Chapter 91: Part 1

NARRATOR

Sebastián woke early, his mind still tangled by what had happened the night before. The sun was barely rising over the Sicilian hills, staining the sky a bloody red that felt like an omen. He had spent the night tossing and turning, the mattress sinking beneath his weight as if it carried that of his entire family. He could hear the distant footsteps of the guards patrolling the perimeter, the creak of the floorboards upstairs where Sofia cried in silence. He did not regret stopping Valentina—saving that young man from a brutal death—but he knew his decision would bring inevitable consequences.

He got up with tense muscles, his body marked by accumulated exhaustion. He poured himself a black coffee in the study, the bitter aroma filling the still air, and drank it standing, staring out the window. In the garden, the servants had begun their tasks as if nothing had happened: pruning rosebushes, sweeping fallen leaves, ignoring the invisible weight hanging over the mansion. But he knew that within those stone walls, everything was about to break.

Valentina came down the stairs a little later, her heels echoing like gunshots in the morning silence. She wore a white dress that contrasted with the darkness of her mood, clinging to her still-slender figure. A lit cigarette dangled between her trembling fingers, smoke rising in spirals. Her makeup, applied in haste, barely concealed the deep circles under her eyes. Her gaze was cold, her face tense.

“Did you sleep well, Sebastián?” she asked sarcastically, crushing the cigarette into a crystal ashtray with more force than necessary.

He didn’t look at her, his eyes fixed on the horizon.

“Not much.” He set the cup down on the desk with a dry thud. “Last night you nearly killed an innocent boy.”

Valentina let out a dry laugh, a harsh sound that reverberated through the room.

“A boy who tried to grope our daughter. Should I have thanked him?”

“Don’t you dare justify what you did.” Sebastián turned slowly, his dark eyes locking onto hers with intensity. “You tortured him like he was an enemy of the clan. Is that what you want for your daughter? To live terrified of her own mother?”

“And you?” she shot back, stepping closer with clenched fists. “Since when do your hands tremble when it’s time to punish someone who stains the surname? Your father would have killed that pig without a second thought. But you… you’ve gone soft, Sebastián. You let Santiago adopt a street orphan, let Saint Mateo hide his bastard daughters, and now you defend servants. What happened to you?”

Sebastián took a deep breath, bile rising in his throat.

“Don’t confuse humanity with weakness. That boy wasn’t an enemy, Valentina. Just a lovestruck idiot, like I once was. But you… you’ve turned this home into a battlefield.”

“Humanity,” she repeated with sarcasm, her voice trembling with rage. “No, what you have is guilt. You feel guilty because you can’t control anything. Not your brothers, not your daughter, not me. You rot in your secrets, in your ‘business’ nights that stink of perfume. Do you think I don’t know?”

Sebastián didn’t answer immediately, but a dangerous fire burned in his eyes.

“I don’t need to control you. It’s enough to endure you. Day after day, watching you destroy yourself with alcohol and drag everyone down with your poison.”

The blow landed sharply—Valentina’s slap cracked across his face. His cheek burned.

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that!” she screamed, tears of fury shining in her eyes. “I am your wife!”

Sebastián stood motionless for a few seconds, fists clenched at his sides.

“If you raise your hand to me again, I swear I won’t hold back. And it won’t be with words, Valentina.”

She laughed nervously, but didn’t back down.

“Don’t threaten me, Sebastián. I’ve endured your infidelities, your absences, for this surname. But don’t make me your enemy.”

“It’s not a threat. It’s a warning.”

They stared at each other like two animals ready to attack, the silence charged with electricity. Finally, Valentina turned away, took a breath, and let out what she had been holding back.

“I’ve decided that Sofia will go to a boarding school in Switzerland. This very week.”

Sebastián felt the muscles in his neck tighten, a wave of fury rising in his chest.

“What did you say?”

“You heard me. She needs discipline, education, and distance from this… rot. Here she’ll only continue to be corrupted.”

“You’re not deciding that on your own.” Sebastián stepped toward her, his presence imposing. “Sofia stays here, with me. You won’t use her as a weapon in your personal wars.”

“It’s already decided,” she replied coolly. “I called the convent at dawn. They accept girls her age.”

Sebastián felt his pulse race, rage turning into something darker.

“No. You’re doing it out of pride, not love. You want to punish her because she defied you.”

Valentina let out a bitter laugh.

“And what do you know about love, Sebastián? You haven’t known what it’s like to sleep with your wife without thinking about power for years. Or do I no longer excite you?”

He looked at her with contained rage, Sofía’s secret burning in his chest.

“Don’t confuse disinterest with lack of desire. I simply stopped seeing you, Valentina. All I see now is the alcoholic shadow that destroys everything it touches.”

Valentina slapped him again, the sound echoing.

“Bastard!” she screamed, her voice breaking.

Sebastián grabbed her wrist and stopped her forcefully.

“Careful, Valentina. You don’t want to know how far I can go.”

She stared back defiantly, but for an instant, fear flickered in her eyes.

“You’re just like your father. Just as cruel, just as hypocritical.”

He released her roughly.

“I don’t kill those I love. Not like you, who’s willing to bury her own daughter to save her pride.”

Valentina took a step back, the glass slipping from her hand and shattering on the floor.

“And I don’t sleep with the enemy. I know there’s another woman. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she were closer than you imagine.”

Sebastián watched her with unsettling calm.

“Be careful with your words, Valentina. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know you’re cheating on me!” she screamed. “Tell me!”

Sebastián sighed, exhausted.

“I don’t have time for your delusions. If you keep this up, you’ll end up alone, Valentina. Alone with your bottles and your rage.”

“Then let me do this,” she said. “Let Sofia go.”

He looked at her for a long moment, the tension palpable.

“If you dare touch Sofia or try to send her out of the country, I swear I’ll throw you out of this house. I’ll leave you on the street, with nothing.”

Valentina stared at him in shock, the color draining from her face.

“Me? You’d throw me out after everything I’ve endured?”

“Yes. And it’s not a threat.”

She was left speechless, tears finally spilling as she watched him leave the room without looking back, her world collapsing. She sank into the armchair, sobbing in silence.

Sebastián walked straight to the garage, the cool air striking his face. He got into the car, started the engine, and drove away from the mansion with no clear destination. He drove fast, the curves twisting like his emotions, wanting only to get away from the hell his marriage had become.