Hello! I hope you are all well and safe! I know I'm taking very long, especially with the part 2 coming up! I'm trying my best, I'm sorry! Happy reading!
(I do not own this Novela!)
Chapter 42
Franco spent the next morning by the pond, where he first asked Sarita out on a date. He smiled sadly to himself, reminiscing on just how bashful she had behaved that day. He remembered it as if it were yesterday. The two walked hand in hand together, his fingers interlacing with hers as he gently pulled her along his side. The adorable little blushes he'd earned when he was denied a simple kiss after chastising him for holding her hands in front of company.
Sarita was not like other women he knew. She may be a pistol, but so sweet and open when she needs to be.
His smile then faltered, remembering the insignificant events that took place after he had made love to her for the first time.
He felt his heart crumbling within his chest, not knowing what could have happened to Sara. He still hasn't heard from her and it made him all the more anxious and worried.
He took a few steps along the side of the pond, his thoughts replaying his last and precious moments with her before they were accosted by her mother and Escandon.
He could still feel her. He could still taste her on his lips when he ravaged her. His fingertips memorized the subtle and soft curves of her lithe body as he buried himself deeply inside her. Her delicate cries of pleasure still played in his head like a melodic symphony. Lastly, how she looked up at him all the while sharing herself with him. He won't ever forget that passion and warmth embedded in her eyes and her words that followed after just before capturing her lips with his.
"I love you, Franco. I do love you."
Franco sighed remorsefully to himself, wondering how on earth could something so memorable and meaningful be tarnished in an instant.
To bring him down even more was not knowing what could possibly be happening to Sarita. Not hearing from her or anything about her was excruciating.
What could possibly be happening?
A slight dread crept upon him and his heart began to pummel. Perhaps something did happen? Gathering his brief encounter with Norma and Jimena, he noticed how dismissive and uncomfortable they've gotten when he demanded to see their sister.
He knew they were hiding something from him and his brothers, especially him. His thoughts strictly went back to when he was threatened away from her armed mother and Sarita's desperate plea. He knew her mother hated him with every fiber of her being, and seeing her last uncorrupted daughter naked in her enemy's arms, forced Franco to think of the unthinkable.
If the widow Gabriela could carry a weapon, she could be just as dangerous with one of her own children, particularly Sarita. Her most trusted and obedient daughter.
Franco swallowed the bile rising up his throat at the mere thought of Gabriela harming Sara. He refused to believe it, but his gut was telling him otherwise.
Perhaps, something did happen.
His thoughts were interrupted by Eva, who came out looking for him by the pond.
"What's up, Eva?" he asked her, his thoughts still tormented by Sarita's latest and prolonged absence.
She eyed him curiously but answered him.
"When do you plan to go to the nursing home with Ruth?"
Franco blanked at her, deeply confused by the random question.
"What nursing home?" he uttered. "I don't understand."
"The one where Mrs. Hortencia will be interned."
Franco suppressed a sigh. It had slipped clean off his mind about helping his employees' mother. He did remember promising Ruth to help the nosey older woman, after she lost her mind when she confused Ruth for a mistake she'd carelessly committed not so long ago with Libia.
"Well…" said Franco. "Whatever the time, you can count on me, Eva."
He averted his gaze from Eva's curious eyes to the ground, his thoughts going back on whatever could be happening to Sarita.
"You seem worried, Franco." she commented. "Are you?"
Franco nodded, looking up back at Eva.
"I'm very worried," he confessed to her. "I'm worried about what's going on at the Elizondo house."
With that in mind, Franco, true to his word, accompanied Ruth at the nursing home to welcome Mrs. Hortencia as their newest patient. He was there with Ruth, the older woman and her husband, Mr. Filemon. All the while Franco stood there by the window sill listening to Filemon describe his wife's crumbling mental state, Franco couldn't help notice how reluctant and cold the doctor, Bustillo, and his nurse, Violeta, were after hearing about the older couple's current occupation. They began to deny Hortencia's entry and requested they look elsewhere.
