Chapter 7
Ramon looked at Patricia as he took the gift from her hands, his expression unreadable. “You can come congratulate us at the engagement party.” “The engagement party?” But she couldn’t hold back until then. Patricia lowered her head in silence, without explaining or replying. After handing over the gift, she stepped aside and found a quiet corner to sit down. She left, and Ramon, without paying much attention to her, continued to stroll through the crowd with Lucia, showing a smile full of tenderness, patiently introducing her to each guest who came to congratulate them. Shortly after greeting all the guests, Ramon and Lucia disappeared into the crowd. Patricia stayed alone for a while and then got up to leave the banquet hall. She had never felt comfortable at such events; since she was little, she hadn’t liked places with a lot of people, and before it was always Ramon who discreetly took her home halfway through the event, but now, her habit remained the same. The only thing that had changed was the person she left with. The space outside the banquet hall was wide, and Patricia remembered that there was a greenhouse not far away, so she started walking towards it. However, before she got close, she saw that the greenhouse was already occupied. As she got closer, she found that it was Ramon and Lucia, who had left early. “Ramon, after we get married, I also want a greenhouse all to myself, can I?” Lucia’s voice sounded a little flirtatious, and soon after, Ramon’s reply, full of indulgence, came, “Why wait until after the wedding? I can give it to you now.” “Really?” Lucia’s eyes sparkled with surprise, and, not forgetting to take advantage of the opportunity, she leaned in to drop a kiss on his cheek. Ramon turned his face, and the kiss that should have fallen on her cheek landed on her lips. The unexpected movement caused Lucia’s already rosy cheeks to turn even redder. She tried to pull back in her surprise, but he pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. At a distance, Patricia watched all of this. Maybe because she was already dead. Or maybe because she had already mentally prepared herself to bless them. Witnessing this scene, her heart did not experience the pain she imagined, but an unprecedented calm. She did not interrupt them and walked away. She wandered aimlessly and, without realizing it, she arrived near the pool. Patricia stood there, staring at the clear water of the pool absentmindedly. After a while, a familiar voice sounded beside her. “Looking at this scene, you feel bad, right?” She turned to see that it was Lucia. Patricia was confused, not understanding what she meant. “Ramón has told me everything, that you have feelings for him. It is understandable, you are a young girl and Ramón is an impressive man, it is normal that you have feelings for him.” Lucia spoke with apparent understanding, but her eyes exuded malice:“But it’s also abnormal, after all, it’s not normal for a girl to fall in love with her uncle.” Patricia didn’t expect Ramon to have shared his feelings with Lucia. A feeling of unworthiness washed over her; he could reject her, after all, she was already dead and had decided to bless them. But why did he have to trample on her like that? She remained silent, not answering, while Lucia continued to speak, even with a boastful tone. “Ramon doesn’t want you, and I really don’t have time to play this family game with you. I’m going to marry into the Fernandez family soon, and I’m annoyed that you keep coming between us. If you want to leave, I can give you money. You’re an adult now, it’s time for you to learn to be independent.” After finishing speaking, Patricia’s face turned pale, and after a long silence, she replied in a hoarse voice: “Don’t worry, I’ll leave in three days.” Patricia’s backing away didn’t soften Lucia’s attitude, but instead made her press even harder: “Why three days?” Why not now? Patricia was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain. In three days it wasn’t the day she would leave home, but the day she would leave this world forever.
