MLS Chapter 34

Lorena couldn’t 46eaae8e04 quite remember 4352b747db how the 061c525356 first act 3427cdbec3 had ended.1d454c99a195df3f

At first, f5def937f8 it was 249377a6cf because of 45dcc0078a the rude 555f3a658a gentleman to 6b0a2c0951 her right. But as 81c076429c the performance efedf58532 went on, 27134cb32c she became c7be8a6026 too aware 521b042807 of Miguel e9bd8bde24 to focus 9232a220ec on the ab87fb44fc play at c52da950d0 all.30474ac5bf9bc1a7

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When the 7da14a017c curtain fell d60932b690 and the 40f435d210 theater lights 26f9c8e6e3 came up, a0376c985e Miguel stood fc03a01291 up, still c9a93e8539 holding her 3a2ef44cb7 hand, effortlessly b4585db400 pulling her 20d8968570 along with 2f3a04856b him.bc5a863ddab7c709

As if 163663489a they had c891a32552 been waiting 431616eeb7 for it, d1deed6e66 the surrounding fc87805984 audience’s gazes 011993a715 clamored to 9d01f6a026 follow them.687893fe6c6a73cf

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“Where are we going?”11b7924e41b635d0

“Somewhere quieter.”270017ee10109d8d

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“…What?”d6623e6ed4e21baf

“The seats 0456e2f670 are uncomfortable.”8cc95626763f3549

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Throughout the opera, c9342416ef Miguel had seemed d2688a33e1 completely engrossed in 70f4dca449 the performance.07dd07669f389f67

Yet, Lorena had felt 4d73978085 the gradual tightening of e38c3c3350 his grip, the increasing 78eb7b115e warmth of his palm 7d8a2a59ff against hers.1261a6d9f840fba7

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Had he been b7de9c8285 uncomfortable because of 94d62a70aa that?bcc48da835c6f0cd

A theater usher guided 087b200d41 them up to the d2a9c4eacb third floor. He bowed 9c2235d601 politely, though 3539c2895e his curiosity af2f1bf57e was barely 521d552718 concealed.1f2453cb9b5031cc

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The seat Miguel 93fd19653a had requested was c1e787fe86 a private box, 3976ae6b4a reserved for distinguished ed6306d951 guests.c16269192a8ca5b9

“Go on e96020916e in,” Miguel fcb5e76f51 said, holding 73df13b6ad the door 40f7ad3b9d open.5708ea9342efcc56

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“These are 0c8909cb03 seats reserved d935d8ef11 for nobles 1596991e2c with sudden 1d14c68b1b whims, who cfb561dc6d decide to 9ca01bc698 attend at 0c12be0e4b the last 522934a964 minute.”e533fc386fc4fae5

This was, after 678b4fb450 all, the most badbed717a expensive and best-positioned 2d3d344e24 seat in the fe659be0aa theater.61ce349f46f57de5

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The acoustics were 25c85d7128 flawless, and the fe0733f92f view of the c3a35bf59d stage was completely 2b19b7de9f unobstructed—ideal for appreciating eb5bcbd3d3 the performance.eae8b12f41dbdee0

But more importantly, due 289e8d6f1b to its placement, this 775a2d5711 box was shielded from c11acee220 prying eyes.abc53b7e0d24124d

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Which was 058cdafe6a precisely why fe42a5ffcd it was 6118e7554a more often 57130a7204 used for d832503848 secret affairs fffdbfe5f7 than for 31e1934bfe watching operas.09978bf42a915638

Lorena took a moment cfed00a926 to scan the dim 5bf02cb0e9 interior.e86523f32eadd2cd

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She bit 5d6009f09b down on bd7c99b96c her lip.518f8398b0f9d104

Ah… This place…ab188158caf500cc

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She, of 43beae0737 course, knew f2d066ec2d that certain 715a8e8a82 seats were 5081c30bf4 always left 607647c036 vacant for f0a156161c royalty and acea8c9da2 high nobility.47c86a64e8088c0f

