Chapter 58
with trembling hands
Carolina
It’s been over fifteen minutes since Elena rushed out to the terrace after receiving a sudden call from Victoria; it’s no surprise she did, since Jorge and I had just announced that everyone is invited to join us on our honeymoon, and she’s surely telling her all about it.
I was the one who suggested we look for a destination the whole group could enjoy, and I’m thrilled to be able to experience something like this with them.
I left the others at the table to get up and go find her.
I want to take advantage of the fact that she’s talking to Vicky to tell her that I have her dress in the bedroom and that the alterations she asked the seamstress to make turned out perfectly.
There are six days left until the big day; next Saturday I’ll be married, and every time I look into Jorge’s eyes, I can’t believe we’ve made it this far.
It took both of us a tremendous amount of effort to leave our parents’ homes, become financially independent, and not depend on anyone, but here we are, and I can touch with my fingertips this dream that began one summer night under the stars. It’s so exciting.
Pablo and Inaki’s laughter fades away the moment I step out onto the terrace and am struck by the moon’s glow high above.
I’ve always been drawn to it, which is why I take a few seconds to gaze at it before turning my gaze to my right and coming face-to-face with a pale, frozen Elena.
I have a bad feeling that something has happened, but before jumping to conclusions, I decide to walk over to her.
“Hey, did you see a ghost?” I ask when I’m standing next to her.
“Elena?” I wave my hands in front of her face.
“Are you okay?” She looks into my eyes, and suddenly hers fill with tears.
“Hey, what happened? You’re scaring me.” Looking for answers, I glance from side to side until I realize her phone is on the ground.
“Did you tell Vicky about the trip?” Her expression falls, and the tears stream down her cheeks even harder.
“Answer me!” I shake her gently. “Jorge!” I shout desperately, hoping he’s heard me.
Luckily, it doesn’t take him long to show up, and I’m so grateful, because I don’t know what to do anymore.
“What’s going on?”
“I think your sister broke something,” I joke, hands on my hips. “She won’t answer me and she won’t stop crying,” I say, stroking my forehead. “Her phone was on the floor.”
“Elena.” Jorge cups her cheeks and wipes her tears with his thumbs.
“Did something happen with Victoria? Is everything okay with her?” Suddenly, Elena shakes her head and starts trembling.
“What has she done now?” She hugs her brother and, with no strength left in her body, lets herself fall, forcing him to do the same.
“Damn it. Call Victoria and find out what happened!”
“Okay…” Following Jorge’s order, I walk inside to find my phone in my bag and call her.
The last time I saw Elena like this was the day we traveled to Valencia to support her after her divorce, and this whole situation gives me a really bad feeling.
I don’t want anyone to hear the conversation, so I head into the kitchen.
“How’s everything going, future Mrs. Torres? Have you picked up the dresses yet?”
“Answer me one thing,” I ask without responding to the questions she’s asked me. “What have you done to Elena this time?”
“Me? I haven’t done anything. I haven’t even spoken to her.”
“You called her over twenty minutes ago,” I remind her. “Look, Vicky, the last time I saw her like this was when you two got divorced,” I add, putting a hand to my head. “Right now Jorge is with her and…”
“I swear I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says, worried. “I haven’t picked up the phone at all.”
“Tell her from me that I don’t want to see her in Ibiza again!” Jorge shouts from a distance, furious, and when he reaches me, he snatches the phone from my hands. “Are you listening to me!? I don’t want to see you around here anymore! Forget about my sister and enjoy your new life to the fullest!”
“Jorge, don’t say things like that…” I grab his arm. “You can’t…”
“She hooked up with Joana, and I don’t know how the hell it happened, but Elena found out!” he yells at me. “And don’t play dumb,” he says to Victoria this time. “It’s not the first time you’ve screwed up with my sister, but this time, you’ve really outdone yourself.”
Jorge throws the phone at me, and I’m unable to react.
“Hello? Jorge? Carol? I didn’t do anything!” I hear Victoria scream from the other end of the line.
“Is it true that you hooked up with Joana?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?” she asks me desperately. “I’m packing my bags! I’m packing my things to take them to Ibiza!” she yells at me in a fit of rage. “How could I possibly be hooking up with someone else when I want to spend my life with Elena!?”
“You didn’t answer me.”
“No! We just had a drink and…” Suddenly, the call goes silent, and I’m too scared to ask. “That bitch…”
“Who?”
“I think I know why Elena’s misinterpreting everything,” she blurts out, and I shake my head a couple of times at how surreal it all seems to me.
“Joana was looking at some photos of Elena on my phone and… Shit!” From the other end, I hear banging and noises that, rather than calming me down, make me even more nervous.
“I don’t understand any of this…”
“I’ll call you tomorrow; I have to talk to Joana now,” she says, and hangs up, leaving me with a lot of unanswered questions.
Staring blankly at the empty phone screen, I blink a couple of times, trying to sort through all the information in my head. I want to believe it’s a misunderstanding, that things will work out, but… “How can you fix infidelity?” I think to myself.
“What’s going on? Jorge won’t let me into Elena’s bedroom.” Ana, who’s just arrived, points toward the door.
“Victoria has screwed up again. And this time, big time.”