‘Valentina,’ he called after her, but she kept running, hoping he’d forgive her for her rudeness, because there was only one thing she wanted to do and that was throw herself into Felipe’s arms. She’d dreamed of this for months, imagining what it would be like to see him again, and the following week she would be flying in a plane to London to reunite with her daughter. Everything was falling into place. Finally, the life she’d dreamed of was going to become a reality.
‘Felipe!’ Valentina called as she neared their house, not caring who might hear her. ‘Felipe! I’m home!’
She was breathless when she knocked on the door, standing back and trying to calm her racing heart, but when she heardfootsteps and then the creak of the door opening, it almost exploded from her chest in anticipation.
Until a woman she’d never seen before answered it.
‘May I help you?’
Valentina’s heart stopped racing and she struggled not to stutter when she spoke, her words catching in her throat. ‘I’m sorry, I was looking for Felipe.’
The woman was pretty, with wide dark eyes and long hair that tumbled over her shoulder, and Valentina couldn’t help but notice her rounded stomach. She appeared to be perhaps five or six months pregnant, and Valentina was certain she’d never met her. In fact, she was so confused that she took a step back to ensure she hadn’t raced up to the wrong house in her excitement.
‘Who is it, my love?’
Valentina would have known his voice anywhere. And when she saw Felipe come up behind the woman, his hand falling over her shoulder in the familiar way of a lover, she felt as if she might be sick. Bile rose in her throat and her head started to pound.
‘Valentina?’ When he said her name, another piece of her heart broke.
She tried to smile, despite her pain, but couldn’t. ‘Felipe,’ she said, weakly. ‘I’ve just returned, and I, I…’ Valentina could no longer find the words.
‘You’reValentina Santiago?’ the woman asked.
Valentina balled her fists and dug her fingernails into her palms, trying not to cry. ‘I am.’
The woman’s eyes widened and she stepped forward to kiss Valentina’s cheeks, taking her by surprise. ‘Thank you for the gift you’ve given Felipe’s family. They must have meant so much to your father for him to be so generous, and you, too. We will never forget it.’
‘You’re very welcome, and I’m sorry for calling unannounced like this, I?—’
‘Would you like to come inside for coffee?’ the woman asked, as Valentina’s eyes were drawn to the way she placed her palm over her stomach and gently rubbed it. She found it almost impossible to look away.
‘Thank you, but no. I shouldn’t have come, I just—’ Valentina was lost for words again.I came to tell your husband how much I love him, that we were finally free to be together. I came to be with him. I came to tell him he didn’t have to wait any longer.
‘Valentina, please, wait,’ Felipe said as she took a step back, and she heard how gravelly his voice sounded, almost as if he was pleading with her.
But Valentina shook her head, glancing at the woman’s rounded belly once more, taking in the simple gold band on Felipe’s finger. Valentina turned and lifted her skirt, running back the way she’d come, even as Felipe called behind her. But she couldn’t stop, not now that she’d seen his wife.
His pregnant wife.
But as much as it hurt, she could hardly blame him. She’d been gone for over a year and he would have had no reason to believe that she wouldn’t be married, that they could be together, but the sting of what very much felt like betrayal was almost impossible to bear, nonetheless.
‘You’re certain that I can’t travel to London?’ she asked.
‘Valentina, the fighting has only intensified, and the risk of travelling along with it,’ Lorenzo said, rubbing at his temple in the way she’d noticed he only did over problems he couldn’t easily solve. ‘I wish I had different news for you, but I think it’stoo dangerous for you to travel right now. I recommend that you wait until the war is over.’
‘How long could that be?’
He shrugged. ‘Truly, I don’t know, but I doubt war could rage in Europe for much longer, which makes even more sense for you to wait it out.’
Valentina digested the news, her shoulders falling in disappointment as she collapsed back into the chair. ‘So I’m supposed to just sit here until it’s over?’ she asked, hearing the way her voice was rising and not able to stop it. ‘If I go now, I might get there in time to bring her home with me, but if I have to wait…’
Her lawyer didn’t answer, but he didn’t look away either, his eyes fixed on hers, telling her that what she was saying wasn’t wrong.
‘I understand, Valentina, I do. But you expect me to give you advice, and that’s what I’m doing.’
She nodded. He was only doing his job, she understood that, but it didn’t mean she liked what he had to say.
‘A letter arrived for you today, though,’ he said, before clearing his throat. ‘From
