Chapter 5

The next afternoon, Mendoza came to pick up Victoria, travelling to the hacienda together. Upon arrival, they were greeted by the three men. Don Alejandro led them to the library, where a beautifully decorated Christmas tree stood with a dozen gifts beneath it. While Diego took the flan to the kitchen, Victoria and Mendoza placed their gifts. Felipe prepared drinks while Diego sat down at the piano and played a few pieces of music. Victoria used the time to study Diego discreetly, further confirming her suspicions.

Maria had outdone herself with her culinary skills, and it was a pleasant dinner in the company of friends.
For one evening, all the pueblo's worries were forgotten. And the small company enjoyed sharing anecdotes.

After dinner, the group returned to the library to exchange gifts. Felipe had the honour of giving the first gift to Don Alejandro. The man was moved to tears when he discovered it was a sketch that Diego had made of his long-lost son, Gilberto. With a lump in his throat, don Alejandro thanked Diego. Once the emotions had settled, it was up to don Alejandro to pick a gift from under the tree to give to someone.

Mendoza had bought a book for Diego, and Diego gave Felipe a pair of leather boots. Don Alejandro gave Felipe a sword and promised to teach him the basics of sword fighting. Mendoza didn't hesitate to make Felipe the same offer.
Everyone was impressed with the wooden figurine Felipe had made, which closely resembled a sergeant from the colonial army, though this sergeant was a bit less rotund than Mendoza.
Victoria couldn't help but grin when Diego opened her gift. He looked disappointed because she had exchanged her original gift for the most impersonal one she could quickly find - a box of cigars, knowing, well, don Diego didn't smoke. Don Alejandro found it rather amusing and claimed the box for himself. Diego gave Victoria a piece of silk, which she suspected was from him. Felipe gave her dried flowers, and the sergeant gave her a cookbook, solely meant to inspire her to create more delicious dishes, as he confessed.

After all the gifts were exchanged, and a few more drinks were enjoyed. It seemed time for everyone to retire. Don Alejandro escorted Mendoza to his room. It left Diego no choice but to offer his services to Victoria.

In the hallway, Victoria stopped. "I think I'd like to sit outside for a while. Being indoors all day makes a person feel sluggish, don't you agree, don Diego? Would you keep me company, please?" It was a bold question, even for such an independent woman as Victoria was.

Of course, Diego was too well-mannered to refuse, and he offered his arm to Victoria. In the garden, the moon provided enough light to see a bench.

Victoria sat down on it and initiated the conversation. "It was a pleasant evening, don't you agree? Your father seemed very moved by the drawing you made of Gilberto. It must be difficult for him to accept what happened."

"Uh, yes. Our lives would certainly have been different had he known," Diego replied, feeling uncomfortable. He stood and leaned casually against a tree trunk. Talking about his twin brother was still difficult for him, just as it was for his father. And he had to focus on every word he spoke because Victoria's presence was quite distracting. "I wanted to give my father something tangible to remember a son he never really knew."

"That's very noble of you," Victoria said, licking her lips, nerves running through her throat, and a small black velvet box burning in her dress pocket. "Diego, I have another gift that I would like to give you. Consider it a token of my regard for you."

Diego looked uncertain and came closer to her, so Victoria could hand him the gift. A friend, that was how she saw him. A confidant, a friend, and sometimes almost as family. But Victoria never saw him as the man whose heart beat only for her. A man who would sell his soul to spend the rest of his life in her presence. Diego had felt disappointment as he had opened her gift earlier that evening. And found that it was a box of cigars - a highly impersonal gift. She knew very well that he didn't smoke and even found it a nasty habit.

"It's quite small, and I was afraid it might get overlooked among all those gifts," Victoria explained why she hadn't given it earlier. "And I didn't want anyone to see it." She took something out of her pocket. Diego was speechless when he saw what was in her hand.

"Victoria," Diego stammered, unsure of the meaning of this gesture.

Victoria smiled broadly. "Aren't you going to open it?"

Diego didn't need to open the box to know what was inside. After all, he had given it to her. It could be nothing else than the ring that he, as Zorro, had given her as a symbol of his eternal love.

Victoria stood up and handed the box to him. "I'm giving it back to you while fervently hoping that you consider giving it to me again. Only then as the man whose true name I know and who is my dearest friend. The man I love with all my heart and soul."

The silence that followed was deafening and seemed to last endlessly. Diego was speechless, and Victoria anxiously awaited his reaction. Finally, a soft voice broke the silence, "You know that I am Zorro?"

The determination in Victoria's voice left no doubt about her belief. "Yes! I admit it took a while, but yes, I finally figured out who is the man behind the mask."

Diego cleared his throat; revealing his second identity to Victoria was something he had dreaded for years. He had imagined the moment countless times when she either accepted or rejected him. And now, there was no escaping it. Somehow, Victoria had discovered the truth. And for now, it seemed he wouldn't lose her.
Still, Diego felt the icy, painful feeling that he could lose everything he held dear in an instant.

"Diego," he heard her say, but he truly had no idea what she was saying.

Slowly, her words began to sink in for him. Diego cleared his throat. "Are you very disappointed?"

"Disappointed?" Victoria's voice betrayed her astonishment. "Why would I be disappointed? The man I've given my heart to turns out to be my best friend. No, I'm not disappointed. If anything, I'm relieved."

"Relieved?" Diego stammered, unsure if he understood her words. He had anticipated this moment for years, yet there wasn't a second he hadn't feared it. She had caught him off guard with her revelation. In his mind, he had prepared for this moment countless times, but never considered that he might be the one surprised by a confession.

"Yes, that it's you. Of all the men I know, you're the one I least expected and most hoped to be Zorro."

"Victoria, there's a reason I never told you I'm Zorro earlier," Diego tried to temper her enthusiasm, his heart racing wildly. Would she be aware of the dangers that knowing Zorro's identity brought?

"Yes, you told me when we were in your cave. Afraid I might reject you. But I don't want to reject you. Diego, I'm so glad it's you." Victoria stood on her tiptoes, attempting to kiss Diego. To her dismay, he evaded her. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy, I know?"

No, he wasn't happy. To his surprise, an old pain he had buried deep years ago began to gnaw at him. "You say you're glad it's me. Shall I remind you that you consider me, Diego, an ordinary, dull man? A man, not worthy of you."

"How can you say that?"

"They are your own words. Or do you want to claim you never called me a coward?" Diego was astonished as he felt anger bubbling up more and more. Victoria had discovered he was Zorro. Victoria had told him she loved him. She had even suggested that she wanted to be proposed to again. Not by Zorro, but by Diego. It seemed like everything he had dreamed of was within reach. And for some reason, instead of joy or relief, he felt anger rising in his stomach.

"Yes, I'm Zorro. You just forget that I am mostly Diego. Do you not remember all the times you ridiculed me? All the times, you insinuated that I was a coward. Now that you know what I've hidden for you, do you think it doesn't matter? For the past eight years, you've never paid attention to me," Diego hissed. "How do you think it feels to be rejected all the time?"

"I... I..." Victoria began to stutter. This was not how she had thought it would go. She had believed Diego would be happy. He would take her in his arms, kiss her until they were both breathless and then fulfil his promise, telling her he loved her. She felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Somewhere within him, a kind of monster had awakened.

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