***WARNING*** - this chapter contains an upsetting scene rated MA. It is marked on the text so it can be skipped easily to keep reading the story without a break on continuity.
Chapter 58 – Betrayed
"No, please, I don't want to," said Victoria moving away from Roberto. After the initial shock, people had returned to their own businesses, disappointed because Zorro had not showed up to save the day, giving credit to the alcalde's words about the trial being fair. At siesta time in the afternoon, when everything was quiet, Roberto had come to see Victoria at her house, as arranged.
"What do you mean you don't want to?" he asked, puzzled. Only yesterday she was melting in his arms. And she had agreed to a visit that afternoon; it wasn't a surprise this time. It didn't make sense that she'd rejected him now all of a sudden. Well, other than having his friends in jail pending execution, of course. That would be an excellent reason for anybody.
"No. It is inappropriate out of wedlock. And I am not in the mood today, obviously," she said, keeping the distance. "I can't believe you think Don Alejandro and Don Francisco are guilty. And Diego, of all people. They can't be! How could they? You have to realize they are innocent!" Upset, she paced up and down the room. "And how can you be thinking about having sex right now when you have just sentenced three innocent men to death?"
"They had a fair trial, Victoria. I know it is hard to believe they are guilty, and I am sorry, but the evidences against them are irrefutable. But I'd prefer not to talk about that uncomfortable issue; I don't want that part of my job to come between us," he said, with a sorry tone. Then, he tried for the second time. "Come on, don't be silly; I'll make you touch a piece of heaven just as before. Come here," he said with his most seductive tone. She didn't, so he came closer to her instead and tried to kiss her again, but Victoria moved her face away, refusing the contact one more time. Impatient, he grabbed her arms firmly to hold her still and forced a kiss on her mouth, but she complained, wriggling to get away from his strong grip. He finally let her go, as she didn't settle as she had done before. He stepped back to try another approach, but before he could say the three magic words, she slapped his face hard.
"I said no!"
That was a bad move. Roberto was not the kind of man that would take "no" for an answer, on anything, and he was already angry and on edge having to go through an inconvenient trial with lawyers, and all the difficulties he was facing to carry out his plan. He replied slapping back, automatically, without thinking, hitting Victoria so hard she landed on the floor, dizzy by the blow and the realization the alcalde wasn't the gentleman he pretended to be; just as Cristina had warned her, but she didn't want to believe it.
He looked at his own hand, upset for blowing up all his efforts to be a respectable gentleman, but soon he shrugged his shoulders. What the heck, it doesn't matter. I got her already. No one will believe her. Everybody has seen us sweet at the tavern.
**** WARNING****
Scenes of VIOLENT SEXUAL NATURE than some readers may prefer to skip. Not suitable for younger readers. MA RATING on this passage.
"And I say yes!" He grabbed her wrist and dragged Victoria across the floor to her bedroom, ignoring her cries. Once there, he lifted her roughly and dropped her on the bed.
"You can do this the easy way, enjoying it as much as before, or the hard way. Which one is it going to be?" he growled, leaning over her. Despite her fear, her rebellious nature got the best of her, and she kicked his face while shouting:
"Neither!"
She got up quickly and ran to the entrance door. Roberto wasn't used to such disrespect by a woman, even less twice. Possessed by an irrational fury, he recovered fast from the blow and caught her before she could get out. He grabbed her hair with his left hand and pulled hard, dragging her towards the dinner table while whipping off the trickle of blood from his mouth with his right sleeve.
"Come here, you bitch!"
He slapped Victoria twice, but he stopped himself on time with his fist already up before he delivered a punch to her face. Giving Victoria a black eye is not a good idea. Better not to give her any obvious marks. With a swift move of his right arm, he swept all the objects that lay on the table to the ground, and then forced Victoria on it, face down.
"No, please, no!" she cried, still struggling, but he was holding her wrists in one hand, pressing on her back with his elbow to keep her pinned down on the table, so firmly she could not get away from his iron grip. He lifted her skirt and ripped her underwear before he fumbled with his trousers.
"Shut up! You should have thought a little before you hit me," he said, leaning forward close to her ear to whisper. "I always get what I want. And you are no exception. It is a shame, because you could be enjoying this as much as I am going to." With these words, he kicked her legs apart, spat on his right hand for lubrication, and then raped her hard, anally, hurting Victoria while she cried with her face crushed on the table. She could not believe what was happening. That nice, handsome, attentive man she thought she was falling in love with had morphed into an evil, savage animal. At that moment, the only consolation for her while being raped that painful, shameful way, was that she could not get pregnant, because she doubted he would withdraw this time. He didn't.
After he finished, he let go of her and she slid down to the floor, where she stayed curled up in a ball under the table, shaking, crying and bleeding, unable to look up at her attacker.
"It would have been easier the other way, if you had cooperated," he said, pulling up his trousers. "I hope you are more reasonable tomorrow," he added, coming out of the house slamming the door behind him.
His words made their way slowly into her numbed brain. "Tomorrow?" She couldn't help but heave, and she vomited on the floor at the thought of it.