Franco stepped in and challenged them. If they want to be smug, he can be too. His inheritance from the late Eduvina Trueba, proved to be of use, since the nursing home was under her sponsorship, which now belonged to him. Both doctor and nurse gawked at him, both wide-eyed and open-mouthed as Franco threatened to denounce his donations towards the institution if Mrs. Hortencia was to be denied any entry. Furthermore, Franco will make sure to create a scandal and order an investigation if anyone else in need were to be turned away regarding their social statuses and occupations.
Both doctor and nurse quickly admitted Mrs. Hortencia and Franco, satisfied with the outcome, grabbed a seemingly troubled Ruth and drove back to their house after exchanging humble words with Mr. Filemon.
Hours later, much to his brothers' glee, Norma and Jimena had paid a small visit. Franco took his seat next to Eva as both his brothers greeted the women they love with ardor affection. Eva noticed Franco's defeated state, and placed a comforting hand on his slumped shoulder.
Sarita didn't come with them and to make matters worse, her sisters only visited to give them more horrific news.
Such news ignited a silent fury inside Franco as he thought more and more about Sarita's absence.
The widow, Gabriela Elizondo plans to marry the bastard, Fernando Escandon.
The disgrace.
Franco was practically fuming under his breath, his fists clenching until his knuckles cracked numbly. The bastard has managed to get his way and Gabriela turns a blind eye away from her daughters, especially from Sarita.
"This has to be a joke", he muttered through gritted teeth.
His brothers were both alarmed by this news. Juan's nostrils flared angrily and looked as if he could pelt a fist through a brick wall. Oscar, on the other hand, couldn't sustain his own anger.
"Norma, you and Juan are supposed to have been married!" growled Oscar, who sat beside Jimena and Ruth. "And now your mother is ahead of you? How is that possible? And with Escandon?"
"I know!" exclaimed Norma, pacing back and forth in front of Juan, who appeared to be just as disgusted and furious as the rest of them. "It's unbelievable! I know! But it's the truth, she surprised us this morning."
"We were convinced to get rid of Fernando…" interjected Jimena, her shoulder slumping sadly. "Instead they delivered us with this blow."
"But can't this be a hoax?" asked Eva. "Could this be some type of trick to inconvenience us?"
Franco turned his attention to Eva. His thoughts were exactly the same as hers. This has to be some sort of a joke. How can their mother marry a man who only tormented her daughters' lives? This doesn't make sense at all to him.
"I agree with Eva", he said. "Fernando Escandon is capable of doing the worst and complicating our lives."
"No, it's not a hoax!" exclaimed Norma. "It's the truth! They are getting married!"
"Gabriela can surely deliver a surprise", said Ruth, her brows rising incredulously at Norma. "It's true that she was always fond of Fernando, but I always thought she loved him as a son! Not anything else!"
"Isn't this some shit?" sneered Oscar. "The mother in law from hell and Norma's ex-husband, the one who never owned up to his failures. What a damn combination, fucking hell!"
"And why didn't Sarita come with you?" barked Franco, trying to change the subject before it consumed him and thoroughly angry that her sisters would leave her alone, knowing how dangerous Escandon had proved to be, especially now that he is to be their new stepfather.
He noticed Norma glimpse over at Jimena, who also looked back at her. Franco felt his heart beating rapidly at the wary glances the two sisters threw at each other before Norma cleared her throat.
"Because…because she had to stay at home." Norma answered, enfolding herself in Juan's arms. "She had to stay with grandpa and the baby."
"Well, I want to see her and talk to her." demanded Franco, thoroughly annoyed with her hesitant answer. "I'm still nervous after what happened and much more now that you're telling me all of this!"
