Rebirth in Autumn (Renaciendo en otoño)

Nina Vega is a brilliant yet emotionally stagnant young woman whose life takes a turn when she meets Christopher, an older, charismatic, and sophisticated man with whom she begins a romance defined by luxury, intensity, and promises of a new beginning. But when she discovers he remains bound to a marriage marked by tragedy, Nina must choose between living in another woman’s shadow or leaving the man she loves in order to reclaim herself.

Nina Vega emigrated from Cuba to the United States as a teenager and, through discipline and sacrifice, built a solid career in the world of politics in Washington, D.C. She works for an influential organization, is professionally respected, and moves within circles of power, yet she feels emotionally empty, disconnected from her own life, and trapped in a routine that no longer inspires her. She seeks small escapes in art and museums, trying to recover a sense of purpose she feels she has lost.

During a visit to the National Gallery of Art, she meets Christopher Harlow, a New York investor older than she is—elegant, charismatic, and extremely self-assured. The attraction is immediate. Weeks later, chance brings them together again in New York, and from that encounter begins an intense relationship marked by overwhelming chemistry. Christopher introduces her to his world of luxury and privilege: refined breakfasts, exclusive evenings, helicopter trips, and an idyllic weekend at his private estate. Nina, who has never experienced such a relationship, allows herself to be carried away by the absolute attention he gives her and by the sensation of finally feeling alive.

As the relationship progresses, Christopher speaks of a future together and suggests she move to New York. Nina begins to imagine a new life at his side. However, back in Washington, she discovers on her own that Christopher is still legally married to Alisen Harlow. Devastated, she confronts him. Christopher confesses that his marriage fell apart after the death of their only child and his wife’s subsequent infidelity. He insists they have been separated for months and that the divorce is stalled only because Alisen refuses to sign the papers. He promises Nina that he chooses her and that he will close that chapter for good.

Though it hurts, Nina decides to believe him. As a gesture of trust and mutual commitment, Christopher arranges a clandestine trip to Cuba using his international connections. For Nina, returning to Havana with him carries deep emotional weight: they walk along the Malecón at dawn, visit the neighborhood where she grew up, and share intimate memories of her childhood. The trip marks the highest point of their relationship, consolidating a bond Nina feel is authentic and irreplaceable.

Determined to bet on that love, Nina moves to New York to be closer to Christopher and begins reorganizing her life around him. Yet the past reemerges in a devastating way. Alisen suffers severe complications during spinal surgery that leaves her paralyzed from the neck down. Christopher, still legally her husband, assumes responsibility for her care. The tragedy plunges him into guilt and into a duty he cannot evade.

From that moment on, the dynamic between Nina and Christopher changes radically. He asks for patience, assures her everything will be resolved, but becomes trapped between his love for Nina and his obligation toward a woman with whom he shared thirteen years of life and the loss of a child. Nina shifts from being the center of his world to becoming a secondary presence. She lives suspended in indefinite waiting, feeling invisible, emotionally sidelined, and trapped in a relationship that can no longer move forward.

Nina struggles internally, trying to accept the situation and preserve the bond, but each day it becomes clearer that she occupies the role of “the other woman.” In a final conversation charged with pain, Christopher asks her to endure, to trust, to be patient while he resolves his reality. Nina understands then that she cannot build her happiness upon another woman’s tragedy, nor accept a love that exists only on the margins.

Heartbroken, she decides to leave. Not because she has stopped loving Christopher, but because she realizes that, for the first time in her life, she must choose herself. Nina comes to understand that true rebirth does not come from romantic love, but from the moment a woman stops waiting to be saved and takes control of her own life.

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Yali Núñez is an American writer and communications professional of Latino heritage. She has developed an extensive career in journalism and strategic communications, shaping an analytical and contemporary perspective on social and political reality.

Her debut novel, Renaciendo en otoño, lies between contemporary romance and intimate drama, sensitively exploring universal themes such as choice, guilt, and the limits of love.

With a well-defined structure, the story develops a solid and progressive emotional arc for its female protagonist, accompanying her on a journey of desire, conflict, and maturity. Accessible, elegant, and intense, is a work designed to connect with a broad adult audience and particularly attractive for a potential film adaptation.

AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Movie.

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish, English.