#LaPromesa #avance #capítulo
Petra enferma y Martina sospecha del barón
El capítulo 683 de La Promesa (jueves, 25 de septiembre) pone al palacio en tensión creciente. La desaparición de Catalina sigue marcando a todos, mientras Martina sospecha que el barón de Valladares guarda un oscuro secreto, aunque Jacobo le ruega olvidar. Lope y Vera temen las consecuencias del desayuno fallido cuando Cristóbal descubre lo ocurrido, y el marqués insiste en romper el compromiso de Ángela con Lorenzo, agotando la paciencia de Leocadia. ...
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#LaPromesa, #avance, #capítulo, #683Petra, #enferma, #Martina, #sospecha, #barón
Petra enferma y Martina sospecha del barón
El capítulo 683 de La Promesa (jueves, 25 de septiembre) pone al palacio en tensión creciente. La desaparición de Catalina sigue marcando a todos, mientras Martina sospecha que el barón de Valladares guarda un oscuro secreto, aunque Jacobo le ruega olvidar. Lope y Vera temen las consecuencias del desayuno fallido cuando Cristóbal descubre lo ocurrido, y el marqués insiste en romper el compromiso de Ángela con Lorenzo, agotando la paciencia de Leocadia. ...
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#LaPromesa, #avance, #capítulo, #683Petra, #enferma, #Martina, #sospecha, #barón
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Petra falls ill and Martinez suspects the man. Chapter 683 of The Promise.
00:11Thursday, September 25th, creates growing tension in the palace.
00:18Catalina's disappearance continues to affect everyone while Martinez suspects that the
00:23Valladares man is keeping a dark secret, although Jacobo begs her to forget.
00:30Loe and Vera fear the consequences of the failed breakfast when Cristobal discovers what happened
00:35and the Marquis insists on breaking off Angela's engagement to Lorenzo, exhausting Leocadia's
00:40patience. In the midst of it all, Petra visibly worsens. Her symptoms progress and concerns
00:49for her health become a new cause for alarm. The son of Thursday, September 25th, rose over
00:58the promise with cruel indifference, painting the rooftops and the vast fields that stretched
01:03as far as the eye could see in gold.
01:08But within the stone walls of the palace, the light seemed incapable of dispelling the shadows
01:13that had taken root in the hearts of its inhabitants.
01:19The air itself seemed heavier, thick with unspoken words and the persistent echo of an
01:24all-pervading absence, Catalina's.
01:30Her departure had not been a simple departure. It had been an earthquake that had cracked the
01:35foundations of the Lujan family. And the aftershocks continued to be felt in every hallway, in every
01:40furtive conversation, in every lost glance.
01:43For some, like the Marquis, it was an open wound, a personal failure that gnawed at their soul.
01:55For others, like Cruz, it was a silent victory, one less thorn in their side.
02:00But for all, without exception, it was a constant reminder that the promise was no longer the
02:08refuge it had once purported to be, but a golden cage whose bars were tightening by the day.
02:17In the service, the work continued at its monotonous and demanding pace, but the energy had changed.
02:23Laughter was scarcer, conversations more cautious.
02:31Catalina's name hung in the air like a ghost,
02:33a syllable on the verge of being pronounced that died on her lips for fear of rekindling
02:37the pain or, worse yet, attracting the wrong attention.
02:44The discipline imposed by Mr. Cristobal had become ironclad,
02:48a yoke of steel that did not allow the slightest deviation
02:51and everyone felt his icy presence even when he was out of sight.
02:59And amidst this tapestry of tension and sadness,
03:02new threads of unease began to weave,
03:04tangling with each other, creating a pattern of fatality that no one,
03:08not even the most astute or the most innocent,
03:10could fully foresee.
03:15Martinez's doubt and the man's calm.
03:18Martinez stood in front of the mirror in her room,
03:20but she could not see herself.
03:26Not really, her eyes, normally full of a lively and defiant spark,
03:30were veiled by a fog of confusion.
03:36She ran her hand over her forehead again and again,
03:39as if trying to erase a hazy memory,
03:41an elusive sensation that refused to take shape.
03:44Her last encounter with the Viadares man,
03:50Jacobo,
03:51before Catalina's departure was a blur in her memory,
03:54a fragment of time that didn't quite fit.
03:59She remembered the conversation,
04:01or at least parts of it.
04:03She remembered his affable,
04:04almost paternal tone.
04:05She remembered the tea he had offered her,
04:11insisting that it would do her good to calm her nerves.
04:16But then,
04:17then everything became hazy.
04:19It wasn't a complete forgetfulness,
04:21but something more sinister,
04:23a sense of the unreality of having been present in body,
04:26but not in mind.