****exceptional MA rating over****
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Victoria needed half an hour to be able to stand up and clear her head. She cleaned herself and changed her clothes, collecting some more into a travel bag, and then she went to pick up his son from Pilar's house. Pilar realized Victoria was very upset, but with the child present she could not ask her boss what had happened. Victoria got on her carriage and drove away quickly. She could not stand the thought of staying at the pueblo close to that man for a further second.
Against all her good judgement she decided to seek help to hide at the De la Vegas. She didn't think she could travel a longer distance as she felt really uncomfortable and in pain sitting at the driver's seat. She was really ashamed to ask Cristina for help, especially now, when she would be more concerned about Diego and the others and she would probably tell her to go to hell, but she was desperate. And after all, Cristina had warned her about him. A woman could not refuse helping another under the circumstances… or could she?
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"Sofía!" called little Alejandro when they arrived at the hacienda, excited. He jumped out of the cart and came into the house, looking for his friend. He passed by Cristina, saluting her quickly on his way in. When she saw the child, Cristina came to the door, concerned but angry at the same time.
"Victoria! What are you doing here? What do you want?"
"I… I… I am sorry. I need your help. I don't know what to do," she said, hesitant, getting down from the carriage in slow motion.
"You need my help?" Cristina laughed. "Do you realize my husband, my father, and my father in law are going to be executed tomorrow? Who is going to help me with that? You? Are you going to talk to your wonderful boyfriend to get that idea out of his stupid head?"
At her words, Victoria started crying inconsolably, covering her face with both hands, and she had to lean on the carriage to avoid falling over. She looked really distressed, and Cristina wondered what could be the reason for that. Is she crying now because of Diego? How dare she!? Cristina thought, upset. Then, she realized there was a small puddle of blood on the driver's seat, and more blood was trickling down Victoria's ankles.
"Victoria, what happened?" she asked in a concerned, more empathic tone. But Victoria could not answer. "Tell me, did he do anything to you? Did he…?"
Victoria nodded, and finally articulated the words in between sobs. "He raped me."
Cristina tried to hug her, but Victoria jumped back as if she was afraid to be touched, refusing the contact.
"Calm down. It's all right. I'll help you, don't worry." She helped her to walk inside, gently and slowly as if otherwise she would break in a million pieces. "You, poor thing. That Bastard! I am going to kill him!" Victoria lifted her watery eyes to look at her, surprised by her words, as she looked so serious and determined.
"What?"
"Never mind. Come in. I'll get the doctor to see you. He is here."
"No. I don't want to see the doctor. I am too embarrassed."
"I know. But you are bleeding. He has to see you."
"No! Don't tell him. Please!"
"All right, I won't," she lied.
She left Victoria resting in one of the guest rooms and went to talk to the doctor, who had come back to check on Diego again, wondering if she should respect Victoria's wishes or not. What would I like to do if I was the victim? No, I wouldn't like the doctor examining me either; I'll die with the shame. But, she is bleeding… For heaven's sake! What should I do?
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"Doctor, please, can you see Victoria as soon as possible?" Cristina asked, finally making up her mind.
"Yes, of course. What's wrong with her? And where is she? At the tavern?"
"No, she is here."
"Here? All right, that's easier for me. What's wrong?"
"She doesn't want me to get your help; she is too embarrassed. But I think she may be seriously injured, the way she is bleeding."
"Bleeding? I need to see her, definitely. Why is she embarrassed?"
"Aaaaahhh…." She hesitated for a moment, and then she added, in a very low tone, nearly whispering: "She's been raped."
"Raped? Good Lord! Who did that?"
"Can I count on your discretion, if I tell you the whole story?"
"Of course. I never reveal any details of my patients or their afflictions to anyone, unless I have their consent."
"Gabriel Salamanca raped her."
"The alcalde? I can't believe that. Why would he need to do that? Victoria seemed quite interested in him recently. Sure he could have woo her, rather than resorting to that despicable action."
"Precisely. Why did he need to do that, indeed? That man is not what he seems to be. There is something really sinister about him. I warned Victoria he is not a gentleman at all. Not only he has got my father and Don Alejandro in jail under false accusations with the intention to kill them, he made me a filthy proposition too to get my father free in exchange. He is a scumbag. Victoria followed my advice and tried to stay away from him, but that animal raped her savagely. Please, have a look at her. And be gentle, because she is terrified to be touched. She is in shock."
"Yes, of course. Maybe it will be easier for her if you stay in the room with us while I examine her?"
"No, I don't think so. But I will, if she really wants me to stay. Come, this way." The doctor followed her to one of the spare rooms. Cristina knocked softly at the door, and opened it slowly when she got no answer. Victoria was in bed, completely covered by the blanket, hiding from the world, curled up in a fetal position. "Good luck," she whispered, letting the doctor in. "Call me if you need me."
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Cristina waited by the door for a few minutes. As her presence in Victoria's room wasn't required, she went back to the tent. Eagle Eye was still at the entrance. He had a broken rib bothering him, but had recovered from the attack quite well otherwise.
