widely. "I've never felt this way before. Not even with Dirk. This is so strange!"

"It's not strange. It's love," Maartje's lips curled into such a huge smile I thought her cheeks would burst. "What are you waiting for? Tell him how you feel!"

"I had the worst experience with romance," I crossed my arms. "I'm not ready for someone new."

Laurens chuckled, "First, Miguel isn't new because you've known each other for years. Second, if you don't go after him, someone else will."

"I'll think about it," I stood up. "Now, I must head to the mysterious lady's house. Please take care of Francis."

After leaving the tavern, I paced, feeling a headache bad enough to explode my skull. My emotions, the dinner, the SHA... Everything was doing a great job in making me insane! When I thought I'd relax with my friends... Guess what? They made me feel worse! I shouldn't have confessed my feelings. Besides making it harder to suppress them, I'd created expectations.

"Why didn't I keep my mouth shut?" I put both hands on my face. "I was perfectly happy ignoring my emotions!"

"You really inherited my sister's stubbornness..." a familiar male voice said from behind.

My eyes filled with tears as I looked back. Uncle Ruben smiled and I tried to hug him... Yes, that was stupid. He was a ghost, so my arms passed through him. I breathed faster, remembering his brutal death.

"Uncle Ruben, you have no idea how much I've missed you!" I wiped away my tears. "What would you like to tell me?"

"First, I want to apologize for the whole SHA thing," he sighed. "If I hadn't chosen the wrong men to take care of your mother, she wouldn't hate pirates, and none of this would've happened."

"This isn't your fault. You couldn't have known," I removed my hand from my uncle's shoulder after remembering he wasn't alive. "Did you ever think Hendrika killed me?"

Uncle Ruben shook his head in denial, "I don't believe in rumors as much as my sister does. I lost contact with her, so she never found out you weren't dead."

I crossed my arms, "Why didn't you take me to my mom?"

"I love Carolien, but she's deeply troubled and loses control easily. She almost hit you twice when you were a baby," my uncle squeezed his eyes shut and seemed to be holding tears. "I didn't want to put you in another dangerous situation."

That makes a lot of sense. Mom did try to kill me...

Even though I was upset he didn't take me to my mother, I understood his concern... Don't judge me! You saw what she did. I've spent enough years with my uncle to know all he wanted was to protect Maartje and me.

"Maybe this woman I'm meeting will help me convince my mom of the truth," I stared at the ground. "She's my last hope."

"If she doesn't collaborate, you'll find a way out," my uncle sighed. "You're the smartest captain ever."

"You and Miguel always cheer me up in my worst moments," I chuckled. "It's impressive."

"We both know who's better at it," he smiled sweetly. "You love him, don't you?"

I looked away, praying my uncle would forget about his question... Who am I kidding? He was Maartje's father, so that couldn't happen! Uncle Ruben laughed softly as if he'd read my mind.

I crossed my arms, "It doesn't matter."

"Don't do this to yourself," my uncle took a step back. "You deserve happiness."

Uncle Ruben vanished in a white light before I could say anything. Shaking my head in denial, I walked another block. My eyes bulged once I approached the woman's door. Despite our awkward situation, Gálvez hadn't disappointed me... Couldn't he break my heart at least once to make my life easier? Damn it! He gazed at the sky, seemingly worried.

Maybe I should tell Miguel the truth once and for all...

I bit my lower lip, "I didn't think you'd come after... You know."

"Don't worry," Miguel wiped some dirt off his dark green coat. "Would you like to talk about what happened?"

"Not really," I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry for running away last night."

"It's alright. I understand," Gálvez approached the door. "Shall we knock?"

I rubbed my hands, "Before that, you must know something."

Miguel tilted his head to the side. I took a deep breath, preparing to confess my feelings. They were so strong that I didn't know how to express them without looking ridiculous. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Although the words begged me to release them, I froze.

"Never mind. It's a silly thing," I laughed nervously. "Can I tell you later?"

"It seemed important," Gálvez raised a brow. "Are you sure?"

Why don't people stop torturing me?

I chewed on my lip, hoping he hadn't noticed my nervousness. Even though I hated myself for giving up, I couldn't talk about that subject. My heart was far from ready.

I nodded, "It can wait."

"Muy bien. Do whatever you think it's best," he knocked on the door. "Let's hope this woman isn't terrible."

I sighed, "She can't be worse than Hendrika."

"Nothing is crueler than flogging a child. I was horrified when you told me that story," Gálvez scowled. "Your stepmother should've been punished for what she did."

"I couldn't agree more. Although I'm older now, Hendrika still scares me," I gulped while remembering her whip. "If she comes back someday, I know you'll protect me."

Miguel nodded and smiled, "Of course. Always."

We locked eyes for a moment. I looked away to avoid getting distracted. I sighed in relief once the lady showed up... She didn't have a gun! Wasn't that wonderful? The woman had long reddish-brown hair, blue eyes, light skin, and wore a red dress. She was paralyzed after seeing Miguel. His eyes bulged. I squinted, trying to understand what was going on.

"Miguel? What a great surprise!" the lady's lips curled into a wide grin. "Did you miss me, mon chéri?"

Gálvez narrowed his eyes, "Not even a little bit."

I breathed faster as the two kept staring at each other. The lady was smiling, but Miguel's expression was stern. I wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or scream, but something was off.

"We're probably in the wrong house," I forced a smile. "Let's go."

"Why the rush?" she walked closer. "I was expecting you, Captain Storm."

I controlled myself not to freak out, "Who are you?"

"I'm Juliette Dupont," the French lady winked at Miguel. "This night will be very interesting..."

I gaped... You guessed it right! She was the heartless monster who'd broken Gálvez's heart! Juliette was the only woman who could convince my mother to destroy the SHA. My fate was in the hands of Miguel's evil past lover... Wasn't that great? Juliette looked at him like a predator. I thought she'd get a fishnet to pull Miguel closer... Witch! I've never been so eager to punch someone in the face... Panting, I felt a waterfall of sweat running down my back. Don't follow my example. Reveal your feelings before it's too late. People were right... You don't know how much you want someone until you're close to losing them. 

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Author's note: Hey! Thank you for reading! I hope everyone is well. Please vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter and follow the "Battles and Secrets" playlist on Spotify. All translations can be found below. Will Juliette win Miguel back? How will Eva deal with this risk? Keep reading and you'll find out... :-) Also, take a look at my aesthetic for Juliette below the translations.

I dedicate this chapter to my dear friend _ru__pal_

Foreign words/expressions in order of appearance:

1. Mon chéri means "my darling" in French

I chose Léa Seydoux to be Juliette Dupont because she fits Juliette's description perfectly and I really like her as an actress, especially in the James Bond movies. If "Battles and Secrets" becomes a movie someday, I believe Léa would be a great choice to play Juliette. I hope you like my aesthetic!