"Calm down, man." growled Juan. "We don't have to freak out with Gabriela's mess and that two-faced Escandon. If they want to get married, then the hell with that! Let them do it! What the hell do we care?"
"I agree with Juancho!" shouted Oscar, standing up from the couch. "They can do whatever they want with their lives! They are within their own lives just like you!"
He pointed at Norma and then at Jimena, to which his hard demeanor softened.
"So, baby…" he said to Jimena, who sadly smiled up at him. "You are completely free to move in with me, okay?"
He kissed the top of her head, and Franco noticed she wasn't completely moved by his composition.
"And Norma and I will finally get married." Juan said, turning a wistful looking Norma around to face him. "We're going to get married. And Franco will fix things up with Sarita."
Franco looked up from his hands to Juan, who pointed a patronizing finger at him.
"And you're going to fix the hell out of it, you hear me?"
Franco nodded, his frown never leaving his face as he stared into the distance. A feeling of great despair enveloping him as he kept wondering about Sarita's wellbeing and the startling news of her mother's betrothal to their sworn enemy.
Another day went by, and there's still no news of Sarita. To top it all off, her mother's engagement to Fernando escalated his anxiety and worry to the brink of fear.
He badgered his brothers to pay the Elizondo estate a visit, especially if that bastard Escandon was going to be a part of it for the rest of their lives. Franco and his brothers were aware of the possible dangers that asshole could bring. They've already seen the lengths of horrible things he could do. In Franco's case, he's already seen enough. It still boils his blood when he saw him first lay his filthy hands on Sara. How he grabbed her without mercy, tossed her to the ground like an animal, and proceeded to undo his belt to harm her. That was one, but when he saw that purplish bruise on her left eye, Franco knew that man was able to do anything else. If he was capable of striking women, he could be capable of more assaults. Sarita, as fiery and temperamental as she was, was very dainty and petite. If anything else were to happen to her, Franco would sure as hell lose it.
It's been days now and Franco was desperate to see and hear from her himself.
He needed to be sure she was unharmed and safe.
He and his brothers managed to drive to the Elizondo estate, where they were met with the other employees, who informed them that Norma and Jimena were by the stables, in which Franco knew Sarita usually spends her time there doing her chores. To know that she wasn't doing her usual work, unsettled him. This wasn't like her. What had happened to her?
Franco was left alone. He glanced over the windows of the mansion, for any signs of Sarita. He knew she had to be in there if she wasn't with her sisters.
He needed to see her.
He had to see her.
Without anyone's surveillance, Franco pushed through the doors and quietly crept inside. Just as he was going up the stairs, Dominga, the jovial and kind maid, stopped him in his tracks.
"Mr. Franco!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for Sara." he told her. "I need to talk to her immediately."
Dominga hurried over to him, stopping right in front of him as if to distill from going further up the stairs.
"I will call for her then", she tells him, her voice a bit wary. "Just wait outside for her, please."
"I'm not going anywhere, Dominga."
"Stay out of trouble!" she warned him in a hush tone. "Look, Mrs. Gabriela is nearby and if she sees you, she'll lose it!"
"Well, I don't give a damn." he tells her, standing his ground, his patience running on thin ice. "Just tell me where Sara is. I need to find her."
Dominga pursed her lips and her eyes wandered behind Franco.
"She's upstairs." she informs him. "She's taking care of the baby in Norma's bedroom."
"Thank you." he said to her and then quickly stormed past her, his heart hammering in his chest at finally being reunited with Sarita.
He made it to the final steps and his heart swelled when he heard the babyish babbles and joyous giggles from his nephew. He followed the sounds until he heard her voice. He stopped alongside the door, listening to Sarita's voice. A voice he had longed to hear since the day he was forced to be apart from her.
He smiled in endearment, listening to her sweet talking Juan David, who kept giggling along with her.
"Who's the cutest baby in the whole world?" he heard her say. "You don't get tired, don't you? Why don't you take a little nap? Just a little nap?"
