MLS Chapter 34

Lorena couldn’t 2fad53aa39 quite remember b32dfbd1df how the 78d817759a first act 462906e47b had ended.225fae40a777f148

At first, it was dfa37d5045 because of the rude 84a130a7d5 gentleman to her right. But as the performance ac526d765f went on, she became 7d445ebda3 too aware of Miguel 67b67e2d8c to focus on the f167ad6789 play at all.10561328bf116cc5

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When the curtain fell e5b8282e8f and the theater lights 9e24d3ba5a came up, Miguel stood 6864aaf91e up, still holding her fe8da874f1 hand, effortlessly pulling her f5828d06cb along with him.62165dd80ea65ed8

As if they 8d4638b62c had been waiting 201e39fc5e for it, the fb5d9b7df2 surrounding audience’s gazes 56c76bda53 clamored to follow c371954682 them.e66d7c8fe46b8a85

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“Where are we 8b90851a79 going?”ebef3a228784a3c7

“Somewhere quieter.”557b638397358d1c

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“…What?”d7181e5926a690bd

“The seats ff7e54ea69 are uncomfortable.”6f142de04462b9cd

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Throughout the 2c5a860e36 opera, Miguel a6d56610ff had seemed 04643de597 completely engrossed 3f0c81ef3a in the d441f1e2fa performance.3817c4385c073d3b

Yet, Lorena had felt 5b53d7c547 the gradual tightening of 0671cb181f his grip, the increasing fa30cda8c5 warmth of his palm 7e24b6f504 against hers.60303d0f363d64a4

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Had he 6f8cc036d7 been uncomfortable 23c1e1e63f because of f81ba841db that?5fa6cb5bc9f139f4

A theater usher guided f8b8de262c them up to the 32f346385c third floor. He bowed 6a92ae20eb politely, though b6d6d1468a his curiosity 18f1f4b891 was barely 992004f3b6 concealed.525b8292251ee8a3

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The seat Miguel had 8c2720dcde requested was a private 1b1d29c3f0 box, reserved for distinguished 05625b718f guests.b1f5aca3f9e386b1

“Go on 30da71939d in,” Miguel aa10d3bd34 said, holding b37ad475c7 the door ab5fce97e0 open.d057341813e94abf

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“These are seats reserved 53a8e1af95 for nobles with sudden 8f9764cfa5 whims, who decide to b2d2881e8f attend at the last 56d18bc0c8 minute.”d3d418bbb3abbf1e

This was, ffe5e1d157 after all, 82f5df60f7 the most b704a13e4b expensive and 856f3a9683 best-positioned seat c47cf6d755 in the b2eebec585 theater.0c5a40453fb66249

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The acoustics were 540e9ab816 flawless, and the 4dcf226e56 view of the 6f07f8c679 stage was completely 346bc83adf unobstructed—ideal for appreciating 00b46f0c48 the performance.540fa883ced3832a

But more f56935d102 importantly, due 3bab383dff to its d76a63496b placement, this 77395922c7 box was a3cac1c6f6 shielded from dab45e73a4 prying eyes.3c826e0ae2144ea3

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Which was precisely e9d73690aa why it was 94a7a46c60 more often used 39cf55aea8 for secret affairs 39e60d4ad4 than for watching decb77d097 operas.95fd4fa6cf5103dd

Lorena took a moment 3a30548e0c to scan the dim 2289169be8 interior.445fe99bcde952f5

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She bit down on 7f2d859784 her lip.33934ecc16d2e037

Ah… This place…b8c366b86b84e96b

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She, of e13e7f317a course, knew 9020613c20 that certain e7962ce84a seats were afa294f8c2 always left ec826338cd vacant for 209c11c6ae royalty and 02c1e56032 high nobility.a48aca23bbaf3ae4