04:27There was a gap,
04:32a disturbing emptiness right at the heart of the memory and her instinct,
04:35that in her voice she had ignored so many times to her misfortune,
04:39screamed at her that something was terribly wrong.
04:46She dressed automatically,
04:48choosing a dress without paying him any attention,
04:50and went down to the garden seeking the fresh air to clear her thoughts.
04:57The scent of roses and lavender that usually soothed her seemed to exacerbate her anxiety today.
05:06It was there that Jacobo found her,
05:08as if he had anticipated her torment.
05:11Martina, my dear.
05:16Strolling so early,
05:17his voice was a soft, soothing balm.
05:20He approached her with that perfectly calibrated smile that seemed to dispel any worries.
05:27She turned,
05:29studying him.
05:31In the morning light,
05:32he seemed the perfect gentleman,
05:34elegant,
05:34serene,
05:35with a gaze that conveyed deep understanding.
05:41But Martina could no longer trust appearances.
05:45Son,
05:45Jacobo,
05:46I need to speak with you,
05:47his voice said,
05:48firmer than it felt.
05:49Of course,
05:54child,
05:55whatever you wish,
05:56is something troubling you?
05:57You seem distant.
05:59I am,
06:00she admitted,
06:01crossing her arms.
06:06I can't stop thinking about our last conversation in the library before Catalina.
06:13Left,
06:14Jacobo shook his head at her.
06:16His expression was one of pure innocence.
06:18Our conversation.
06:20Yes,
06:21I remember it.
06:24I was trying to comfort you,
06:26poor creature.
06:27You were devastated by your cousin's decision.
06:32It's natural for you to feel that way.
06:35It's not that or not just that,
06:36Martina insisted,
06:38frowning.
06:38There's something I don't quite remember.
06:44I feel like a part of that afternoon has been erased.
06:50After taking the tea he poured me,
06:52the man let out a soft,
06:54patronizing chuckle.
06:55Ah,
06:59the tea.
06:59A simple chamomile tea with a little honey.
07:02You looked so upset that I thought it would help you relax.
07:07Maybe it relaxed you too much.
07:09You were exhausted,
07:10Martina,
07:11emotionally drained.
07:12It's completely normal for the mind to leave some things in the shadows to protect itself.
07:21In the shadows,
07:22she repeated skeptically.
07:24Jacobo,
07:25I'm not a scared little girl.
07:26I know my own mind and I tell it that something happened.
07:32His gaze,
07:33there was something in his gaze that wasn't comforting.
07:39And then I felt so strangely sleepy,
07:41so docile,
07:42it's not like me.
07:46Jacobo took a step closer.
07:48His voice dropped to a confidential,
07:50almost hypnotic whisper.
07:54Martina,
07:55listen to me carefully.
07:56You are going through a very difficult time.
07:59Catalina's departure has been a terrible blow to you,
08:02perhaps more than to anyone.
08:06You were very close to her.
08:08It is logical that you would seek explanations,
08:10that you would try to find a culprit,
08:12something tangible to hold on to in the midst of this chaos.
08:19And as we discussed earlier,
08:21your mind is unconsciously creating a mystery where there is none.
08:23He placed a hand on her shoulder,
08:30a gesture that was meant to be comforting,
08:32but which sent a shiver down Martina's spine.
08:37You are projecting your anguish onto an insignificant memory,
08:40a cup of tea,
08:41a friendly conversation.
08:42What harm could there be in that?
08:47He continued,
08:48his thumb drawing small circles on the fabric of her dress.
08:51You are torturing yourself for no reason.
08:57The best thing you can do for your own good is to forget.
09:00Forget that moment and focus on the present,
09:06on how to cope with this loss.
09:08Quote,
09:09Forget the word that sounded sour in Martina's mouth.
09:13How can I forget something that my own body tells me was real?
09:17I feel like I'm missing a piece of the puzzle and I won't rest until I find it.
09:21Sometimes,
09:25my dear,
09:26the missing piece is one that never existed,
09:28Jacobo said.
09:30His smile didn't falter,
09:32but his eyes hardened for a fraction of a second,
09:34an icy glint that confirmed,
09:36deep down in Martina's core,
09:38that her suspicions were not unfounded.
09:39He was hiding something from her and his insistence that she forget wasn't advice,
09:47it was a veiled command.
09:53Maybe he's right,
09:54she lied,
09:55lowering her gaze so he wouldn't see the resolve that had just dawned in her eyes.
10:04Maybe I'm just tired and confused,
10:06that's my sensible girl,
10:07he said,
10:08squeezing her shoulder with a familiarity that made her stomach turn.
10:14Now take a deep breath of the morning air and let these dark thoughts blow away with the wind.
10:22It's best for everyone.
10:24He walked away,
10:25leaving her alone with the scent of roses and the weight of a terrifying certainty.
10:32No,
10:33she would not forget it.
