Capitulo 76

"Belle… can we talk, please?" he implored, grabbing my arm to stop me.
"I just want to leave."
"I know... I think it was foolish to believe nothing would happen by having this meeting."
"She's your brother's wife and the woman you love… who am I to stop you?"
"You were the reason I truly planned this dinner. I didn’t want to tell them to leave, but you were the one I wanted to talk to. To apologize… to explain my reasons, and then you could decide if I’m worth forgiving." His expression looked genuinely worried.
"I wanted to hear you too."
"If I used you, Belle… it was for the love of a woman I thought was very different from what she turned out to be. I know I have no excuse. I played with something as delicate as your grandfather’s life, but I guess I was a fool in love. I felt I was doing the right thing when César stayed with the woman I had loved for so long and then hurt her… it confirmed all the suspicions I had about him since I was a child," he admitted, catching my attention.
"What do you mean?" I asked, fearful of his response.
"César is a psychopath, Belle. I realized it the day of… the day of my parents’ death," he said, pausing as if gathering his courage.
"Explain yourself."
"You don’t know yet, Belle, but I am the older brother," he continued, and I was surprised. "When our parents died, little César, who had just learned his parents were gone and that the family’s weight would fall on our shoulders, laughed… he laughed like a lunatic at the family funeral while looking at our parents’ lifeless bodies. I’ll never forget that smile, Belle; it still haunts my dreams."
"Maybe he was in shock. People handle painful events in different ways," I said, uneasy at the dark tale.
"The next day, that 12-year-old boy prepared himself to take over the family business at the age of 17, showing an almost monstrous coldness… he never mourned our parents. I never saw him cry, but that smile still lingers in my mind. For him, there was only one thing: work. And anything that got in the way was trampled over, no matter what." The version of his brother he was describing didn’t match the man I thought I knew. But how could I really know him?
"You hate your brother."
"He’s dangerous, and that’s why I came back… I shouldn’t have left you with him. But I was so disappointed with everything that I just wanted to disappear. So many years loving a woman, and in the end, I meant nothing to her," he said, glancing toward the restaurant, where Belladonna was adjusting César’s blazer with playful smiles. I turned my gaze away, feeling a pang in my chest.
"You still love her…" I whispered, and he sighed deeply, looking at the calm sea illuminated by the moon.
"I don’t know. Seeing her today after leaving for her, all I felt was nostalgia. I think I’ve had time to think and have come to a conclusion." Surprised, I looked at him as he smiled.
"What have you realized?"
"That I was so foolish not to notice, Belle, that you were the one I should have cared for all along." My chest swelled, making me smile, but something had changed. Even though this was the man I had once vowed to love until the end of my days, at that moment, all I could think about was what Mr. César might be doing, and that confirmed I felt something for him. Tears welled in my eyes, and I couldn’t stop them.
"Hey, why are you crying? What’s wrong? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?" he asked, concerned. I shook my head, trying to calm down as I quickly wiped my tears.
"It’s nothing… I’m fine. I’m just feeling a bit sensitive," I said. Keylef held my face gently, looking into my eyes.
"No, something’s wrong. You can tell me. Is it because of me? Do you like me?" he asked. I shook my head, and his surprise was evident.
"I thought hearing these words would make you happy…" he said, disappointed. I pulled away from his touch and admitted sadly:
"In the past, I would have wished to hear those words… but now, I think I’ve changed too, from the Belle you knew."
"I’m sorry for being too late for you…" he replied, and I smiled.
"If it weren’t for you, I would never have believed there was more for me than a dead-end life of hunger." With a sorrowful expression, he approached me, holding my face and kissing my lips. When he pulled away, I whispered:
"Goodbye, first love."
۩
César.
"Wow… it seems they love each other more than I imagined," Belladonna murmured, leaning on my shoulder as we watched from the terrace.
"Be quiet."
"Do you want the truth? I sensed some tension between them during dinner, but I didn’t think it would go this far."
"Shut up!" I barked, pushing her off my shoulder and stepping away from the window. I grabbed my phone and dialed.
"Seriously, César… is that little mouse affecting you so much? Or do you just miss me? I’m the real one. I can give you what she does, but better," she said, running her hand down my back in soft strokes.
"Launch the fireworks," I ordered, hanging up. I removed Belladonna’s hand and looked her straight in the eyes.
"You know something, Belladonna? The only good thing I learned from you… is that all women are liars. I don’t need you, or Belle, for that matter. So no, I don’t miss you. I’d rather go completely insane in my ivory tower than go back to you." I pushed her away as the first firework exploded, and without another word, I walked away, grabbing my blazer.
"I’m ready. Pick me up."
"You’ll regret rejecting me so cruelly, César. I swear to God."
Belle.
I looked up at the fireworks display lighting up the sky, enchanted. A smile spread across my face. I’d never had such a perfect view for this kind of spectacle. But why? Who did this? I glanced at Keylef, who looked just as surprised as I was. Then, I quickly turned toward the building, but Mr. César wasn’t watching us. Why was his name the first that escaped my lips? Without hesitation, I went to find him, ignoring Keylef calling out for me. I was certain they were from him—for me… but all I heard was the sound of helicopter blades, drowning out my desire to see him leave the island. I was sure it was him, leaving.