After all, she 852d949bd2 had sat here f494988275 before.343c8cd2c351cd1b

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With Vaye.6318bf46381f6a5f

Three years ago… No, 4ce19900f5 four.93322bf5ad375a81

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Back when b2d9c48227 they still 144eaa0809 went out c868fe7c06 regularly as 51df24b7e0 a couple.2680a84fc4ac7c01

He had e5b3717b0e always chosen c93cc0d0a1 the location.b6ca14f6df547d15

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It was almost always 6a18a1356f the opera.b22f193ff4342ac5

Vaye had 8b5640dcbe never been 1963c618cd particularly passionate b7a19839b4 about the ddfb07b735 arts, and 1020f9acf7 he had d24ba5a0ca even less 0fd2c7db7a interest in c1080de5a1 the dramatic b423c632b7 tones of 8de4c8da3b opera and f58912373f theater.c8ee6a985410a166

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Yet, when she had 1b562bed11 asked him why he 1b8fa005fa continued to take her c803d3416d to the opera, his 9145929d4f answer had been:3d030fd96b9a9b44

<You like it when people sing.>44724970e14ad473

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A short, almost offhanded 730d82575e remark—yet she had been d6c276f134 foolish enough to be 03b3b2b68c moved by it.cb77408de308319d

As a 9492b475e4 young girl, 6ec865e920 she had 252e466f9a dreamed of a5034acfce becoming an 347d88b10c opera singer.8b231792be7de750

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She had 6da0940b6b followed her 6445fe6030 father to 77a228440a Bessen at c066ab1060 seventeen because a6c5704500 she had 74eb8cb1af wanted to 38d23b7d50 visit the 87247d2538 art schools 4fed7dd31b in Motrel.7a7968ed17b63a31

Then she had been 19d1424bb5 invited to Levantes Mansion—and bf99c193b1 the moment she met 007e43ff33 the Duke, that dream 2f348d20d2 had been shattered.75ff9c94c6bcae23

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Looking at 9e2f4977d3 the angle 8d37059b0c of the cf079feccf stage from e43cc5fc0e this private dba34404a6 box, she 8d783e581c was certain—this 70a0b216ad was the 95dc2a27ca same place 6c15b5dc59 where they 62138919d9 had once 91bbe24558 spoken those a7e115cdc6 words.0b2598d5e6bc79c3

Lorena took a 0c7f9d5f1a deep breath, trying d960b5de6b to steady the 747c0a5848 unease swirling in d26f48f876 her chest.090cc9f44c2fd1a7

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But no bcadb6b1f4 matter where 69c036ba01 she looked—at 536866e32a the dazzling d320758c17 stage, at 685e29a431 the storm-like 9d701d3892 aria that 823968a466 had already 710bc6ead8 begun the 5b5de78571 second act, ba1faacee4 at the b5bbb5b217 darkened seats 2dd8b81dcf of the e106e16a60 box—the past d414461d2c refused to 63875d1ba1 leave her 0194caa197 mind.164e92965f4eca1d

<Sing if you want to. At the mansion. You can even sponsor artists.>5d272053645e65ff

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<The mansion might become too noisy. You don’t like music that much anyway…>8cdea9adbcb1dcb9

<That’s not entirely true.>b2d0c370f7bd5c91

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The man who had cad17e2c8f murmured those words while d4f7153625 watching her so intently.467781e5e5f5d4f0

Cold and imposing—like a 572714ab5b ruler of a meticulously 21e4ff90c1 structured, colorless world—yet cruelly 6c87bce188 kind in ways that 69909acd3d gave her false hope.e4041ff22d12f9ba

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A man da3f346620 she had 8f2c6420f3 no choice 220f7bb111 but to 61f2ecdd86 love.86a41706a5cd76d2

A wretched man. A man who 38fe8fdb2a clings to me 85e540c573 so relentlessly.9bca0e567fc3f515

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Sudden memories always 73205cc693 ended the same 760c397f7c way—with the sensation b47dfbbc3d of a gun 71fb10c968 barrel pressed against 077bf67b0d her temple.fe1cf79619a3eebd

