Page 106 of Capuleto

“Ana!”

“I’m not lying, and now I’m off. I promise not to leave my room no matter how many cries for help I hear.”

I was left alone with the dogs. The night was fantastic, with a gentle breeze blowing and a multitude of stars shining.

Brutus came for some affection, while Lady Killer remained on guard. I whistled for her to bring me the weapon I had hidden in the garden. The dog immediately sprang into action.

I had trained her to fetch it and leave it at an exact point where Adriano couldn’t access it.

I patted her head and gave her the command to put the weapon back.

Fifteen minutes later, the sliding terrace door was thrown open with force, breaking the tranquility of the night. I stood up with my best smile, it was him; I could smell his scent. I wanted Romeo to see how happy his mere presence made me.

I turned to see his silhouette backlit. He waved his hand, and I thought I saw the glint of a weapon. A shiver ran down my spine before I heard Pablo Escobar’s famous question.

“Lead or silver?”

42

I am wind

My smile vanished instantly when I realized that the look of hatred was coming from the person I loved, and he was raising his weapon against me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my pulse racing.

"What I should have done from the beginning," Romeo cocked the gun and aimed it at my chest.

"You want to kill me?" I stayed cold. I had to think. Why was he like this? Had he heard some rumor? When he called, he didn’t seem upset.

"I know everything, Koroleva." The use of my last name was a bad sign. "No need to pretend anymore or offer me your 'I love yous' filled with poison. Not anymore."

"What the hell did they give you at the hospital? An overdose of *Pasión de Gavilanes*?"

It didn't seem like a joke or a game. Just a few hours ago, we had been joking about Ana María humming the theme song from the telenovela all the time. I even suggested to R that we play in bed with our guns, pretending to be characters who end up having sex instead of killing each other.

"This morning you didn't leave by taxi for no reason. You did it because you met Yuri at a hotel." The mention of my brother made me pale. "You've been laughing at me all this time, planning my defeat and my family's behind my back."

"No!" I screamed, fearing he wouldn’t listen to me.

"No? Do you really think you're in a position to talk? You've lost all the power you had over me, there's no spell, enchantment, or charm anymore. The blindfold has finally fallen from my eyes. Do you know why? Because Aleksa is fighting for his life in the hospital because of your brother and his men.

"He wasn't blinded, he didn't believe you, and he brought me all the evidence I needed to understand that you've humiliated me in every possible way. You've lied, manipulated, made me believe in you over my family, betrayed my feelings to ruin my life and cause the death of my men."

"If you let me explain..."

"There is no explanation that matters. It's over, Koroleva. I've lost too much for something that never existed. I got carried away by the expectation instead of seeing the reality. You are a fucking disappointment; the biggest mistake I've ever made. I should never have opened my house to you or your brother. Now I see you truly, without the mask, without that dazzling wrapping that tries to divert attention. You are rot, evil, and betrayal. And to think I would have done everything for you. What a fool!"

I had come too late, R no longer wanted to listen to me. What I should have said at the time would be silenced as soon as he fired. Now he wouldn’t believe me, but I wasn’t going to give up that easily.

I whistled before his finger pressed the trigger. The expression in his eyes warned me he was going to shoot. Luckily, I managed to move to the side, and the bullet only grazed the flesh of my arm.

I felt the burn on my skin as I fell to the ground, rolling to find cover. I heard him curse. It wasn’t going to be that easy to kill me; I had been trained to both attack and defend myself. The second bullet embedded itself in the grass very close to my head, and the third shattered one of the wooden slats of the hammock.

Lady Killer ran swiftly to bring me my weapon. I peeked the barrel over the backrest.

"Have you taught the dog to bring you the gun?!"

"You never know when you might need it, so I thought it best to train her," I responded. "Don’t worry, it was kept in a place Adri couldn’t access," I clarified, calmer than I actually felt.