"Diego! Sofía! Come quickly! A letter from Sebastián has arrived!" Catalina called from outside.
The young people ran excitedly. It had been a long time since they had heard from their family."I want to read it!" Sofía requested excitedly."All right, all right. Let's go inside and enjoy the news with some hot chocolate," suggested Catalina, handing the letter to Sofía, who took it with a smile.The three walked along the path leading to the house. The roses were more beautiful than ever. A glow near the place where they had buried Alister III caught Sofía's attention. She bent down to observe the origin of the shine more closely."What's wrong?" Diego asked, stopping beside her."Look!" Sofía said, lifting her engagement ring.It was most likely that Antony Van Ewen had dropped it when he left La Rosa that day."It's strange to find it after so much time," Diego reflected, observing the ring his cousin had between her fingers.Catalina also came closer to see."Thank heaven! We didn't manage to send him the jewels, and the ring wasn't in his possession when they found him. No one will ever suspect that it was Alister who killed him," Catalina said, relieved, placing a hand on her daughter's back to continue walking.Sofía sat at the dining table next to her cousin and waited impatiently for her mother to return from the kitchen with a tray of steaming chocolate and some cookies. Once her mother sat down, Sofía began to read:"My beloved family, I want to tell you that my parents and I are very well. My father sleeps peacefully, knowing that there were never any intruders on the estate, and my mother is delighted with her granddaughter. Fate has reunited me with Adriana, who was expecting my daughter when I left for the colonies. My little Victoria is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I am sure that by the time you receive this letter, I will have already married my precious Adriana. I do not want my daughter to remain a bastard any longer..."Sofía read the following pages of the letter, where Sebastián talked about the wedding preparations. He told them about his daughter's mischief and seemed proud that she inherited his knack for getting into trouble. Additionally, her cousin dedicated several paragraphs to describing how Spain was changing and spoke admiringly of Napoleon Bonaparte, a French military man whose popularity kept growing."I can't believe I'm already an uncle and that Sebastián has finally decided to settle down," Diego commented."I hope they can be happy. Speaking of marriages, I was thinking... maybe you could get closer to Mariano Bustamante. He's a good young man, quite attractive, and with his father's death, he became the most important man in town," Catalina said, looking at her daughter.Sofía sought help in Diego's eyes, who quickly said:"I thought that... I would like to ask for Sofía's hand, dear aunt."Sofía smiled. She had been waiting for Diego to propose or at least try to approach her romantically for a long time. He looked adorable with blushing cheeks."Oh, nephew! You are almost the same age as Sofía; it's better for the man to be several years older than his wife in a couple. Besides, I think a union with the Bustamantes would be beneficial for the whole family," Catalina concluded and went to the kitchen.Sofía took Diego's hand under the table, and he stroked it with his thumb. She would not allow her mother to marry her off to Mariano or any other suitor, no matter how handsome and wealthy he was. She had a plan that, although risky, was going to work."Don't worry, I'll handle it," Sofía promised, seeing her cousin seemed sad.He looked at her, but she simply gave him a charming smile.That night, when all the candles at La Rosa were extinguished, Sofía sneaked into Diego's room. He slept peacefully, barely illuminated by the moon's faint light. She approached him and lay down next to him. Only a thin sheet covered him from the waist down, and he had a bare torso. She distinguished the scar on his arm and thought she hadn't done a very good job stitching it. She traced the places where his arm's skin rose irregularly with her fingertip. Though her caresses were gentle, they woke him, and Sofía was startled when he grabbed her wrist."Sofía?" he asked in surprise."Yes," she said, blushing, feeling her heart race."What are you doing here? Am I dreaming?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.The young woman giggled and gently moved his hair from his forehead. Diego looked very cute, disheveled, and confused. She couldn't help but brush her lips against his but pulled away quickly. The young man tenderly stroked Sofía's arm, and she shivered at his touch on the fabric of her nightgown."I don't think it's a good idea for you to be here," he whispered, though Sofía could see in his eyes how much he wanted her to stay.Sofía kissed him, and this time Diego responded. Diego's lips were warm and soft. Sofía knew she didn't want to kiss anyone else for the rest of her life. She was nervous but desired what was going to happen with every fiber of her being. Besides, her mother would have to accept their marriage because it would be the only way to save her honor."I love you," Sofía whispered in his ear and hugged him tightly."I love you too. I always have, and I always will," he promised.Sofía pulled away enough to take off her nightgown over her head. She looked at Diego sweetly, who was blushing as he watched her. She took his hand and guided it to her. He seemed to react and began to explore her figure. He appreciated her with exquisite tenderness as if he feared hurting her.Sofía pushed aside the sheets covering the young man's nudity and forced herself to look away. She focused on his eyes, which looked at her with deep love and so much desire that his touch felt like it was burning, but pleasantly. She straddled him, and he sat up to hold her in his arms. She felt his warm skin against hers and the uncontrollable desire he awoke in him.Diego kissed her lips, neck, and shoulders; he explored her body with caresses that made her shiver. When he possessed her, she stifled a moan with a passionate kiss. At that moment, their love would be sealed forever. Nothing and no one in life could separate them.He waited for their bodies to get used to each other, never stopping to kiss and caress her as if she were the most important person in the world to him. A few seconds later, she began to move slowly, guided by Diego's arms, making her feel like she was in heaven. That night they made love with their bodies and souls.The dawn surprised them in each other's arms, and Sofía gazed at the sky tinted with ocher and lilac in that unique moment that seemed timeless. She could feel Diego's chest against her back and his arms protectively wrapped around her. He kissed her shoulder and slowly traced her arm with his fingers. A new day was beginning at La Rosa. A day that would mark the beginning of their story together and would leave the experiences that brought them to that magical moment, where they almost wordlessly vowed their eternal love, trapped in memory.