Chapter 17 #4
“Let her know, but save the visit for tomorrow because Dalina needs to rest,” Henry suggested.
“Alright,” Niky replied.
“We should get going,” Lolo said, approaching to hug me and giving me a loud kiss on the cheek.
“I love you,” I told him.
“And I adore you.”
“Move aside, I want to say goodbye to my little sister too,” Bastián said, pushing Lolo away. “I love you, little demon, take good care of yourself.”
“I love you too.”
Niky was the last to approach.
“You’re the sister life gave me, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I love you and, believe it or not, I love these two nuisances too,” she said, laughing and pointing at my brothers who smiled back at her.
“I love you too.”
“Here, I’ve had this with me for days because I figured you’d want to give it to him when you woke up,” she whispered, discreetly handing me the gift I had bought for Henry.
“Thank you.”
The three of them left and Henry sat on the bed and hugged me tightly.
“You look terrible. You need to rest,” I said.
“I was terrified.”
“I’m sorry you all had to go through something like this.”
“I’m sorry that you went through it. I would have given anything to be in your place so you wouldn’t have suffered,” he stated.
“It’s over now,” I said, caressing his face.
“I should have guessed that crazy woman was behind all this and I should have protected you better,” he lamented.
“Henry, I forbid you to blame yourself for this. No one is to blame, not even Sol, I think, because she’s not well. That woman who hurt me was mentally disturbed.”
“I don’t even want to think about her because I’d go wherever she is and strangle her with my bare hands.”
“Was she the one who drugged you?” I asked, though after what I had heard her tell me, I had no doubts.
“Yes, it was her. She confessed everything.”
“I love you, my love; I love you so much that when she was standing in front of me, all I could think about was you and that I might never see you again.”
“Don’t even say that…” He leaned in and gave me a sweet kiss on the lips. “I love you, Dalina. I went crazy when I found out what had happened to you. I’ve never felt so much fear and anguish in my life. If something had happened to you…”
“Shhh, we’re together now.”
“And we’re not going to be apart anymore,” he affirmed, and kissed me again.
“I have something for you,” I said, and took out his gift from under the blanket where I had hidden it.
“What’s this?” he asked, surprised.
“It’s your Christmas gift. Niky knew I had bought it for you and she just gave it to me.”
Still surprised, he took the gift, kissed me sweetly, and began to unwrap it very carefully before opening the box with anticipation. He took out the watch and looked at it astonished, and when he turned it over and read the inscription, he looked up, stared at me intently, and hugged me.
“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever received. I love you, my Dalina, I love you so much I can’t even explain it.”
“And I love you too. May I have the honor?” I asked, pointing to the watch.
“The honor is mine,” he said, extending his arm so I could put it on him. “I’ll never part with this watch.”
He kept looking at the watch, now on his wrist, with indescribable emotion. After observing it for a long time, he raised his eyes to mine and hugged me again.
“Promise me you’ll never leave me, I couldn’t bear it,” he pleaded.
“You know I can’t make that promise, but I can promise you that as long as life allows, I’ll be by your side loving you with all my heart. In the end, it seems you were right and we are stronger than destiny.”
“We are, our love is what strengthens us and we’ll be able to face anything,” he affirmed, giving me a sweet kiss on the lips.
At that moment, there was a gentle knock on the door and Henry moved away from me.
My friend Sean’s head peeked in and our eyes met.
He entered the room and in two strides was by my side, taking my hand.
Henry watched us attentively and, from his expression, it was clear that Sean’s closeness bothered him, but my friend didn’t even notice.
“Dali, how wonderful to see you awake. You can’t imagine how scared we were. Now I can finally breathe again.”
“I know, I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. How is any of this your fault? You were the victim.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“How could I not be by your side? I couldn’t believe it. That woman fooled us all, it’s like we grew up with the enemy.”
“She’s not well, Sean. I don’t know how we didn’t realize it.”
“It’s over now,” he said, caressing my face.
Once again I thought I heard Henry growl, but Sean didn’t even look at him.
My friend chatted with us a bit longer and then left, promising to return the next day.
When we were alone, Henry settled beside me, put his arm around my back and hugged me.
I rested my head on his shoulder and felt the peace of having him by my side.
“‘Pretty boy’ is in love with you,” he stated.
“Stop calling him that.”
“That’s what you call him.”
“I say it affectionately, you say it ironically.”
“You didn’t say anything about the other part,” he pointed out.
“What are you referring to?”
“The love he feels for you, and don’t deny it because everyone can see it.”
“I’m not denying it,” I said, not wanting to lie or play dumb.
Henry looked at me seriously and I think he was surprised by my confirmation.
“Did he confess it to you?”
“He did the last time I was in Paris, when I traveled to get away from you.”
“And?”
“Nothing, I confirmed what he already knows, that I only love him as a friend. He understands clearly that my heart belongs to you. Fortunately, we were able to get past that moment and keep our friendship intact.”
Henry pressed his lips to mine and sighed.
“I can’t wait for us to get married.”
“It’s just a formality, we already belong to each other completely. I belong to you completely, in body, heart, and soul.”
“Me too. I love you, my Dalina.”
“I love you, champion.”
He leaned in slowly and kissed me again, pouring into that kiss all the feelings overflowing from our hearts.
If we had learned anything from that horrific experience, it was that our love was so great that living without each other was something difficult to imagine.
We loved each other. We were among those privileged people who managed to find their soulmate, that eternal love that would accompany us throughout our lives.
Because that’s how it is. When soulmates meet, they recognize each other at first sight. And for us, it was enough to look into each other’s eyes that night when we met at the hotel bar to know that the search was over.
THE END