And just like 6533f3a866 that, a gunshot 417f0d6dfb shattered the illusion d8b7b1f75f surrounding her.a603d8d0d0e2924c

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Lorena closed her 7abf0d3bf9 eyes, counted each bc4704fd1c beat in her b892bf99a5 mind, and steadied 2de1772807 her breath.315a860d18a65dc0

Perhaps she shouldn’t 3c11ff3efe have chosen to 6aca7b5041 die by the 79e3ce1f64 gun.98eee04695707d4e

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She had never expected 3a60748d58 the aftermath to leave 32727b2085 such deep scars.5d31f807adf0c9e2

Because of that, 91562d26e3 she failed to 5e32ed12cc notice the keen c6b8f11a85 gaze lingering on 4dfb2ed1f9 the side of 4934992f88 her face.481384a21f926483

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* * *348c4f40e28706a0

Who knew how much 35363efa3c time had passed?9bb6ad834dfedab1

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The opera 223d78b52e ended before 346f088c20 Lorena even 9af30ab07f realized it.65f002efc087aa1b

As the lead performers baea459309 bowed toward the audience, e85490255a the theater erupted into a6ac0aefaa thunderous applause.9c5fbfde73493dfa

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Startled by f107cdf51a the noise, 4e8c6f63d0 Lorena hurriedly 225b43c485 clapped along, 7756b75e11 belatedly realizing 2a96fb667f she had 0f0b5b642f been too cd91a3f052 distracted to 22cba0bef3 properly watch 787f7a2db8 the second 02a244037d act.ca77c808359a95a8

“That was enjoyable, a931826ab5 even after such f49afa35c1 a long time. Thanks to you, 197bcc1395 I was able 434e15ff2c to watch comfortably, 4736f5d662 Miguel. …Miguel?”e2c9377316354416

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Miguel’s mood had shifted 801f0eb188 noticeably.8f261403b51fcaa7

His usual ease 921e75926c was replaced with 1f1bc351e4 a somber stillness 30825e33d5 as he rubbed c5a760b789 his chin thoughtfully.6769d425f7c25501

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Then, in a low 89bff70038 murmur, he said:aeddd60a98e441b5

“We’ll need to find 6b51e5e05f another approach.”f9df46dc118b212a

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“…What?”58f51976257d3752

“This doesn’t 18e5a77835 feel as 07dff37100 good as 35a3bea2f3 I thought e38d62eb82 it would.”0d4097dd907bd4d4

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Without further explanation, Miguel 9f7e166f6f abruptly rose from his 588f43e711 seat, grabbed his jacket, 188741a7f9 and pulled Lorena up ca3eba6303 as well.36f5dbb631494977

The oversized men’s jacket draped over her shoulders, enveloping her in its warmth.4a61d9a7dc5b7d32

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Miguel buttoned it 87ae2063e6 all the way 7ac4e48d11 up, but the f81669a96f garment was far 92082e7e77 too big, slipping d143c24996 sideways as she 1ac90230dc moved.6148c1851ee34095

“Do you d29e4edd54 have a fa37bd734c hairpin?”e960dfbafeda6f7b

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Taking her hair f8519abd58 ornament, he fastened 0163950abc the jacket’s lapel 96f625b45c securely, finally letting 2d451c13de out a satisfied a113f7f391 sigh.1465bec7d22609b8

Now bundled tightly in 0f25a823a2 his jacket, Lorena let 777c3bd132 out a soft, incredulous 2e2a478149 laugh.6b0db77f5925360e

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He had b23fb55406 stripped it eb60b64c5e off her 0238297107 during the c68e9d243c day, and 583a6c6c18 now, at 66c9f04040 night, he cfd67d74fb was wrapping 4688a1d738 her back afc11fbc30 up.7d4aa05e6310020d