Juan David started giggling more and Franco couldn't help himself. He needed to see her. It's been far too long since they were apart. Taking a few steps forwards, he finally saw her. A small but tender smile formed on his lips when he found her tickling his very young nephew on the bed.
She was in her most modest nightly wear and a matching white robe. Her silky dark hair was loose, framing her angelic face as she placed several adoring kisses on the baby's hands and cheeks. Franco remained still by the doorway, completely enamored by Sarita's maternal ways. In that slightest moment, Franco pictured bringing his own children into the world some day with her. Although she may be frigid and painfully discreet, Franco knew Sarita would make a wonderful mother. It was within that innocent moment, he was falling in love with her all over again.
Throughout his giggles, Juan David tore his attention from his aunt and was then distracted by Franco's presence.
Sarita noticed Juan David's distraction and followed the baby's gaze to where Franco stood. Franco watched her eyes light up in disbelief when she saw him.
"Franco!" she gasped, gently scooping up the baby in her arms before coming to him.
"Sarita…" Franco sighed, walking to her, embracing her and the baby.
He inhaled her sweet scent and wasted no time in bestowing a chaste kiss and lingering on her cheek as he held her firmly to him, feeling her warmth enrapturing him like never before.
She pulled away first, cradling the baby, who was babbling away on her hip.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him, a meek smile playing on her lush lips.
"I had to see you," he answered her, glancing over at her as if for the first time. "I couldn't stand another minute without hearing from you, Sara."
"Well, everything is fine." she said, averting her eyes from him as she shifted the baby to her left hip. "Nothing happened."
He eyed her suspiciously when she continued to avoid his gaze. She held the baby to her tightly while he babbled away at his aunt.
"I'm getting the impression that you're hiding from me, Sara." Franco said, his eyes examining her more closely as she continued to avoid him by tending to the cooing baby. "Did something happen after your mother found us together?"
She shifted nervously in front of him, her eyes still not meeting his.
"No..no..", she answered, her voice clouding with nerves, "You're just imagining things, Franco. Everything is fine."
"Then why do you spend all day locked up in this house? Why the hell are you not going to work as usual? Tell me."
"Because…" she stammered. "Because I have to do a lot of things inside the house. That's all, Franco."
Juan David babbled a few incoherent words at Franco, who remained staring at Sara, examining her usual fair complexion being unreasonably paler than normal. He noticed her left eye was miraculously healing, but there was something else happening to her. She seemed a bit sickly and alarmingly frail.
"Sara.." he said, taking a step closer to her, gently grabbing her chin up to get her to finally look up at him. "You seem weak to me. As if you were sick or recovering from something. Are you sure nothing else happened, Sarita?"
His hand let go of her chin to caress the side of her face, his eyes still boring into hers, prying her to tell him the truth. She smiled nervously and withdrew his hand away from her face and brought it to her lips, kissing the palm of his hand.
"I'm telling you I'm fine." she assured him. "Those are only your ideas."
Franco raised his brows at her and she shifted impatiently in front of him, her eyes darting past him as if someone else would come into the bedroom.
"Seriously, nothing happened." she explained. "Franco, I don't want any more problems with my mom. I promise you I'll come see you later, but for now I think you should leave as soon as possible–"
"I will…" he cut her off, knowing deep down she was hiding something else from him. "But I want you to answer me this first and please be sincere with me, Sara."
Her eyes darted back to the doorway and then back at him. She seemed so anxious and quite nervous, it was troubling him.
"Did your mom punish you or laid a hand on you?"
He watched her avert her eyes again from him and she held the baby tighter to her.
"No…" she retorted, her eyes now glistening and still not meeting with his probing ones. "No, of course not, Franco. How could you think that?"
