Chapter 41

I woke up and was surprised by the scenario because it seemed like I no longer had a car.

“My husband.”

“Stella…”

My eyes widened when I saw Lady Stella and Don Ignacio. I knew them from the old newspapers.

Is this a dream?

“What are we going to do? The Montes are not guilty of what they are accusing them of.”

“I don’t know, my love. I don’t know what to do anymore. Don Martinez left the town to me.”

I just covered my mouth and cried when I saw their situation. If this is just a dream, please… Wake me up. It hurts to see them like this.

I was then transferred to another scenario where chaos was happening at the Montes' hacienda.

W-what’s happening?

“No! Not my husband! He's innocent!”

Oh my god. No… Please!

“Stella, take care of our future child. Remember, the truth is on my side.”

“N-no…! Ignacio!”

***

“Ana, wake up!”

I woke up and noticed that I was in Martin’s car.

“Hey,”

I held my chest because it was tight. I didn't know why, but I ended up crying in front of Martin, who I knew was confused about me.

“Fuck. Alexis! Go back to San Alfonso!”

I was still crying, and I could clearly see Lady Stella’s grief when Don Ignacio was arrested. I knew it was a dream, but it still hurt.

Why do I have to dream about those things? What do they mean?

Do you need justice, and am I the key to that? Fuck. I really need to know what happened 28 years ago…

We returned to the hacienda, and I was still silent, even though I knew Martin was worried. I touched my forehead because my head seemed to be hurting.

“Ana, say something. I’m worried.”

I blinked and looked at Martin, but I just smiled at him and caressed his cheek.

“Thank you. I apologize for causing you worries; I’ll be fine, I promised,” I said with a smile and went inside the hacienda.

I went straight to my room because I couldn’t get the dream out of my mind. Was it just a dream? Or was it something that really happened 28 years ago? Fuck.

I just want to get back at the Villalobos. I didn’t intend to get involved in the Montes' lives, but there’s a part of me that feels connected to them, or maybe I’m just tired, and my mind is wandering.

I took a deep breath and was about to undress to take a bath when I remembered that Detective Paul had given me a piece of paper. Furthermore, I took it out of my pocket and unfolded it to read the note.

“Ana, let’s meet at the hut. — Detective Paul.”

I bit my lip and ran my hand through my hair, feeling like the Detective had something important to tell me. I need him.

I took Martin’s lighter from the table and lit the paper to make sure no one could read what was written before I went to the bathroom to take a bath. After my routine, got dressed, and when I came out of the bathroom, I was surprised to see Martin waiting for me.

“What happened? You called out Don Ignacio’s name,” he said seriously. I hesitated and just shook my head.

“I just had a bad dream. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine,” I smiled at him, but he didn’t seem satisfied with my answer.

“What did you get from Detective Paul?”

I was taken aback by his question and just looked away. I would rather not keep anything from Martin, but I had to.

“Ana, I don’t want you to keep anything from me. How can I protect you if you keep something from me?” Martin asked seriously. I sighed and sat down on the bed.

“I don’t want you to get involved in my plans, Martin. I know what you did to Chloe before, just for me. That was enough help for my plan. I would rather not ruin your reputation as the town’s Don. I don’t want all your hard work to go to waste, and I don’t want you to disappoint Don Martinez for his ambitions for the town, so please… Let me handle this, okay?” I said with a smile, and I just held his cheek before lying down. But I was surprised when he hugged me and rested his head on my shoulder. “M-Martin?”

He didn’t say anything and just held me.

“Please, take care. I want to protect you,” he whispered.

I just smiled and ruffled his hair, and we stayed in that position. “Martin?”

I tried to wake him up, but he didn’t budge, so I peeked at him and just laughed when I noticed that he had fallen asleep while hugging me. I slowly removed his arm from around me and helped him lie down, then I just stared at his face.

