When Óscar Pérez Esnaola received the letter informing him that his lands in Spain had been occupied, he erupted in anger and began organizing his affairs to travel as soon as possible. As expected, his wife would accompany him.
"It's not necessary for you to make such a long trip. I will go and resolve everything. Besides, you wouldn't want to miss Sofía's wedding," suggested Sebastián.His father did not doubt the veracity of the letter. The words Sofía and Isabel had written for him were very convincing. All it took was for Sebastián to place the letter among his father's usual correspondence and wait for him to read it. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain, as Óscar refused to let his son travel."No way! Knowing you, you'll make friends with the crooks and end up handing over my lands," his father mocked."You offend me, Father. Trust me. I swear I will resolve this!" insisted the young man."I'll handle everything myself, and with luck, I'll be back in time for Sofía's wedding," Óscar growled, his face growing redder."Can I go with you?" Sebastián asked, though he knew it was impossible to negotiate with his father when he was so agitated.The rest of the family listened cautiously behind the kitchen door. Óscar's words echoed throughout La Rosa."I'm your father, and if you don't want me to leave your share of the inheritance to Diego, you'll do as I say!" Óscar shouted, ending the discussion.Days passed, and Sebastián feared that at any moment, someone would show up at his door to arrest him. His cousins, Diego, and Pablo Ferreira kept proposing possible solutions that, unfortunately, were impractical.Óscar was more irritable than ever, especially with his eldest son. The man remained convinced that intruders had invaded one of his estates in Spain, and ships did not depart every day. Sebastián dared not start another fight with his stubborn father to take him along, but he felt time and ideas running out.On Thursday afternoon, a slave informed him that Isabel had invited him for tea at Águila Calva. He quickly saddled his horse and headed there. It was possible his cousin had relevant news for him, given her husband and Mariano Bustamante were very close.Upon arriving at the Páez estate, a maid led him to the kitchen where Isabel awaited. His cousin sat across from a burly man Sebastián did not recognize. The man was barefoot, and his clothes revealed he was very poor. He was sipping stew from a bowl, which he lowered upon noticing Sebastián's presence.Sebastián had a bad feeling. While feeding the poor was something Amanda might do, Isabel wasn't like that. His cousin had a plan, and he believed he knew what it was."Dear cousin, I want you to meet Estanislao," Isabel introduced.The man set the bowl down and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his dirty shirt. Sebastián approached and extended his hand in greeting, but his cousin stopped him."I wouldn't do that. He's very sick and won't live long," she explained coldly, as if Estanislao weren't listening.Sebastián withdrew his hand and took a step back. He hadn't noticed before, but beneath the grime on the man's face, he could see some red and yellow sores."Nice to meet you," he simply said.Sebastián circled the table and sat next to Isabel."Estanislao is a fisherman. He has two young children and a pregnant wife in the city. I've promised that when he dies, we will take care of his family. We'll ensure they have food and shelter. All he has to do is follow Ana Bustamante and confess his love for her when caught. Dying in jail, knowing his loved ones have a future, is certainly better than dying in his bed, knowing his children will suffer hunger and cold," Isabel explained.Estanislao stared sadly at the empty bowl, and Sebastián felt his heart tighten. He didn't want another death on his conscience, but he had to admit it was a good plan."I don't know..." Sebastián said."You know it's your best option, cousin. Besides, you'd be giving this poor man's death a purpose," Isabel urged.Gray clouds accompanied him back to La Rosa. He couldn't believe he had agreed to Isabel's plan. He didn't like the person he was becoming. If killing Mr. Bustamante had saved both Ana's and his life, now he was only benefiting himself.When Diego and Sofía tried to pry information about what had happened at Águila Calva, Sebastián tried to evade their questions. However, they persisted until he told them all the details. He saw his own fears and insecurities in his brother's and cousin's eyes. Still, they didn't judge him. He had few options.On Sunday in church, everyone talked about the man caught harassing Ana Bustamante while she slept. The man was accused of being the murderer. They said he was obsessed with her and, though out of reach, hoped that without her husband in the way, they could finally be together. The strangest thing was that no one in town had ever seen him before, despite his memorable appearance.Everything seemed to have worked out for Sebastián. However, guilt overwhelmed him, spreading in his chest like an ink stain covering the words of a letter."I'm glad you don't have to leave," Amanda said, sitting beside him.Next to her, Pablo nodded."You had no other choice," he added.Yes, he did, but no one dared even suggest it. He could have confessed and paid for his mistake. All his life, he had run from his problems. Someone always protected him and helped him get away with it. He fled Spain upon learning Adriana was pregnant, and he was willing to leave the viceroyalty, letting Ana bear the full blame. He had killed a man and let an innocent take the fall for his mistake.After mass, Sebastián confessed his sins to Father Facundo, but the penance for forgiveness did not lessen his guilt."Thank you, Father," he said, and the priest blessed him.As he left the church, he felt María Bustamante's eyes on his back. It was as if the girl could read his thoughts and knew his secret. He wiped the sweat from his hands on his pants and hurried to the carriage to lock himself in. His heart raced, and breathing became increasingly difficult. He was about to scream when Diego opened the vehicle's door.Sofía accepted the hand her younger cousin offered to help her up and looked at Sebastián cautiously."Is everything okay?" she asked.There was nothing about the situation that was okay. He had ruined his life and others'. He was a terrible person, and every decision he made triggered a series of irreparable misfortunes."Yes," he replied out of courtesy.His parents and Aunt Catalina had left in another carriage, so when Diego settled in, the driver whipped the horses, and they began to pick up speed.Sebastián remained detached from the young people's conversations and barely raised an eyebrow when Sofía took Diego's hand. He said nothing. He was the least suitable person to comment on a relationship. He only hoped his brother could mend his heart when the Englishman returned to claim Sofía as his wife.