His jaw tightened, knowing she was not being sincere with him. Sarita, as hard and valiant as she was, was not a good liar. Franco could tell from her eyes. Her lips said no, but it was her eyes that told another story. She was looking at anything else in the bedroom but at him. He felt his teeth grinding together as his heart raced with vengeful thoughts on her mother. Judging from Sarita's weak and unusually pale appearance, something indeed happened. What made it worse was that she was denying it.
"Well, I couldn't bear to think of someone mistreating or abusing you, Sara," he lamented to her, watching her lowering her head as a slight color tinged her pale cheeks.
Franco heard footsteps coming closer behind him and he saw Sarita's eyes widened in horror when she looked past Franco at who stood by the door.
Franco turned around and found her mother, her eyes narrowing at him in the deepest look of pure loathing. Despite her anger, her appearance was drastic. He noticed that her usual stern attire had somewhat transformed overnight. She was an entirely different woman. The tight updo she always sported, was now in loose auburn waves that bounced neatly on her shoulders and the layers of clothing she used to wear were less strict, yet appealing and mature to her age. Like her daughters, Gabriela was a beautiful woman, but her hatred towards Franco and his brothers remained the same.
He felt Sara gasp and she hurried in front of Franco, as if to shield him from her mother's upcoming wrath.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she seethed. "Didn't you have enough with what you did last time? How dare you come into my house like a common thief?"
"I don't give a damn about what you think!" shouted Franco, his eyes narrowing at the changed widow. "I came to protect Sara and even if you're her mother, you have no right to punish her or let alone hit her! And if I find out you did, you will be hearing from me!"
"Don't come threatening me at my own home," Gabriela warned. "Get out immediately and if you don't, you will see what I'm capable of–"
"I can say the same thing, ma'am", challenged Franco. "If I find out you laid a hand on Sara…I'm the one who's capable of anything! And I want you to know that I'm not scared of you or that coward of your future husband!"
Sarita gasped and looked up at Franco in disbelief. Franco's eyes narrowed along with Gabriela's as he laid a protective hand on Sarita's hip.
"Fernando is not a coward." affirmed Gabriela. "And when we're finally married and he occupies his place, he won't let you set one foot on this ranch again. You are nothing but an abuser who does nothing but to intimidate me!"
"The abuser is you!" scoffed Franco, tightening his hold on Sara, who seemed to be too terrified to move as she held onto their curious nephew. "Who mistreats her own daughters!"
"Stop it!" shouted Sarita, finally finding her voice and the ability to move. "Please stop this fighting!"
Franco clenched his jaw as he and Gabriela continued glaring at one another. He felt Sarita turn around to face him.
"Franco…" she rasped, shifting the baby to her other hip. "Please, Franco, just go… let's not complicate things even further. Please leave."
"Sara, if I do, it is because you asked me to." he told her, tearing his eyes away from her fuming mother to Sarita's panic-stricken face.
He pressed a gentle finger on her lips and he felt her tense nervously because of her mother's prying glares.
"But remember what you've promised me." he reminded her, now sliding his hand to cup her chin. He tilted her head up so she'd look at him. "We'll meet this afternoon."
She nodded as he caressed her chin with his fingers. He lowered his head down to hers, and softly pressed his lips to hers. He heard her mother groan in disgust and Sarita tore herself away from him, her cheeks turning a pale red, hurrying him to leave before her mother could lose her mind.
He obeyed, but before he could leave the room, Franco turned back to Gabriela. He sized her up as if to intimidate her.
"I hope I don't hear you did something to Sara because of me." he warned her. "Because if you laid a finger on her, I swear to you, you will be hearing from me."
With one last look at Sarita, Franco tipped his hat and left as she wished, but the promise of seeing her in the afternoon hung in the air.
This took longer than it should! I'm so sorry, I will try to hurry it up! It's just life has a way of being an absolute asshole. Anyways... the truth will out in the next chapter. It'll be steamier and longer, regarding Sarita's lashings. I still believe she should've gone straight to the Reyes estate. Oh well, off to Santa Clara!