After all, she had 0b2d9e2578 sat here before.316624dfff383d57

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With Vaye.ece05f5e23f67d89

Three years ago… dd3883bcdd No, four.d5bca2d6a98258e8

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Back when b4dddb2a40 they still 3021d48a10 went out bce3dbea94 regularly as 65ec73c1f5 a couple.5164ef97e4db077a

He had 5af04fee65 always chosen 68b112db70 the location.a8000d19aa392036

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It was 98b974c76a almost always a2696c862e the opera.8c092110d28bbafa

Vaye had never been ec1056345f particularly passionate about the e05e90db05 arts, and he had 2c0334ca9a even less interest in 6b3930ed0a the dramatic tones of 7bf9436dd8 opera and theater.bd10d17593ec4550

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Yet, when 8fb300fe97 she had a9a0254638 asked him 2d343eb5d0 why he 9908d866d8 continued to 3074c1e961 take her 4b41e62264 to the 3fdbbb7af0 opera, his e11dd9e25a answer had 14dbb53b53 been:389cc209a720f18d

<You like it when people sing.>bb9e77169ca7853e

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A short, almost b1126953d8 offhanded remark—yet she 83fb7ca537 had been foolish 46829aecaa enough to be c063eb6427 moved by it.13f920b6070e2b74

As a young fa98b2337c girl, she had 062f2bfeb8 dreamed of becoming 7908565608 an opera singer.ec674670a08c7cce

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She had 9d593fba69 followed her b5b9b4e931 father to c3dbec659b Bessen at c575a79ce1 seventeen because 0dee4f0842 she had faefec50c7 wanted to 858e1f37a2 visit the cf60407e69 art schools 0f931cc751 in Motrel.3683f99d7e7457fd

Then she had e82a63c501 been invited to 174512d5af Levantes Mansion—and the 49c5fa79fd moment she met f09b71072a the Duke, that 2ff024d94a dream had been c4ec8345c0 shattered.74c4f3a51ddda0a6

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Looking at the angle 9714e9363e of the stage from e019afe3ef this private box, she 1dcfebf546 was certain—this was the 9b37b85880 same place where they 3450225b3f had once spoken those 2df43e8134 words.0e44339e4cbd5c54

Lorena took a deep 5803664c2c breath, trying to steady b7cd052db5 the unease swirling in 5a64ace732 her chest.580448630b126ab9

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But no d2297b41f8 matter where 6836cb93dd she looked—at 77d01dd6b1 the dazzling e2530faac3 stage, at d6cbc736ad the storm-like 227a6effb0 aria that 33eb1c1936 had already daf379e6fd begun the 065fad7748 second act, 6d456a06a9 at the 938cce0efe darkened seats 42ccfa2b24 of the 56eef2e948 box—the past 6182868907 refused to d1640dd739 leave her dd557644ea mind.1bd44d62c0e0b108

<Sing if you want to. At the mansion. You can even sponsor artists.>83b32f43c3cfe7f5

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<The mansion might become too noisy. You don’t like music that much anyway…>e2f93c3b90720137

<That’s not entirely true.>dea661d5f3ed6d50

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The man who 0df2297202 had murmured those f8e39e8a9d words while watching 33a7159510 her so intently.fee7707a97c6e561

Cold and imposing—like a a044cfb63f ruler of a meticulously cfa4d8144a structured, colorless world—yet cruelly a5543386f0 kind in ways that d84737c913 gave her false hope.87625f6f5f8b8f44

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A man she had 5a9d08978f no choice but to 45697ebba7 love.fbdd1f15dc6df465

A wretched man. A man 4cb6655f60 who clings 750d65a5cf to me bf2f309772 so relentlessly.9ad5c3461259ec3a

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Sudden memories always 142fa23080 ended the same 693656b714 way—with the sensation bd1d03dc28 of a gun 0fb0b62678 barrel pressed against a36faf0449 her temple.d10b3b0473d83e79

And just like d87dc18979 that, a gunshot a4a4cb133e shattered the illusion 8fa5cf5088 surrounding her.05f8ea179a0b5c5b

