The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway — Chapter 21

How Suffocating...

HOW DID I END UP HERE?

I REMEMBER SITTING BY THE WINDOW.

BUT THE MOOD KEPT BECOMING LEWD, AND EVEN AFTER I OPENED UP THE BIBLE...

...I ULTIMATELY GOT SWEPT AWAY AND BLACKED OUT RIGHT THERE IN MY SEAT.

NO WONDER HE WAS A FAMOUS WOMANIZER.

WE'RE MERELY DOING OUR DUTY, BUT HE'S PROBABLY JUST ENTHUSIASTIC BECAUSE IT'S OUR HONEYMOON.

I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG HE'LL BE ABLE TO IGNORE HIS NEED TO FIND A NEW WOMAN TO BED,

BUT EVEN TRUE LOVE COOLS DOWN EVENTUALLY, SO I DOUBT A LUST BORN FROM DUTY WILL EVER LAST.

THIS IS ONLY TEMPORARY.

THE DISTINCTLY CHILLY MORNING AIR, WITH ITS REFRESHING WIND...

...AND THE CURTAINS DANCING AGAINST THE SOUND OF GENTLE WAVES CRASHING AGAINST THE CLIFF...

I'M SURE ALL OF THESE THINGS CAN BE HEARD IN SEVILLA TOO.

WHEN I WOKE UP AGAIN IN MY SIX-YEAR-OLD BODY,

SEVILLA WAS THE PLACE...

...THAT CONTROLLED ME LIKE A NIGHTMARE.

IT WAS THE PLACE THAT MADE ME SPEND YEARS RESENTING LUCIANO...

...WHO HAD ONCE AGAIN BECOME JUST A YOUNG MAN.

IT KEPT ME TRAPPED INSIDE THOSE MEMORIES...

...OF MEETING EMILIANO FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE AGE OF 16...

...UNTIL AGE 20 WHEN HE DIED.

IT REMINDED ME OF THE NIGHT EMILIANO'S BODY TURNED COLD...

...AND MY BABY WAS STOLEN FROM ME.

I USED TO WAKE UP EVERY MORNING KNOWING...

...THAT THE NIGHT OF EMILIANO'S DEATH WOULD BE COMING.

But Now,

TO THINK...

...I ONLY JUST LEARNED OF ITS NAME YESTERDAY...

I NO LONGER LOOK OUT AT THE OCEAN AND DREAM OF SEVILLA...

...OR OF EMILIANO.

NOW, I MERELY LIE IN THE ARMS OF ANOTHER MAN...

...AND THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS.

BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IN THIS LIFE...

...NONE OF THESE THINGS HAVE OCCURRED.

CÁRCEL, WAKE UP.

IT'S MORNING.

TH...

THE LIEUTENANT IS...

INÉS ESCALANTE...

...SMILING?

H, H, HE'S SMILING?!

WHO PUT MONEY ON THE LIEUTENANT WALKING IN WITH A SMILE? NO ONE?

FIVE PEOPLE BET ON HIM HAVING "NO EXPRESSION," TWO ON HIM LOOKING LIKE HE HAD "NO THOUGHTS IN HIS HEAD AT ALL," ONE PERSON SAID HE'D BE "SMILING LIKE A PERVERT," AND ONE OTHER SAID HE'D HAVE A "BARELY-THERE SMILE"...

ISN'T A "BARELY-THERE SMILE" JUST ONE STEP AWAY FROM A FULL-FLEDGED SMILE? THAT MEANS I WON, DOESN'T IT?

GOOD GRIEF... SOMEONE EVEN BET ON HIM CRYING! THEY WROTE THAT HE'D "WALK IN SOBBING."

W, WHAT...? I HAD MY REASONS. MARRIAGE IS ESSENTIALLY A NAIL IN THE COFFIN ANYWAY... HE'S BASICALLY RETURNING FROM THE GRAVE...

BUT LIEUTENANT ESCALANTE JUST WALKED IN HERE WITH A SMILE!

HE MUST BE CHOOSING TO SMILE SO HE DOESN'T CRY.

I'M PRETTY SURE HE WAS GENUINELY SMILING...

YEAH, SEEMS LIKE IT. WAIT, HE ISN'T SMILING ANYMORE!

YOU'RE RIGHT. HE LOOKS ANNOYED.

