Pablo and Amanda visited La Rosa almost every day. Perhaps they were as afraid of the Englishman as Diego himself. Sofía, for her part, became frightened and pale every time someone knocked on the door. None of them had mustered the courage to explain to Catalina what was happening. They all hoped Antony Van Ewen would forget his engagement to Sofía.The day the Englishman finally showed up at La Rosa, it was too early for the Ferreiras to be there. When the doorbell rang, Catalina hurried to answer it. Diego and Sofía abandoned their freshly prepared breakfast to see who it was.Seeing him standing there, as arrogant as ever, Diego clenched his fists and felt all his muscles tense. He detested Antony Van Ewen more than he had ever detested anyone. He still bore the physical and emotional scars from their confrontations. He had the irregular scar from the stitches Sofía had given him after one of Antony's dogs had bitten him. His movements were limited because his ribs ached from the kicks Antony had given him in the mud, and he remembered with intense hatred every indecorous advance the Englishman had made towards Sofía."My lady..." Van Ewen said, kissing Catalina's hand courteously."What a joy to see you again!" exclaimed Doña Catalina."My beloved Sofía. I have missed you with all my soul," he said with his ridiculous accent, looking at the young woman, who was as pale as the cup of milk she hadn't had time to drink."Did you not receive my letter?" Sofía ventured in a faint voice, and Antony grimaced in pain.Catalina looked confused and closed the door as the Englishman began to approach Sofía. The young woman stepped back, and Diego followed. He wasn't going to leave his cousin's side. He might not be strong enough to win a fight, but with any luck, he could hold Antony off long enough for Sofía to escape. He was willing to take another beating if it meant saving her."I hoped it was nothing more than a bad joke," he said, rolling his R's."No, I'm sorry," she said, stepping back, but she bumped into the table.Antony spoke, this time looking at Catalina:"Imagine my desperation upon discovering that the love of my life was canceling our engagement.""What? There must be a mistake!" exclaimed Catalina, stunned."I'm very sorry, but as I wrote in the letter, I am no longer in love with you," Sofía explained."What did you do, dear? I'm afraid I knew nothing about this. My daughter doesn't know what she's saying," the woman apologized."So, the wedding is still on?" Antony asked."No!" Diego and Sofía said at the same time."Of course it is. I'm sure the distance between you two confused my daughter, but I'm convinced that once you're married, she'll remember the deep love you shared," Catalina promised, and Antony nodded."No, no, that won't happen because there will be no wedding!" Sofía shouted."It's not your decision!" her mother scolded."I'll return the jewelry. If it's about the money for my dowry, I'll get it. Just tell me how much it is," she said desperately, taking off the ring and throwing it at Antony's face, which he caught deftly."My daughter is just talking nonsense. You just need to spend some time together, and she'll be an angel again," Catalina insisted nervously."The distance made you forget what you felt for me, but I'm here now, and we'll never be apart again. I'll take you with me on all my travels," Antony said, grabbing her wrists and hugging her tightly.Diego noticed how his cousin trembled in the arms of that tall, despicable man. She looked so fragile and defenseless in the grasp of the repugnant Van Ewen. He had to do something to help her. He grabbed a knife from the breakfast table, and although his hand trembled, he shouted:"Let her go! Don't ever touch Sofía again!""Diego, put the knife down right now!" his aunt shouted."If you don't leave now and leave her alone, I'll report you for smuggling and selling secrets of the Spanish crown to England," he threatened.The last part of his statement had been a mere guess, but from Antony's expression, Diego confirmed it was true. The Englishman released Sofía, who ran to hide behind her cousin."You can't report me, or they'll arrest you and your friends too. Everyone moved goods for me, and although I never deal directly with my buyers and suppliers, everyone spoke with you, your brother, Ferreira, the Páezs, and the Bustamantes," Van Ewen explained, approaching Diego, who brandished the knife threateningly.The Englishman grabbed the boy's