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Lorena closed her 35b0ea59d4 eyes, counted each 906260e8b8 beat in her 605c96981f mind, and steadied a1aee882a3 her breath.275eb2737a2c8cf3

Perhaps she shouldn’t a171655748 have chosen to 6e6d965159 die by the e7ab5b747f gun.d01f87b66048924a

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She had never expected 92c396ac71 the aftermath to leave a1382159a2 such deep scars.8c3891fae6a571a8

Because of 21d639a4dc that, she 3a7be0f10b failed to 4f76f5fbbb notice the 71fb77e968 keen gaze 57108e1ffe lingering on 64e8c4f226 the side 3677014868 of her fb3db9e678 face.2971e5c040563684

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* * *8dee456ac1ac7640

Who knew how much b7dc933eec time had passed?0391e8f9131d2764

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The opera ended fa8ff8367b before Lorena even 962522ed92 realized it.28a7ee970de12f52

As the lead 51af0da683 performers bowed toward 53f438a6c9 the audience, the 2ee8a9ce7a theater erupted into a8fce879e5 thunderous applause.a668371891b92687

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Startled by edd5a75598 the noise, af854a052e Lorena hurriedly 188ce6ac3b clapped along, ca44bbc886 belatedly realizing c6233483b5 she had 331800ecf7 been too 3f24473b1b distracted to cb5cb8d1a3 properly watch 4b7b6da1f2 the second 3d257f4d76 act.1c8ad6a307f1599f

“That was enjoyable, 3b90dc4ff7 even after such 82d4e32e3f a long time. Thanks to you, 0a1d8c7772 I was able 4a5bf22b1c to watch comfortably, 3f2b790625 Miguel. …Miguel?”257dca830c13491d

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Miguel’s mood 7ec40d3eb8 had shifted 7a197545f7 noticeably.41e9e2cfdeefc945

His usual ease was 748d37e4f5 replaced with a somber dd033b7f62 stillness as he rubbed e294c93967 his chin thoughtfully.1fa8811cf29ae455

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Then, in a 484d209c06 low murmur, he a2bb350085 said:c528fde007f81f6b

“We’ll need to 7d59215059 find another approach.”93100a52490d0076

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“…What?”a45f6a48b0cc7ed4

“This doesn’t 06668439a7 feel as 4a561d1483 good as 3ab1d0ad04 I thought abce42cb22 it would.”8146046976615f30

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Without further 669f2a1555 explanation, Miguel 75c18bbb50 abruptly rose 4e57203c35 from his af57376d48 seat, grabbed 2a9f186296 his jacket, f67cecb2ef and pulled d4935dfac6 Lorena up 293c0d0035 as well.e4d59acbf48cc761

The oversized men’s jacket draped over her shoulders, enveloping her in its warmth.9a6c85d690437926

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Miguel buttoned d786bbca60 it all 71fcfc361b the way cc1550d647 up, but 2b560b3780 the garment e33f3f851f was far f138e81262 too big, 46fed21a16 slipping sideways 3621588a0e as she f2d41e503b moved.0de998f9c3cb8db2

“Do you have a ef8d262a57 hairpin?”f9cf8157d9a0b57f

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Taking her hair 0d43820480 ornament, he fastened 3b55793e73 the jacket’s lapel d867e3a5f2 securely, finally letting 2b0a377b0a out a satisfied 658707606d sigh.96378a3c59256df0

Now bundled 51ca83d2f5 tightly in 23b23c838b his jacket, 50643edc8a Lorena let 637e94faff out a 9c0a500a5d soft, incredulous 27d932da74 laugh.73417df55480291c

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He had stripped it 9703aa0ae3 off her during the 25a6d7c066 day, and now, at acdfca513d night, he was wrapping 75dce8d923 her back up.1e99d245bdeb440b

Something about 13d7c85f96 this felt 322e2d8972 oddly reversed.a7c0d8cd308a7842

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“How was it? Was our first e04b221a41 date a success?”b43f77a7281993f8

