chapter thirteen.

Penelope Martinez Narrating:

When I arrived at Cassandra's house there were two policemen at the door, I looked at the green grass taking a deep breath, I was already freaking out at the craziest news I have ever seen in my life, I didn't know if I was happy or confused, but there was definitely a hint of happiness in me.

I knocked on the wooden door, her butler of years answered the door, I hugged him and went to the living room, when Cassandra saw me she hugged me with a scared look that broke my heart, I put my hand on her head.

— It's okay, I'm here. — I hugged her tighter. - Where is Nico, Cybele?

— He's not here, he didn't sleep at home, and Cybele, well... They haven't spoken for years.

That was his voice! Sebastian walking towards us near the living room, spoke wiping his hands that apparently were funny, he looked at me with his head down, I tried not to look disgusted but as a very expressive person the expression was already there.

I adjusted the sleeve of my striped jumpsuit, realizing it was the first time I couldn't avoid him.

Of course she had called him too, he was like a son to her, I tried to take a deep breath and count to ten in every language I knew, I was willing to take this situation as a way to move on, I stared into his blue eyes.

— Hi, I didn't know you were here.

— She called you and me on the same call, I just kept quiet. I arrived a few hours earlier, because I was in Barcelona for Gio's birthday. — His arms remained hanging at his sides.

He rested his hands on his hips, his white shirt was dirty with grease, I noticed with his lips together, still with his arms wrapped around hers and I almost fell back, yes I had been invited as soon as I left the clinic, but, I refused.

I refused with my heart in my hand, Gio was Sebastian's younger brother, son of his father's remarriage to a Spanish model, seeing Gio walking around already with a girlfriend made me feel old, I helped him change his diapers.

She smiled at me, with a wide smile. Her gaze was low and calm, fluttering her eyelids as if she were getting heavier with each wink.

One of her nurses explained to me that she had taken her medication and would need to sleep, after putting her to bed, I sat with Sebastian in the back of the house.

— Can you tell me what the police wanted? — I crossed my arms over my chest, curious.

— They found out that Cassandra was the person Samantha was going to meet that morning, I said in a statement, about the call. — He looked around. — The thing is when I talked to Cassandra and she said that she never called Samantha that day, and that they only talked to each other via message.

— There, there, I understand this less and less every day! To think that Cassandra could have hurt one of us? That is impossible.

I raised my eyebrows, sitting down on one of the chairs in the garden, I breathed in the fresh air, and the scent of roses and jasmine that took over my senses, somehow I was missing that weight and pain when I looked at them.

Suddenly they disappeared, I scratched my chin looking at the beautiful scenery around me, I was more concerned to know about Cassandra and all that he knew and I didn't, because for some reason I felt that she was hiding her worsening.

— É... I don't know if you've noticed but, she is much worse. Henry said that she hasn't eaten since Samantha died, and there is also the fact that she hasn't found her son's files at the orphanage.

A yes, the son she had before everything started, before the book. This part of Cassandra's life was almost like one of those soap operas my grandmother loved to watch. When Cassandra was young she had a child, and her father hated the fact that she had a child with someone he did not approve of.

Taking advantage of the fact that on the day of the birth the child did not cry, the farmer lied. He swore that the child was stillborn, believing that this would be better for his daughter. Cassandra moved on with this big hole in her chest, became a writer, adopted Nico and Cibele as her own children.

The truth came out when her father died five years ago, he had given the child up for adoption. I had never seen her so sad, but it pained me that I couldn't help her in this phase, Sebastian had followed this phase closely, while I was recording films, and stuck at stupid parties.

Cassandra was joining the pain of a fake mourning, the lies, the lack of love from Nico and Cybele, they didn't care about her at all, Nico was an unemployed man who lived at her expense, Cybele was no different, she was too ambitious, arrogant and dissimulated, so it didn't impress me that they didn't talk to each other anymore.

All this family trouble together with the cruel reviews about her books launched after the saga, cancelled the series she directed. Then there was the gala night, Francine was getting her star in the hall of fame, and we were all there for her. Cassandra was kidnapped and it was a real torment, when she came out that night something had changed.

And resolute in a fit of panic, it was sad how she didn't even come to the garden, always looking out of the window only.

Sebastian let out air from his mouth as if he were tired, and sat down on one of the benches, straightening himself up. I felt myself listening to what he had to say.

— This is horrible, this doesn't help the recovery at all. I ran my hand over my face. I feel terrible that I didn't stay by her side.

— You also have your monsters to face! She said so herself. Don't worry, she knows that.

He straightened the sleeve of his polo shirt, he had changed his shirt, he was wearing a beige one, almost brown, a terrible color. I would like to complete this thought that that color did him no favors, but I would be lying. Any color was favorable to him, he sat up in his chair, looking at me in a corner.

I grabbed my purse, searching for my cell phone and unlocked it, going to ask my mother about her and my father, as I imagined there were a thousand missed calls from him.

Me and my mania of always leaving the cell phone on silent. Before I could call, Roberto, my driver asked me where to put my bags, I disconnected the call and turned around getting up with everything.

— We won't stay here, let's get settled in the hotel.

— Wait! Penelope, she'll be happy to see you here, I'm going to the hotel.

Sebastian asked, running his left hand over the back of his neck, I could decipher an expression of discomfort on his face, he was as embarrassed as I was. Well, I wasn't the only one.

I looked up at her bedroom window, her house was of average size, Cassandra hated fancy mansions, she said that huge houses were overrated, she liked to have something comfortable, she always wondered why she would want a ten room house when she didn't even have relatives.

And the few that she did have, she hated, for her, too big a house attracted unwanted relatives and slackers who used the excuse of having several rooms as a reason to stay in her house for a long time, like leeches.