hand and squeezed it until he dropped the improvised weapon. Now it was Antony holding the knife, pressing the blade threateningly against Diego's neck."Why don't we all try to calm down and discuss this in a few days?" Catalina suggested, but Antony had no intention of moving away from Diego.A growl made the boy look away from the crazed Englishman and the weapon that could end his life in a split second. Alister III was baring his teeth at Antony."Get away!" the man ordered, but his words only agitated the dog, who began barking."Get away from Diego!" Sofía said firmly, and Antony stepped back as the dog positioned himself in front of the boy, never taking his eyes off the Englishman."All right! Now tell your dog to leave!" he demanded."I can't. We never trained him," the young woman admitted.Alister III leaped at Antony Van Ewen and bit his arm. Diego winced, knowing all too well the pain that could cause. Antony and Alister were locked in a fierce struggle, with the dog biting and the Englishman stabbing him."No!" Sofía screamed, hugging Diego and crying as Alister let out a pitiful whimper and collapsed, bleeding on the floor.Antony had won but was also bleeding, and his bites looked severe. Diego was sure the Englishman would need stitches and instinctively touched the irregular scar on his arm. His cousin would never close Van Ewen's wounds as she had done for him."Leave now! We will send back the jewelry you gave my daughter. Don't come near this family again, or we'll have you arrested," Catalina threatened, and Van Ewen staggered away.Diego wasn't sure if Antony could get very far in his condition, but at least no one at La Rosa would be willing to care for him. A pool of blood spread around Alister III, who had given his life to protect them."Are you okay?" Diego asked, pulling away slightly to look at his cousin, whose pupils were still dilated with terror."I thought he would kill you!" she said, placing her hands on Diego's cheeks.Doña Catalina approached them and said:"I'm so sorry! I regret trying to make you marry him. I never imagined he could behave like this. He seemed so proper..."Sofía let go of Diego to hug her mother tightly."It's over, Mom. Everything will be fine," Sofía said."Yes, and don't worry. I'll find you another suitor who's worthy and hasn't lost his mind. Now go on, I'll take care of cleaning up this mess, and then we'll bury Alister III. That dog died a hero," the woman said, and Sofía nodded.Diego went up to his room, and Sofía followed him. The young man voiced the question that had been tormenting him the most:"Do you think your mother has another suitor for you?""Oh, Diego, I hope not," she simply said, sitting on the bed."Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling on the floor in front of Sofía."I don't know; it's sad that Alister died like that, but I'm so happy that he didn't hurt you," she said, gently stroking Diego's hair."And I'm happy that Van Ewen is gone. I'd rather die than have them take you away from me," he confessed.Sofía placed a hand on Diego's cheek, and he held it there with his own.That afternoon, Pablo and Amanda joined them to bury Alister III. They wrapped him in a white blanket and placed him in a hole Diego had dug next to a rose bush with red, velvety flowers. Sofía placed a pair of shoes beside him, knowing he loved to chew them and hoping his soul would have something to play with in heaven.Diego gave a small speech, thanking Alister for saving his life with such bravery, and then everyone said a few words of farewell. Pablo was the last, feeling compelled to speak since everyone else had:"Alister may have been, in name, the third of his kind, but he has always been unique to all of us."Pablo's words, though accurate, made Amanda laugh, and she tried to hide it by covering her face with a handkerchief."Goodbye," Sofía added one last time, cutting a rose and tossing it onto the dog before Diego and Pablo began to cover him with soil.A few days later, a peasant couple found the lifeless body of the Englishman. While bandits had stolen all his belongings, Simón recognized him. Dr. Medina confirmed that the man had been attacked by a wild dog. He wasn't wearing the engagement ring that Sofía had thrown at his face, which greatly worried the Pérez Esnaola family. They had just managed to distance their name from the death of Bustamante. The last thing the family needed was to be investigated for Antony Van Ewen's death as well.