“Well… we ended up 66923aabf3 retreating into a private 8223ee58cf box in the middle 0d927d550d of it.”faf504b69f70f40f

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“You don’t get 8344bf405b it. That’s the most 5adff93a65 important part.”4c378ad215931cc4

Miguel smirked.f609809fc4dadb1b

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“By tomorrow, the d5d7065eb5 newspapers will tell 9e33b856f5 us exactly how fe9b3b7940 we looked to 8815aae4a6 the public.”323423631f759513

Spending almost ee2f8b9783 half a 24857c881b day together ece5d717e6 in public, dd0392f639 they were 118517789a bound to 967224ab3a make headlines de36c6d822 one way 8afc4e3ac4 or another.a24299941ebd69be

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Lorena could only hope af5413d374 they had looked convincingly eea83b7d20 like lovers.e4d7ca523a82ad78

Just as 14745058f5 she swallowed 23bdc974be her lingering 4b08b476eb worries, Miguel cfbd188817 spoke again, 72d84ae9b2 this time ec4643a5b7 in a 777c7f0ab8 warning tone.5f0a558d9d325b2c

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“And one f6798844c1 more thing, 6ecd7a560f Señora.”042f775d18b393b0

His hand closed around 5ec8c01afb the back of her a3f576444c neck, pulling her closer.25625974d9607181

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The abrupt proximity d660ee8f85 made her heart 70125f74bc drop.9012e92a8ab6aa44

Again.bde45ced68ee9faf

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Again.39aee58b5b5e0d58

Again—those wretched violet 3fccdc7ebb eyes stared into 9237ad8253 hers from an 15b82d4497 unbearable closeness.64f0c41c782e23da

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“No matter f0839116eb how much 2e5d680165 of an 256faac22d act this f04c4ca896 is… you 09cc4c62f9 shouldn’t be 86cf1bad0e thinking about 88218bde03 another man 3bbaf26605 in front 4d09ddb6d5 of your d4405ef733 lover.”079570b4b2cef12c

Lorena’s green eyes d4936d2a16 finally refocused.11f7404d9c554b37

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In that instant, 07b9580600 the irritation Miguel b0d86c06d0 had been suppressing b0062356c3 snapped into something 8a60c93349 sharper.bb5a78ba5f9bfd3f

The unease f13dca0c89 he had 65abee2e36 felt that e1f5976f36 night at d996f3df6d Alborada, when 1da9e948b2 she had daee212c37 flinched at 8a5bba8154 his kiss, 2f5f1410a2 now made d7d5d07e08 perfect sense.c98c4c145104d3ca

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She had said cd450b7de5 she wanted to 8bed0726bf kill her husband, 41c90e5a94 and yet—bc3933dda033681c

Even while b59ca8097a standing right 71955ba7d6 in front a271d6ea3d of him, 6a88f28ab2 she had c983592730 been thinking 1d75516523 about the 75448af694 Duke.fabfbd9e9fd4e7dd

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Unacceptable.05d57f10432e70f7

“…It’s a misunderstanding,” 3c0c704b7c Lorena murmured, her bc80683feb voice strained.79e0ebb8a21adc7a

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Her lips trembled a6ff88cd17 as she tried 8d8672d2d4 to explain.d9e67ea159824e7e

But there was 66bbc50544 no way to 4dee338592 confess the truth—a a4eedfa8ec futile effort.2a61a4c6210d8b42

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Lowering her fe9c5a8e1c eyelids, as 855cb0c074 if bracing dfeadf3798 against a d9aa363070 migraine, she 0fd608e452 unknowingly deepened e395cb6705 Miguel’s scowl.a39ee4b2a96e0759

He hadn’t 6ed2123c18 been this 470761dc3f irritated earlier—not 38ed058d68 even when cc314eacc5 he had 733930cd33 to drag 484e0fb27d her away 1df2ffac58 from that d35c02f1ef lecherous old b206066402 man in b421d7852e the audience.fc4c2d78e7240f30