Something about this felt 2fca7269d7 oddly reversed.89d0e0ee0f5d0dee

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“How was it? Was our feffc2866e first date c2dac8bdba a success?”823be5900ea53b67

“Well… we ended up ba64f1e773 retreating into a private f258bd2549 box in the middle 21f7c49fc8 of it.”a89a419ab78ec526

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“You don’t get it. That’s the 22fa244676 most important 07b84d06e2 part.”fd14c5643815b23a

Miguel smirked.e74e6155f090845b

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“By tomorrow, the 3cb1cc9469 newspapers will tell 433c9d9130 us exactly how 7cd6340085 we looked to 9b2bb90d67 the public.”618e2a4e61af8512

Spending almost 679438e2f5 half a 90886f66ed day together 5e0f545843 in public, 1d3850feb4 they were 9a212a60ea bound to b246ff162a make headlines 52b36c2722 one way 555c1935e5 or another.a32cf03294fa4564

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Lorena could only hope a1355b8f8f they had looked convincingly c6f093e46b like lovers.64dd86426f38fb76

Just as 2d5df1981f she swallowed 77e4f5d125 her lingering d591e3e50e worries, Miguel 991684209b spoke again, 426080457c this time 8f13ab0497 in a 21f18f03df warning tone.9cd72f953359bda2

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“And one more 36a6201826 thing, Señora.”52d87d2976d81762

His hand closed around 20002e62f7 the back of her 4e4fa44bf8 neck, pulling her closer.53c462b2a79bde31

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The abrupt proximity made 4bf537cdbe her heart drop.d6a7fd2aff5ace22

Again.b759768815d73e0c

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Again.a9620a8ffd1ad423

Again—those wretched violet eyes e998a994c7 stared into hers from db752f9013 an unbearable closeness.ad8cf3d035dcb89c

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“No matter how much af44fafa1e of an act this 58d9a4b217 is… you shouldn’t be eb0acb7bb7 thinking about another man 57b02abe7f in front of your 9b1a5a59ef lover.”ec7756b9bcbb2810

Lorena’s green eyes finally 029efd790e refocused.09851be0475e33e6

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In that f1adc20637 instant, the e990c438d9 irritation Miguel c1fcc92750 had been e791d79d62 suppressing snapped dd830475fb into something 3a26a757ab sharper.8d74475e1f28119e

The unease bd54b0793d he had 55f40a1dcd felt that 33d7e4850a night at cbf9e94395 Alborada, when 310db28568 she had 1141e0b842 flinched at 31b8629e56 his kiss, 43ebe54364 now made 756df0f8d5 perfect sense.191db73060e95ab9

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She had said she fd700d75b9 wanted to kill her b64cb40b6a husband, and yet—5639c78ad3f8ad31

Even while standing right 0da5f4fda8 in front of him, 53297a06b2 she had been thinking 700f201708 about the Duke.4b753192cb1f81c6

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Unacceptable.c1b16366d516af43

“…It’s a misunderstanding,” 5bc4f0bb52 Lorena murmured, her d2a79fb426 voice strained.aaa120ecbecbd26d

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Her lips trembled as c40837a5aa she tried to explain.25dc27c9ac5dc165

But there e5ddaeaeee was no bbbfddd508 way to 2fb5115aef confess the 71e921f65a truth—a futile 7321649f64 effort.89044fedee8a35ef

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Lowering her 1d15e2578c eyelids, as 43e51ba2e4 if bracing 429aec4fb9 against a a5a003968f migraine, she 7bf22931dd unknowingly deepened 38bcf410ce Miguel’s scowl.9c5781d60762bb52

He hadn’t e6da77e7cb been this 7058777889 irritated earlier—not 79b1f7d43b even when df9cb79553 he had d4c61c7575 to drag f492a39d0e her away 0ce9a25887 from that 8255892ea9 lecherous old e6e73cdfa5 man in 672c46766a the audience.2b41163b8c69fe06

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Now, however…7fb0c60a1f42bdb7