10:34She couldn't because she sensed that what had happened in that library affected not only her,
10:40but was a key,
10:42a fundamental piece to understanding the web of intrigue that was drowning the promise.
10:45And Jacobo,
10:50the affable man from Valladares,
10:52was at the center of it all.
10:55The storm was brewing in the kitchen.
10:59Meanwhile,
10:59in the bowels of the palace,
11:01in the busy and usually warm world of the kitchens,
11:03the temperature had dropped several degrees.
11:05The disaster of the previous morning's breakfast was a ghost that refused to go away.
11:16It
11:16had not been a catastrophic mistake,
11:21not a fire or a poisoning,
11:23but in Cristobal's new regime,
11:25small failures were magnified until they became capital crimes.
11:28Loay and Vera moved through the space with a palpable tension.
11:35Every sound of a falling saucepan,
11:37every slam of a door in the distance,
11:39made them give AI wins.
11:43They had tried to serve breakfast with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker,
11:47but everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
11:49The coffee,
11:54through carelessness,
11:55had been slightly burnt,
11:57leaving a bitter and acrid aftertaste.
12:03The toast,
12:04under Vera's watchful but nervous supervision,
12:06had come out with an uneven browning,
12:08some pale and others with charred edges.
12:15And to top it all off,
12:16eloped,
12:17in a moment of distraction
12:18while thinking about the injustice of Ricardo's situation,
12:21had slipped the jug of milk,
12:23spilling a small but scandalous white puddle
12:25onto the immaculate silver tray.
12:31They had cleaned up the mess in a hurry,
12:34remaking the coffee and selecting the least offensive toasts,
12:37praying that the young master would not notice.
12:42But luck was not on their side.
12:44Do you think you will have noticed?
12:45Vera whispered as she peeled potatoes with feverish concentration.
12:49Lopez sighed as she wiped the already spotless surface with a cloth.
12:56His face,
12:57normally cheerful and full of passion for his craft,
13:00he was gloomy.
13:01With our luck,
13:05Vera will not only have noticed,
13:07but she will have had the aftertaste of the coffee analyzed by a laboratory in Paris.
13:12He replied with a dark humor that failed to hide his nervousness.
13:15That man sees everything,
13:19he has eyes in the back of his head.
13:21We shouldn't have served him that,
13:23lo,
13:23we should have started from scratch,
13:29even if it took longer,
13:31and let him complain about the delay,
13:33he replied.
13:33There's no way to win with Cristobal.
13:38Whatever you do,
13:39it's wrong.
13:40It's like trying to put out a fire with gasoline.
13:45He just looks for an excuse,
13:47a reason to show that he's in charge.
13:50The conversation hung in the air when the kitchen door opened with a slow, deliberate creak.
13:55It wasn't the hurried entrance of a footman,
14:01nor the tired step of Mrs. Simona.
14:04It was a measured, heavy step,
14:06a step that announced power.
14:10Cristobal appeared in the doorway.
14:12He wasn't wearing his military uniform,
14:14but an impeccable day suit,
14:16but his bearing was as martial and authoritative as ever.
14:23He stood there for a moment in silence,
14:25letting his presence fill the room and crush the spirits of those present.
14:32His cold eyes swept every corner of the kitchen before settling,
14:36like two pieces of ice,
14:37first on Lopez and then on Vera.
14:42Good morning, he said.
14:44And the two words sounded like a sentence.
14:46Quote,
14:47Sir,
14:47they both murmured at the same time,
14:49almost breathlessly.
14:50Cristobal slowly advanced to the central table,
14:57ran a gloved finger over the wooden surface,
15:00inspected it for dust and,
15:01finding none,
15:02made a sound of disapproval,
15:04as if cleanliness offended him.
15:05I've received a complaint,
15:11he began.
15:12His voice was low but cutting,
15:14designed to make them prick up their ears.
15:19A complaint about the breakfast service at this establishment.
15:22Odd,
15:23isn't it?
15:23They always prided themselves on the excellence of the promise.
15:26It seems standards have slipped.
15:32Lopez swallowed.
15:33Quote,
15:34Sir,
15:34if there's been a problem,
15:36I apologize.
15:39It was a small,
15:40small one,
15:41Cristobal interrupted,
15:42raising an eyebrow.
15:45You call coffee that tastes like coal,
15:48toast that could be used as a throwing weapon,
15:50a presentation that betrayed haste and carelessness,
15:53small.
15:53Vera felt her legs tremble.
15:58She wanted to speak,
16:00to defend herself,
16:01but fear had sealed her lips.
16:07I,
16:07I was responsible for the toast,
16:09sir,
16:10she finally managed to say,
16:11her voice a shaky thread.
16:13Quote,
16:14It's,
16:16my fault.
