Just as Dulcina Calvo finished answering the phone and was about to turn it off, it rang again.
There was no caller ID and she didn’t look at him carefully, so she unconsciously thought it was Lázaro Morejón, and as soon as she picked up, she cursed: “Lázaro Morejón, are you finished? I don’t want you now! I don’t want to see you either! Please don’t bother me anymore.”
Dulcina Calvo finished in a sigh and took a deep breath, refreshing herself.
But on the other end of the line a low, magnetic, familiar male voice rang out, “I am not Lazaro Morejon. ”
“…”
In a few brief words, the coldness of the other’s voice could be heard.
Dulcina Calvo was so frightened that she almost lost her cell phone; of course, she could hear the other woman’s voice.
He hit his head in disgust, how could it be Esteban Zaragosa on the phone!
She grabbed the phone and froze, biting her lip, not daring to utter a word.
Although she had done nothing wrong, the one who had done wrong was clearly him.
Esteban Zaragosa, on the other side, questioned in a cold voice: “Why don’t you say anything? Disappointed to learn that I am not Lazaro Morejon?”
Dulcina Calvo swallowed saliva, remembering that morning, the humiliation she had suffered in her apartment, and then the image of Mrs. Esteban inviting her out alone, giving her her bank card and telling her to leave Esteban Zaragosa, and just thinking about it felt like a joke.
Circles under the eyes, flooded with acid.
She hated Esteban Zaragosa’s dishonesty and concealment towards her, spilling her guts and saying, “Yes, now I am disappointed because it was not Lazaro Morejon who called me but you.”
“Dulcina Calvo”.
The man pronounced his name word for word, clearly, annoyed.
But who was she to listen to him, “Mr. Esteban, it’s not appropriate for you, as a married man, to call me so late! You should spend more time with Mrs. Esteban!”
“As I said, Claudio Belles was never Mrs. Esteban!”
Dulcina Calvo laughed mockingly, “Esteban Zaragosa, I used to think Lázaro Morejón was scum, but now I think you are even more scum than Lázaro Morejón. At least Lázaro Morejón admits to cheating on his wife, but you cheated on him and still won’t admit it.”
You said that Claudio Belles is not Mrs. Esteban, do you think he can’t read or do you think he is an idiot?
The marriage certificate that Claudio Belles had thrown in front of her was not national, but she could tell it was international, she wasn’t quite sure what country it was from, but those details didn’t matter.
The important thing is that he, Esteban Zaragosa, is married! And the person who appears on the marriage certificate is not her, but someone else!
Dulcina Calvo hung up the phone and turned it off.
Buried under the sheets, like a wounded beast, he cried for a long, long time.
On the other side of the bedroom door, Papa Dulcina and Mother Dulcina listen to the roots in the wall.
The two adults let out a sigh, “There seems to be a real divide.”
“Go away and don’t disturb your daughter’s sleep.”
…
Rome, Italy.
Esteban Zaragosa drank a large glass of brandy and his stomach, his heart, went up in flames.
She holds the red string in her hand and rubs her fingers over the small porcelain ball with the three words Dulcina Calvo engraved in clear letters, as if they were carved in her heart, many years ago.
All these years, in the wind, in the rain, in the guns, he has always known that he and his girl are not at all from the same world.
His world, complex and dangerous; hers, simple and peaceful.
He thought about not destroying the peace and simplicity she had, but in the end he could not resist the idea of being in The Holy City, in her school classes, in the hospital where she was hospitalized, and being her leader.
It was just an opportunity to approach her step by step, to get attached to her, and then use her to trap her.
Dark eyes, slowly closing.
Esteban Zaragosa felt only a vague dizziness in his head.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
There was a knock on the bedroom door.
Esteban Zaragosa opened his eyes: “Padre Justo”.
Orlondo Marta walked in dressed in a house suit, smelled the alcohol in his house and knew he had been drinking heavily, frowned and said, “That much alcohol for a girl?”
Orlondo Marta, the righteous father of Esteban Zaragosa and the guardian of Esteban Zaragosa.
“She’s different.”
Orlondo Marta smiled, sat down in front of him, looked at him and laughed: “It’s the first time I’ve seen you so involved with a girl. Is Claudio bad?”.
“Claudio is very nice, but I limit myself to her, as a friend, as a sister.”
At that moment, Claudius Belles, standing in front of the door, clenched his fist at these words, his flirtatious face full of proud murderous intent.
Is Dulcina Calvo really so hot that a man like Esteban Zaragosa can’t get enough of her?
Orlondo Marta looked at him with a vague curiosity in her eyes: “The more you say, the more curious I am about that girl. I didn’t want to get into the love affairs of your young people, they are not for outsiders. But from what you say, I think that girl Dulcina Calvo must be very interesting.”
“Father Justo, can you help me persuade Claudio?”
Orlondo Marta was stunned and a look of surprise crossed her eyes, “Esteban, is this the first time you’ve asked me to convince Claudio that the girl Dulcina Calvo is really that important to you?”
Esteban Zaragosa’s eyes were serious and earnest: “In my life, either I am not going to get married, or if I do, it will be with her”.
“But don’t forget that you and Claudio, for whatever reason, are authorized and legally recognized as husband and wife.”
“But my straight father was clearly aware that I got my license with Claudio in the first place, simply for the sake of the mission.”
Orlondo Marta laughed lightly and said meaningfully, “You are for the mission, yes, but Claudio is not. Claudio has liked you since you were a child, you have grown up together, you have tasted danger and life and death together, I always thought you were perfect for each other.”
“Fair father, if I have to marry Claudio because it suits me, then I would be really unfair to her.”
Orlondo Marta laughed and shook her head, “There is no fairness in love, you just don’t love Claudio, so to speak. Is that what you do with Dulcina Calvo? You’re also not fair to Dulcina Calvo when you’re with Dulcina Calvo when you already have license for Claudio. ”
“Esteban, it’s because of Dulcina Calvo that you’ve been running to La Ciudad Santa for the last few years, isn’t it? That girl, do you know who you are?”
Esteban Zaragosa narrowed his dark eyes, “Not yet.”
“Would she want to be with you if she knew the nature of your work, a work in which she could lose her life at any moment, and that she, if she stayed with you, would also be exposed to this risk? With Claudio, between you, there would be none of these conflicts. That’s what makes Claudio right for you.”
Esteban Zaragosa pursed his thin lips and said, “When the time comes, if she doesn’t want to, naturally I won’t force her; she is supposed to be a danger in my world and must not be taken to it. But until then, I don’t want her and I to be separated, because of Claudio. ”
Orlondo Marta reached out her hand and patted him on the shoulder, “I understand, I’ll help you persuade Claudio, but I won’t get too much into your young people’s relationship problems, you know how stubborn Claudio is, if she doesn’t let herself go, even I won’t be able to persuade her.”