Chapter 93 - I Will Love You Eternally
He stands on the platform, about to speak to the people. My heart races because of what he is about to do.
"Good afternoon." He appears cheerful, radiating like a beacon. At the main table where my family is seated, Father Gabriel also takes a seat. "I thank each of you for attending my wedding with this beautiful woman." He points at me. "I will say a few words. Actually, I will take a few minutes for two reasons. First, you have just made me the happiest man in the world, and I don't deserve it.
"I will only say that, since her unexpected arrival in my life, I have been able to be human again. The second reason is that I want to tell my father-in-law that I am still not worthy of the angel he has for a daughter."
The audience is captivated by what Roland is saying. Simon approaches him and hands him a guitar. My heart starts pounding. Oh God, he's going to sing to me in public! Raul sits next to me and squeezes my hand.
"What is your husband planning to do?" Luz Marina, sitting on the other side of the table, asks. I shrug my shoulders.
"Mr. Fausto, I know I am not your favorite person, and believe me, I also don't understand what Veronica saw in me. But today, she has given me the greatest gift in the world. As I said, I don't deserve it, but I accept the challenge of being hers alone until death do us part." Where was he going with this? "I will tell you a story from my point of view, and you can discover for yourself what your daughter saw in me. For now, I will tell you what she did to me."
I bit my lip as Roland winked at me. Oh God, did this man just make love to me?
"When she appeared in my life, people around me started saying I had become more human." The audience smiled at his comment. "And it was true. You wondered what she saw in me, and I answer... I don't know. I still don't know what caught your daughter's attention.
"Maybe it was her voice when she insulted one of my bodyguards, or seeing her cry over her dead dog, or her frightened face in a horrible situation when she begged me for help. It could also be when she thanked me in a letter for protecting her, while I only wanted to have her in my bed.
"Something about her attracted and unsettled me to the point of derailing my plans. Mr. Fausto, I have been the worst man in the world. I have broken and defiled every social and divine law, which is why I believe the Lord sent me an angel. Ladies and gentlemen, I have known human corruption and decadence. I never thought a pure person, physically and mentally, could exist.
"I tested her mental purity for a long time, believe me. Veronica is perfect. She blushes at the smallest things." This situation was one of those, as the people at my table looked at me, and my father looked at Roland. "And today..." No, please, God, don't say it. "Now she is my wife."
My face burned as everyone looked at me because of his words, imagining what we did. I felt heat rising from my neck.
"For a corrupt man, sunk in filth, encountering a pure, clean, virgin angel in her state of innocence is overwhelming perfection. I don't know what you saw, Veronica. I can only swear that you will be the last woman in my life. The only thing left to say is that I will give you everything I can after rising from the muck. Thank you for letting me be part of your story." I don't know when I had stood up.
"Mr. Fausto, I don't think any other man can love your daughter more than I do. I chose her over my own life. I might be making a fool of myself." I looked at the people, and most of the women were wiping away tears. "And I don't care... Veronica would say 'a damn,' but you know the word that sounds better.
"Let's complete this foolishness. It's the only way to somewhat match what my wife has done. If you don't understand, it doesn't matter. Winning that look she gives me, the one that says I am perfect, is enough for me because it's the only thing I will seek for the rest of my life, to earn her love every day of my life. Simon."
He called his friend by name and, without taking his eyes off me, received the guitar. There were so many things I didn't know about him.
"One night, one of many when I meditated after believing I didn't deserve her, I wrote some words. Before, every romantic act seemed idiotic to me." He smiled. "Thinking about a woman who makes you write, think about her that way, and believe that without her you don't exist, that was for idiots...
"Well, I hope you like what this idiot did, Vida."
He took a chair, sat down, and a helper adjusted the microphone to the height of the guitar and another to the height of his voice. The women covered their mouths with their hands while I wasn't sure if I was breathing. Was Roland going to sing to me in front of them? And my father says he doesn't know why I love him? It was that outpouring of kindness towards me, that tenderness repressed until a moment ago, shown when his eyes begged for permission to enter my body.
"She managed to bring out a person I didn't believe existed. I like the new version she's made of this servant. She knows every version of my personalities. She settled into the in-betweens of my life without judging my faces. I love you, Veronica. For that reason, on a lonely night, I composed these simple words for you. I'm no singer, but I dedicate this to you. The Silence of Love."
I will fly to you and erase this suffering
I will forget what I lived through, in the pain of wanting to die.
Only you will change my past in your arms.
I opened my mouth and covered it, unable to stop the tears that fell as I listened to him sing.
Before you, I don't know who I was,
And I've changed only for you.
Only you can love,
This tyrant who has only caused you pain.
He had a beautiful voice. He had nothing wrong, well, he had a dark past, but the important thing was that I had seen him change. He was correct in his decisions, even if they were bad, and now he applied the same to his new version.
I can only fly, in the silence of your love
And thus give you the truth without fear.
I can only fly when I hear my heart,
Beating for your love that this man has given you.
I wasn't the only one crying. Ines kept wiping her eyes. I looked at Beatriz, and she was red with anger. Idiot, he's singing to me. When her eyes met mine, she looked down. I won. I looked back at Roland. I whispered, "I love you."
Before you, I don't know who I was
And I've changed only for you
Only you can love
A loser who has made you cry
I'll always be yours. Can I love him more than I already do? Slowly, I walked towards him.
I can only fly, in the silence of your love
And thus give you the truth without fear.
I can only fly when I hear my heart,
Beating for your love that this man has given you.
I heard the applause of the people. He walked towards me. I had gotten so close to the stage without realizing it. His hands cradled my face, and I only breathed when I felt his kiss.
"You've earned the absolute right to be my friend, boyfriend." He bit my lip without losing that mischievous smile. "My husband, spouse, and personal lover."
"I'll be delighted." We laughed like lovesick idiots. Now he positioned himself behind me. "I hope you enjoyed my second wedding gift."
"Ladies and gentlemen!" A grand orchestra entered the stage.
"Good evening, it is our pleasure to get you dancing at this wedding, ladies and gentlemen."
The crowd cheered, applauded, and the first song began. The guests were eager to dance.
"Forgive me, Beautiful, I need you again."
"In what category?" He smiled mischievously.
"For now, as my woman. As for the lover... I still need to train her in certain skills and positions... if I keep talking, I'm going to get excited, please."
"Whenever you want."
I smiled, and he took my hand. Most were happy about the orchestra while he led me to experience our second sexual encounter, with the certainty that once again, it would be the best in the world because we possessed the main ingredient, love.