Page 42 of Eternal Craving

A fragment of a forgotten memory tried to claw its way back.

I shook my head. “Salvador’s told me about you both.”

She released my hands and turned to look at Salvador. “We’re so happy,” she said, smiling.

“And that makes me happy.” I nodded toward Salvador to make sure he knew it.

Alicia gave me an apologetic look. “Felipe told me you were dangerous, that’s why I…”

“I understand.”

“But I almost got you killed.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Grandpa became sick, and you disappeared, and Mama wouldn’t talk about it.”

She shook her head, as though trying to make sense of it all.

I feared that with my explanation she would be moved to tears.

“You were so young, how could you have known about the bull?” she reasoned.

“There were men there that night.” I spoke calmly, my tone devoid of emotion. “I was shoved into the arena with a bull that had been worked hard for hours.”

She gasped. “That’s why you were taken away, so that you wouldn’t tell anyone?”

I shrugged. “Perhaps.”

I wanted to say that Roelle was good friends with Felipe, that I suspected they were responsible, but I had no proof other than a gut feeling.

Salvador’s expression told me he knew that I was protecting Alicia.

“How is your son?” I asked.

“He’s in the garden.” She pointed out of the window at the one-year-old child playing on the lawn, watched over by a maid.

Knowing they were all safe allowed me a moment to breathe. “What’s his name?”

“Ricardo.” She watched my reaction.

I stared at the boy named after our eldest brother and resisted biting my lip.

“Felipe chose his name,” she whispered.

I glanced at Salvador. He turned away, unable to look at me.

Felipe had given his son the name of the man he’d murdered. Not out of remorse…no, that would be too human. He did it to own the memory, to twist the knife every time someone spoke it. That way he was secretly punishing Alicia.

I had to push that man out of my mind for now.

After a fine meal at Moran’s dinner table, we spent the rest of the evening and well into the early hours conversing, never wanting it to end. Alicia stirred long lost memories that I’d once suppressed. Nothing could make up for a lifetime of being apart, but the precious moments we shared during that time proved somewhat cathartic.

Alicia embraced me for the longest time as we lingered before the horse drawn carriage. It pained me to have spent such little time with her.

With all that had passed between Salvador and I, our closeness had never wavered.

Even now, when he knew the truth of how I’d misled him, Salvador gave me that same look of affection with that illuminating smile of his.