“If I had met you earlier, maybe I would have married you instead, but I can’t change the past, so there’s no point in regretting it. I’ll just finish the fight, Martin. Not just for me, but for you too,” I said with a smile as I caressed his face and whispered, “I-I’m sorry…”

I bit my lip and took a deep breath before standing up to leave because I felt thirsty, but I heard noise coming from the kitchen.

Damn. You’re not going to haunt me, Don Martinez, are you? He-he...

I slowly made my way downstairs, but the noise was getting louder. Fuck. I’m not scared of ghosts, possibly I can still handle Chloe’s face. It’s scary when she gets angry, her nose job hole gets bigger. TSK. I took a deep breath and continued, but I cursed when I saw what I found in the kitchen.

“Ana? Damn! I told you she was coming!”

“I’m sorry, I had no idea she was here!”

Sighed, and noticed the bottle of alcohol on the table. Looks like these two had been drinking before they worked their magic. TSK.

I just walked past them to get some water, but I ended up getting a glass and filling it with alcohol. I was stressed out by Mateo and Chloe, who did nothing but ruin my day, TSK.

“Oh, join me! Martin is already asleep, don’t worry,” I said with a smile to them. I could feel them exchanging glances.

“Hey, are you okay?”

I was taken aback by Rio’s question while sitting in front of me. I just looked at him and Maximiliano with a grin.

“Am I okay? I don’t know,” I shrugged and took a sip of my drink, which Rio scolded me for.

“Martin will be mad if he sees you drunk! What happened at Levi’s office?”

I leaned back and laughed. I didn’t want them to get involved in whatever was going on.

“As usual, it’s all nonsense. You know them, they don’t know how to do anything except step on other people. And that couple, Mateo and Chloe, ugh. Why are they so annoying?!”

I ruffled my hair in frustration and exhaustion. Those two always give me a headache, they never fail to ruin my mood.

“That’s just how the villains are… They’ll cause trouble until the end. It's not thrilling when they’re quiet.”

I glanced at Rio, who was also drinking from his glass. Is he going through something? It’s obvious that he’s pulling out all those things from his past.

I looked at Maximiliano, who was quietly sitting on the side as if he were just listening even though he didn't understand anything. He also has a mysterious effect. He suddenly appears in San Alfonso like a mushroom.

“Max, why are you here?” I asked. He looked at me and grinned.

“For Rio? He’s running away from me,” he said with a grin, leaving Rio speechless.

“I told you, I’m not." Rio retorted, which only made Max grin even more.

Wow, am I not here to mediate their fight? TSK.

I just shook my head and continued drinking. I wouldn't gain anything from these two.

“What if…” I interrupted their argument. “…something worse happens? What’s your plan?” I asked them, staring at my glass.

I couldn’t forget my dream. Furthermore, I didn’t know what it meant or why it showed me everything. Currently, I could feel the Montes' resentment. Their resentment for the people they wanted to protect.

“Ana, whatever you know… Be prepared because the battle isn't over yet.”

I looked at Maximiliano, who had turned away from us. Rio and I exchanged glances, but he just shrugged and stood up, so I just shook my head.

“Yes, I am aware. It’s tough. Whatever I did, I had the feeling that something wasn’t quite right,” I said with a smile and took a sip of the alcohol.

I heard Maximiliano laughing, so I just stared at him. There was nothing funny about what I said. Tch.

“Ana, do you want to know why I’m here?” Maximiano turned to me and grinned. “I’m going to tell you a secret,” he winked at me and approached Rio, pulling him along.

“What the fuck?” Rio complained and struggled against Max’s grip.

“I’m here for my Rio and, of course, for my vengeance. Ana, we have the same goal. I’d like to know the truth,” he whispered to me, leaving me stunned and speechless, just holding my glass. “Good night!”

I looked at Max, who waved at me as he continued to pull Rio towards his room.

Fuck. Why did his words give me chills? As if we had the same goal. Oh, fuck. I just messed up my hair, feeling the stress and exhaustion from the confusing events.