I laughed to myself in that brief moment when I remembered the time I saw her throwing her cousins' suitcases and clothes out the window so that they would leave after two months of pretending not to understand that she had to leave.

I knew her too well, so well that I knew she would want to see both of us when she woke up, I ran my hands through my hair, feeling the silky strands running through my fingers, I put them on my left shoulder, not believing what I was about to say.

— No, Sebastian, she will want to see both of us. E... — I swallowed dryly, thoughtfully. - We can never go back to the way things were, but let's be nice to her, I want to move on, and I know I can't do that by hating you.

Roberto was led to the bedrooms by William the butler, and I was about to go to the bathroom when I felt Sebastian's hand.

— I need to tell you something, and I need you to just listen. Are you all right?

I nodded, raising my eyebrows, I was curious. At that moment the sky was saying goodbye, where the moon had already left, I sighed looking at that dark blue behind him.

— I know, I made a mistake, I confess. — He gestured with his hands, I just stared at him quietly. — I promised I would love you every day as if it were the first, and I'm sorry I hurt you. I tried countless ways to sustain our relationship, I played the steel wire and fought with all the strength we had.

He took a breath, and spoke again looking into my eyes, out of the corner of my eye I could see the maids watching us and commenting from the window, as if they were invisible trying to hear the conversation over the transparent blind.

— It's all my fault, and here I am mustering up all my courage to tell you that even though it's not enough, I'm sorry, to this day I am. I failed, and you're right, things will never be the same, but they can be tolerable. — He bowed his head. — I just want you to be happy again.

I blinked several times, assimilating an apology that I had refused to hear for so many months, and tucked my hair behind my ear. Sebastian was still good with words and lousy at actions, at putting all that pretty talk into practice.

He had changed from the bravest, most tongue-in-cheek child I had ever known to the person who needed courage to say the obvious, but I was tired of all the drama, that's not why we were there.

— All right!

He reached out his hand clumsily, and I shook it back, feeling nothing. Thank God for that, I was ready to move on, because part of me was still afraid of getting weak, still afraid of having requirements of us there.

I wasn't, he let go of my hand, it was a relief to feel nothing. I went to the bathroom, to take a shower, but first I left a message for Nick.

Everything was so confusing, they both ignored me, my grandmother answered explaining that she and her mother were going on a last minute trip to Colombia, my cousin's baby had been born prematurely, I noticed that abuela didn't know anything, I left it at that.

I bent down passing the cream on my legs looking at the stars through the window, the curtain shut when Cassandra knocked on the door, I was scared but I went to answer, she came in and we began to talk as before.

I scolded her for hiding things from me, she confessed to me that everything was fine on her cell phone, but when I got here I saw that it wasn't true, she took my hand and assured me that she was fine, that she just had a few attacks and that was all, but her gaze was sad.

— And I'm sorry if this is a delicate subject to deal with now, but why don't you talk to Cybele anymore?

I leaned back on the mini sofa in the bedroom, and she took off her glasses and put them on the wooden table, and stood silently staring out the window at me, and if I knew her mannerisms well enough, she was about to say something serious.

— Nobody knows, except Sebastian... — She lowered her head, lacing her fingers together one by one, sitting in front of me. — Cybele was responsible for my kidnapping years ago.

I opened my mouth immediately, stunned, it was like a comet and hit me full in the face, I took her hand trying to comfort her.

— Cassandra, this is terrible — I hugged her tightly, frowning and resting my chin on her shoulder. — - Are you sure? — I asked, still in shock.

— Yes, after much investigation, they determined that she was the mastermind. I with

She ran a hand over her face, with a tear running down her cheek, and brought her trembling lips together. I pulled out of the embrace, and faced her.

— She didn't deny it, Lope. It broke my heart, knowing that the one I loved so much was the one who had put me through all that terror, so horrible for me to see those policemen here this morning, it reminded me that the last time policemen were here, I found out about it. It was like reliving the scene.

— My God. — Without realizing it, I was crying along with them, my chest tightened at the sight of their pain. — I'm so sorry...

She interrupted me, frowning. — No, nothing is your fault. — Wiping my tears away.

— No, I'm partially to blame. — I shook my head. — You are a great friend, someone who always did what she could to be close to you, despite your limitations, every day you call me. And me? not even to visit. Forgive me.

— You had your problems to deal with, except that I got used to being alone. Sebastian walking away was a hard blow... Maybe even he couldn't stand my company anymore.

— Hey, I know that sometimes it seems that nobody cares, but let me tell you a secret, your mind is sabotaging you, your life, your company, are worth much more than you can imagine. I'm not going to ask you to be strong, being strong all the time is tiring, but please, remember that there will always be me here, to hold your hand and to pave the way for things to get better.

She smiled broadly, and came closer, hugging me. — Come, let's eat açaí and soverte and watch a movie in the movie theater. — She rubbed her hand over her ear. — I asked William to buy some for us.

— No, I think I'd better stay here. — I refused, imagining that Sebastian would also be in the room. I put my feet up on the white sofa, hugging my legs.

She slicked back her blond hair. — Lope, I don't want to put you in an awkward position, I wasn't thinking when I called you two, I know it's asking a lot, but could you watch a movie with us?

I took a deep breath. — Okay!

I got up together with her, we went downstairs and he was sitting in the living room playing video games in the movie theater, for a minute I could laugh with him trying to speak Japanese over the microphone with a twelve year old child.

The night ended pleasantly in spite of everything, I was fine. The commotion had passed, I gave myself a chance to enjoy a good comedy movie with fries and lots of Brazilian acai.