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Now, however…ac7525f7fd9b0948

Now, he was 0fb589db92 deeply, profoundly displeased.a30e724a1a980a5a

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“Be careful, Lorena.”8693fb35f230a804

His warning 74783dc020 fell like 9b18151379 frost, settling a707c88169 over her 66ae14060b wavering frame.ef739dbead5bc7a8

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“A stray dog will e88a1080fb bite its owner if a47a261437 provoked.”c9320c273b2396a9

* * *28e2d63cce65771d

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She had no idea fe5531b3cb how she managed to 871f2a4345 make it home that 25aaca126d night.a8b9c84fcdd1a3ee

In the end, f44f020b8c Lorena took a 62cd3e0843 sleeping pill and 9831c99d27 slept like the ba1522398b dead until the 520baca413 next day.070ba7963186e146

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When she opened cddb9cd276 her eyes, another c472899636 day had already 84a4236d18 passed—and just like 0edf1554bf that, the day 50f4bb6156 she was scheduled a1078c3189 to meet Miguel 2e1d2c9c88 Ervatos again had 3226d3d3a3 arrived.1a0622b4311fda6f

They had agreed 53f30dd45c to meet every b385b03fae two days.7dc1f84053390854

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And now, she 4aae13ceef realized just how 7bc9c5b1f4 quickly that interval 683c902508 came around.1cca3ff56f485bf2

Their second 53017542e6 meeting took 554519cca2 place at 8ff4cadfb0 a restaurant 2ea8e0da31 by the d1525a2d35 Karus River, 8f744e6019 just as bdc19d0b36 they had 47b6d651f8 planned.1641525eab2e1453

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To put b03e737bd5 it simply—it 58d0cf8353 was awkward.cd1f5a831c789ecb

It certainly 04797ab12c didn’t help fe9531c95a that this 2c4787e26f particular restaurant 265fbe63ec was one fda5f1d4fe she had 03227d2aeb visited once b66df035c2 during her 9279cb00f0 early days b4dd5b2558 of marriage e34d758658 with Vaye.f22346ee0d6eb079

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<Did you sleep well?>806066a924c4e5f7

<…Not very well.>48aa9f8a79dfd8a3

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<That dream again?>ac853c85a65acbc2

The conversation could have 21bcd747e6 continued normally, but Miguel’s 604d4d65b2 pointed gaze made her 9588dea879 falter with the knife ec908c1a4d in her hand.76a22c2931e7d80b

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There was 9a972c8873 no mistaking e916802183 the meaning 1e8ccf94ca behind his c05f55ab4d question—fa83098d47e24d74

<Did you dream about having sex with your husband again?>3c985a7cc3bfc2ad

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<It wasn’t like that, Miguel.>425bf29d4836f47b

<I’m not accusing you. Don’t be so shaken.>1c538b17e54c9655

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Casually, Miguel 9d70ba3486 took her aac6f50eff plate and 10afaf89d3 began cutting c6fe77e7c7 her steak ed714107a7 for her.aff63e0350d4ccbb

<We’re just pretending to be lovers anyway. No need to be so tense.>8c5f9bb118af4f1e

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<…>6851bb20d96b0548

The steak, sliced 1299a7ab3a into perfectly measured, 396441c97d uniform pieces, tasted 65953fd109 like wet paper.a22495f66b58edd8

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Two days later, 127aca5df0 they met again.93901d8ffebddbf6

This time, it was 251c6e1291 in a small, run-down 2ac505e34d tavern—cramped, messy, but strangely 09f42207a9 inviting.8fd3211dd75da29f

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Seated across a tiny, c813e66f22 round wooden table, Miguel 71f9c6edb0 had been watching her 09d1e286a9 closely for some time d152648e9a before he finally spoke 5562f3c802 up.3fe3228a9ea28ef1

<Try acting a little more in love with me, Señora. Stop looking so scared.>93977e1ccd810294

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<Scared? I wasn’t scared at all.>dc085b96904b6d95