"Why is he not waking up? You said he should be awake by now."
"Don't know. He should. Spiritual walk don't take this long. Maybe because he was so sick?"
"We have to move him to the cave to hide him. The soldiers may come this evening to take him to jail with the others to be executed tomorrow. We cannot allow that."
"He should not be disturbed while asleep. Could be dangerous."
"It will be more dangerous if he wakes up in jail only to be hanged tomorrow!" she said, stubborn. Eagle Eye was reluctant to move Diego, but in the end, realizing the risk was too great to ignore it, he had to agree.
"You are right. But I don't like it. Not happy."
"Well, tough then!" she said, coming into the tent. "Help me out. He is too heavy. Come on! Hurry up."
ZZZ
"Mother, how are you?"
Doña María Luisa was outside in the back garden watching the children play. She was obviously trying to be cheerful for them, but was failing miserably.
"What do you think?" she said, wiping off a stray tear. "How's Diego? Has he woken up yet?" Cristina shook her head.
"Not yet. I am going to get Father out of jail and bring him here to the cave," she said, trying to sound in control.
"The Italian?" her mother whispered. Cristina nodded again, as confident as she could be, which wasn't that much. "Don't go. It is too dangerous. I am afraid there is nothing we can do this time."
"Don't say that, Mother. There is always something. There is always a chance."
"Why don't you wait until Diego wakes up?"
"Because I don't know if he is going to wake up in time, or in which condition he will do so. I have to get them out tonight, in the darkness."
Doña María Luisa looked at the kids for a moment. "Tell me, why is Victoria here?"
"Yes, that's the other thing I was going to tell you." She lowered her voice to a whisper then. "The alcalde raped her."
"What?" her mother looked shocked. "Why? I thought they were in love. Everybody thought so."
"I guess she was, but that scumbag wasn't, obviously."
"That poor woman. I can't believe how unfortunate she is."
Jeez. Shut up, mum. What about me? "Can you take care of her, please? I am going to change into the Italian's clothes now while we think on a plan. She doesn't know I am the Italian, and I don't think she will welcome any contact with a man right now. Actually, the doctor is checking on her as we speak, and that's as much as she can take, I think."
"All right. I'll look after her. Please, be careful. Bring them back here safely." She hugged her daughter tightly, unable to hold back the tears any longer. "I am so proud of you Cristina. Come back in one piece. You have a daughter to take care of."
As they parted, Cristina looked at Sofía through the tears. "I am not going to tell her anything, so she won't wonder so much were I am. I hope I don't leave you in a terrible position if I fail."
"Shhh. Don't say it. Go."
ZZZ
Cristina looked at her reflection in the mirror while applying the facial hair for her disguise. Then, she remembered the argument she had with Diego, with the former Diego, when she swore she would never put herself in danger as the Italian anymore. She stopped what she was doing and covered her face with her hands, giving up to despair. Sobbing, she wondered what she was supposed to do. Nothing, to keep her promise? Then the next day she could be a widow, and she would need to take care of her daughter and her mother on her own, while avoiding the alcalde. But, what if her still non-existing rescue plan failed, and she was killed, along with Felipe and the others? It would be even worse, as her mother would be the only one left alive to raise Sofía. And her mother was a gentle, fragile soul. Sure she would not be able to cope losing all her family at once. Maybe Victoria could help them. No, not Victoria; she wasn't in a position to help anybody right now, that one. Thinking on Victoria's predicament, rage took over and she stopped crying. She was going to erase that slimy smile off the alcalde's face, no matter what!
ZZZ
Cristina came back to the cave dressed as the Italian.
"Felipe, I am going to rescue them," she said, with an unsure tone. Eagle Eye looked at her, tilting his head, puzzled by her appearance, as he didn't know anything about her abilities with the sword. Felipe stood up and signed quickly.
"I am going with you."
"Thank you, Felipe, I thought I could count on you, but I don't know what to do. Or how to do it. We need a plan."
"What is this? What are you doing?" asked the Indian.
"This is Leonardo," said Cristina, opening her arms to offer a better view of her disguise. "I have been helping Zorro sometimes as an Italian swordsman." Eagle Eye looked incredulous. "Don't worry, I know how to fight. This is not as outrageous as you may think."
"Are you going to fight the alcalde?"
"If I have to, yes, I will."
"Don't go," said Eagle Eye, really worried.
"I have to. It is important to get them out before the morning," Cristina insisted.
"Be careful. That man evil. Real evil."
"Yes. I know. That's why I have to stop him."
"I'd go with you. But have to stay with Diego now. Can you wait? He should wake up soon. Could help you when he is awake."
"What if he doesn't wake up on time? Or if the ritual hasn't worked, and he still can't remember anything? I have to go now, while it's dark. I'll have better chances now than later on."
The Indian nodded. Diego should have been awake by now. Something wasn't right; it was taking too long. And she was right. She could miss the chance if she waited for him any longer.
"Come on, Felipe. Let's think on something. We have to get them home."
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