ARE YOU SURE HE WAS SMILING LIKE A PERVERT?

TO ME, IT LOOKED MORE LIKE HE WAS SMILING WITHOUT THINKING...

NO, IT WAS DEFINITELY A PERVERTED SMILE. WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU MAKE OF THE LIEUTENANT?

IT OBVIOUSLY HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH WHATEVER HE DID LAST NIGHT...

INDEED, YOU'RE RIGHT. AND ALSO, I HAVEN'T BEEN TO MY GRAVE JUST YET.

GOODNESS, ESCALANTE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

FROM WHAT I HEAR, SEÑORA ESCALANTE ISN'T THAT SORT OF WOMAN...

BUT HER HUSBAND ISN'T CHASTE AT ALL, SO HOW COULD SHE POSSIBLY OVERCOME THAT?

AH, THAT IS TRUE! THE LIEUTENANT COULD EVEN TURN A NUN...!

SO, HOW DOES IT FEEL, LIEUTENANT?

TO BE MARRIED, I MEAN.

GOOD.

ARE YOU JUST SAYING THAT SO WE'LL CHANGE THE SUBJECT?

WHEN COMING FROM CÁRCEL ESCALANTE, DOESN'T "GOOD" USUALLY MEAN HE'S "ABSOLUTELY CRAZY ABOUT IT"?

WOULD YOU ALL STOP SHOWING SO MUCH INTEREST IN MY PERSONAL BUSINESS...?

...YOU KNOW,

WE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO ATTEND THE WEDDING CEREMONY,

LIEUTENANT ACEVEDO

BUT WE DID ATTEND THE BANQUET AT THE VALEZTENA RESIDENCE.

SO, YOU ALL SAW THE SEÑORA, THEN?

WE CERTAINLY DID. AND WE REALIZED THAT ALL THOSE RUMORS WERE COMPLETELY FALSE.

ALL THAT NONSENSE ABOUT HER BEING A CROW OR THE WITCH OF HOUSE VALEZTENA, OR THAT HER ONLY CLAIM TO FAME IS HER NAME...

IT'S SO ANNOYING BECAUSE THIS WAS ALL TOO EXPECTED.

...THE RUMORS WERE TRULY RIDICULOUS...

...BECAUSE THE SEÑORA WAS MUCH TOO BEAUTIFUL, ESCALANTE.

I DIDN'T BET ON YOU "SMILING LIKE A PERVERT" FOR NO REASON.

REALLY! I HAVE MY WAYS, AND I SAW IT WITH MY OWN TWO EYES...

SO, YOU'RE SAYING LIEUTENANT ESCALANTE SMILED LIKE THAT BECAUSE HE'S A PERVERT, RIGHT?

OF COURSE NOT! I'M SAYING HE HAD A WILD FIRST NIGHT WITH HIS NEW WIFE!

SO, IS IT TRUE ABOUT SEÑORA ESCALANTE BEING THAT PRETTY?

DID ANYONE ACTUALLY SAY THAT SHE WAS UGLY? OR PERHAPS THAT SHE WAS UNPLEASANT?

I DID HEAR THAT SHE HAD AN UNLIKABLE PERSONALITY... SO, IS THAT PART TRUE?

NO, NOT AT ALL.

SHE WAS SO NORMAL AND PRETTY THAT I FELT LIKE A FOOL...

THEN WHO SPREAD ALL THOSE RUMORS?

COMMANDER BARCA DID SAY IN PASSING...

...THAT MAYBE ESCALANTE SPREAD THE RUMORS TO KEEP HIS FIANCÉE HIDDEN...

SERIOUSLY?

I'M JUST SAYING.

SHE'S CERTAINLY THAT BEAUTIFUL.

WHY DO ALL MILITARY BASES...

...SMELL SO AWFUL?

UM, LIEUTENANT.

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER VARDEM WAS ASKING...

...WHEN HE'LL BE GETTING A TOUR OF YOUR NEW RESIDENCE...

GET LOST.

YES, LIEUTENANT.

PRETTY INÉS, BEAUTIFUL INÉS...

THEY TALK ABOUT HER WITH SUCH EXCITEMENT...

I CAN'T HELP THAT PETTY FEELING CREEPING UP MY THROAT.

Please Love Me.

I DISLIKE THEM ALL.

EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.

To Be Continued