Chapter 7
It was quiet at the hacienda during siesta since everyone had retired for their afternoon nap. It was too quiet for Diego to sleep in his troubled state. In need of some distraction, he left the house for some air. As he entered the patio, heading for his favorite corner, he glimpsed a movement of something red. Out of habit, he immediately hid out of sight. When he heard someone sobbing, he took a quick look around the corner to confirm his suspicion. Victoria was crying, leaning against the wall in the spot where she and Zorro had kissed the first time. His first impulse was to walk around the corner and comfort her, but then he decided on a different approach and returned inside.
"Tell me what made you cry!"
"Zorro!" Victoria exclaimed as she turned around. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
"I helped you pack to go to the de la Vegas, so I knew where you were," Zorro said, "but you didn't answer my question. Why are you crying?"
"I don't know what to do," Victoria whispered, throwing herself into his arms. "Please tell me what to do."
"Tell me what bothers you! Did Diego propose to the woman he loves, and you're not happy with it?" Zorro asked, trying to hide his concern.
"No, it's not like that. It's complicated."
"Why? What's the problem?"
"Diego has told me he loves me," she pressed out, lifting her head to look at him.
"And you're not happy about it because you don't love him?" He tried to keep a straight face while his heart was beating fast. Their future depended on her answer, and he held his breath, waiting for her reply.
"No, I love you, but ..." she hesitated as she faced him, "Alejandro asked me how I would feel if Diego married someone else. I spent the last hours thinking about my feelings for Diego. You were right earlier that I didn't want to spend Christmas with the de la Vegas because I was jealous. I can no longer deny my love for Diego. What shall I do now?" She clung to him desperately. "I gave you my promise, but how can I keep it if I have feelings for him, too? Please, you need to help me!"
"It will be all right, Querida," he whispered as he let out his breath. Happy about her confession, he bent down to kiss her.
"No, you don't understand. Nothing will be all right. I can't love two men. I have to give up one of you, but I love you both," she cried. "How can I choose?"
"Don't cry," he soothed her. "I know how to help you," he smiled.
"How?" she asked. "How can I be happy again? I want to be with you, but what do I do about Diego?"
"Will you wait for me here? I'll be back in a minute."
"Of course, but what are you up to?"
"You'll see," he smiled mysteriously.
Zorro rounded the corner and vanished out of sight. Inside the hacienda, he entered the cave and fetched the package with Victoria's gift before he headed back to the garden. When a servant walked down the hallway, he quickly hid behind a curtain and continued after she had passed him by.
"Zorro, you're back quickly. What do you have there?" Victoria asked when she saw him with the package in hand. "Is that the package you took from my room Mendoza talked about?"
"Yes, it is. Do you remember when I said to you this morning that I had something special for you?"
Victoria nodded. Zorro handed her the package. "This is my Christmas gift for you."
"Why do you give it to me now and not earlier if you had it in my room? Why did you steal it?"
"It wasn't the right time, but you will understand if you open it."
Victoria sat down at a nearby bench to open it. As she unwrapped it, she stopped when she saw something white. Her suspicions were confirmed when she had opened it completely. In front of her was the white comb and the mantilla she had seen before. Confused, she looked at him.
"This is Diego's. How did you get that?" Finally, she understood, and her face turned as white as the mantilla. "It's you! It has always been you, and I never saw you. How can you still love me?" she cried.
"I love you and always have." He opened his arms, and she threw herself into his embrace. Lifting his mask, she saw his entire face for the first time, and it confirmed what she already knew.
"Thank God, it's you. I didn't know what I would do without you, as Zorro or as Diego," she whispered, as she let the mask fall back in place.
"And I didn't know what I had done if you only loved Zorro."
"Would I have lost you then?" she asked, scared.
"It doesn't matter anymore because you convinced me you can love the man and not only the mask," he replied without answering her question. "I asked you that before, but do you want to marry me now that you know it's me?" Zorro knelt in front of her.
"Yes, I do. I love you, Diego."
Zorro rose happily, taking her into his arms for another kiss.
Z~Z~Z
After siesta, Diego and Victoria informed Alejandro about their engagement, who was thrilled about it, congratulating them. "This is the best Christmas gift you could give me, and then there will be grandchildren." He winked at them.
In the pueblo, Victoria told everyone she had broken up with Zorro because he stole from her.
"You broke with Zorro because he stole a package from you?" the alcalde asked, suspiciously. "What was inside of it?"
"It was a gift, and he also stole something else that he can't return."
"What did he steal?"
"That's private, and none of your business," Victoria retorted, "but I swear that it's true."
Victoria repeated the same accusation every day in the weeks until her wedding with Diego four weeks later, shutting up everyone with her stare who wanted to ask her what else Zorro stole.
Z~Z~Z
After the wedding reception, when Diego and Victoria were about to depart for their honeymoon, an inebriated Alejandro could no longer contain his curiosity and finally asked her. "What did Zorro steal from you besides the gift?"
Victoria smiled, exchanging a look with Diego before she answered. "Zorro stole my heart, and it will always belong to him."
"I thought you loved Diego?" he asked, shocked. "Why did you marry him if you only love Zorro?"
"Because I am Zorro," Diego explained with a grin. "I'll tell you about it after our return."
Alejandro only stared at them open-mouthed as he watched them drive away with their carriage.
The End