Now, he was 0ea87f68af deeply, profoundly displeased.04b55c1012c97059

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“Be careful, Lorena.”66381acb7a7fb135

His warning fell ea6aaabc2b like frost, settling 772b098c5a over her wavering 6a8d61cd8c frame.27a7015cf4278464

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“A stray dog 14ba9ed829 will bite its 858f55b844 owner if provoked.”5c55823522d20efa

* * *94d6ee167ddecf1a

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She had c8af9b1ac0 no idea c0528c47e4 how she b00edc5fdc managed to 61dcab86e6 make it e7bf76e2b8 home that 47e8f2f478 night.ef4bb22620869437

In the end, 3bfde5e336 Lorena took a cb5eb16e87 sleeping pill and 25e69675b7 slept like the c68686bc15 dead until the 48c02ea09f next day.4cfe01b6eb41ab30

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When she 112ebc8a25 opened her 528321f65f eyes, another 6653d32490 day had 8f0dbbb074 already passed—and 868c9aad0f just like 3b089fbcdb that, the 1c03004ec1 day she 93ff6eac96 was scheduled e94a628da0 to meet 5fad2951a4 Miguel Ervatos c63d56226c again had 86ac49ccc5 arrived.770abb19897a9ea9

They had agreed b15729a832 to meet every 42aaa8f04a two days.2e29ce53cc09a91b

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And now, she realized 03fe0d8875 just how quickly that 117342f575 interval came around.7f1638c28325f952

Their second meeting took 6d3a78ce0b place at a restaurant 9cb27e1b17 by the Karus River, c52c88f1d1 just as they had dcc0a43da4 planned.9701e304cedf862d

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To put it 494e221a3e simply—it was awkward.d93c3dae2c8e5dcd

It certainly didn’t help 9f4eb5d922 that this particular restaurant 74f95fa260 was one she had 878626227b visited once during her 7a1d2afbda early days of marriage 0e2a5d6714 with Vaye.146ec2a7a8be7986

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<Did you sleep well?>3f3e4c956ae41839

<…Not very well.>292660c2a284f989

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<That dream again?>620f1ecbd6acc9be

The conversation could have f706884250 continued normally, but Miguel’s bbd6b51169 pointed gaze made her cd5add5d0b falter with the knife 0692dae826 in her hand.955fee2eb4cc16d2

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There was no mistaking 4fd03693fb the meaning behind his 54e479614d question—cc62a616f8391de6

<Did you dream about having sex with your husband again?>0084b9d7eea957e0

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<It wasn’t like that, Miguel.>ffc4620781ba5755

<I’m not accusing you. Don’t be so shaken.>c660820e11918e4f

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Casually, Miguel took f728defc94 her plate and 339d041f05 began cutting her 63dc8d20ad steak for her.e5042afa9b98efeb

<We’re just pretending to be lovers anyway. No need to be so tense.>bda7bc0388d46d97

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<…>b156a42335c2613e

The steak, 576a93f14f sliced into a9c5df277b perfectly measured, 6f7c5eb33e uniform pieces, f4c7966430 tasted like 6ba376f0fd wet paper.837251a901165555

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Two days later, 60e9049e8d they met again.662a7bb426b04133

This time, it 710534c7ca was in a c01f1da3b9 small, run-down tavern—cramped, 9f21a0d6c3 messy, but strangely 244d8fdb56 inviting.b4aa3235b6f73e3b

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Seated across 52af083b99 a tiny, 0c720f9478 round wooden ef043105c4 table, Miguel 387b557a0e had been 638024d3b5 watching her 153ea8581c closely for 773af921e7 some time b974d39039 before he bb748c25b1 finally spoke b3a5fcacac up.5585b9ce95c7024a

<Try acting a little more in love with me, Señora. Stop looking so scared.>89ce639ca9f08344

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<Scared? I wasn’t scared at all.>96650eb4c99e73c3