16:18Cristobal turned his head slowly toward her.
16:21He looked her up and down with a disdain
16:22that made her feel tiny.
16:27Oh,
16:28yes,
16:28it's your fault.
16:29How brave.
16:31And the coffee,
16:31cook,
16:32it was the maid's fault too.
16:34Or perhaps the milk jug decided to spontaneously commit suicide on the tray.
16:41No,
16:42young master,
16:43the responsibility is mine.
16:44I am the head chef,
16:46said Lo A,
16:47stepping forward to protect Vera.
16:53Any mistake that comes out of this kitchen is ultimately my fault.
16:57I admire your sense of honor,
16:59Lo.
17:02I truly do,
17:04said Cristobal with venomous sarcasm.
17:06But honor does not fill my father's stomach or maintain the reputation of this house.
17:14What I demand is competence,
17:16discipline,
17:17perfection,
17:17and you two showed me yesterday that you lack all three.
17:20The silence that followed was deafening.
17:26Lo A and Vera had expected the scream,
17:29the immediate punishment.
17:32But Cristobal was crueler.
17:35He enjoyed the suspense of watching the terror grow in the eyes of his victims.
17:38This cannot happen again,
17:43he continued.
17:44His voice now a dangerous hiss.
17:47The promise is under my supervision now and I will not tolerate mediocrity.
17:53Not incompetence,
17:54not the slightest mistake.
17:56Every plate,
17:57every cup of coffee,
17:59every piece of bread that leaves this kitchen must be an example of perfection.
18:04Is that clear?
18:05Yes,
18:07young master,
18:08they answered in unison.
18:10Good,
18:10because if an incident like yesterday's happens again,
18:14the consequences will not be a simple reprimand,
18:20they will be exemplary so that everyone in this house,
18:22from the butler to the last waiter,
18:24will understand what the new order is.
18:30He turned around with the same deliberate slowness with which he had entered.
18:33At the door he stopped and without turning around added.
18:41And so that you begin to understand,
18:43today you will eat what is left over from yesterday's breakfast.
18:46The burnt coffee and the charred toast.
18:51Nothing will be thrown away.
18:53In this house there is no room for waste,
18:55neither of food nor of trust.
18:57Quote,
18:57and with that he left.
19:02Lopez and Viras stood still.
19:04The echo of his words resonated in the kitchen.
19:09It wasn't physical punishment,
19:11but it was something worse.
19:12A profound humiliation,
19:14a constant reminder of their precariousness and the tyranny under which they now live.
19:18The calm they had tried to maintain had been shattered
19:25and in its place remained only a cold fear
19:27and the certainty that the consequences,
19:29the true consequences,
19:30were only just beginning to emerge.
19:37Leocatia's stubbornness and the desperation of the Marquis.
19:40In the noble wing of the palace,
19:42another battle was being fought,
19:43one of wills as old and solid as the walls that surrounded them.
19:46Alonso,
19:51the Marquis of Lujan,
19:53felt like a stranger in his own home.
19:56Stripped of his authority by his own son
19:58and now faced with a wall of intransigence from a guest,
20:01he felt that control over his life and his family
20:03was slipping through his fingers like sand.
20:09His objective was,
20:10clearly and,
20:11in his opinion,
20:12just,
20:13to null the engagement between his nephew Lorenzo
20:15and the young Angela,
20:16Leocatia's daughter.
20:18He considered,
20:19Lorenzo an unscrupulous man,
20:23a fortune hunter capable of anything for money,
20:26and the idea that an innocent young woman like Angela
20:28would fall into his nets was unbearable.
20:30But Leocatia,
20:35a woman of strong character and unwavering convictions,
20:38was not prepared to give in.
20:41He
20:41found them alone in the smoking room,
20:45where Leocatia was reviewing some accounts with fierce concentration.
20:49Alonso entered with renewed determination,
20:55having spent the night awake searching for new arguments,
20:58new ways to persuade her.
21:03Leocatia,
21:04please,
21:05give me five minutes.
21:07He began.
21:08His tone was a mixture of pleading and authority.
21:10She looked up from her papers.
21:16Her small,
21:16shrewd eyes assessed him coldly.
21:21Alonso,
21:22I believe we have discussed this subject to the fullest.
21:25My decision is made.
21:29Angela will marry Lorenzo.
21:31He is a good match for her and for our family.
21:33A good match,
21:37Alonso replied,
21:39approaching her.
21:40Leocatia,
21:41for the love of God,
21:42open your eyes.
21:46Lorenzo doesn't want your daughter.
21:48He only wants her dowry,
21:49her fortune,
21:50don't you see?
21:51He's a vulture circling his prey.
21:56I see an army captain,
21:58a man with a title and a position who has shown an interest in my daughter,
22:01she replied,
22:02her voice unwavering.
22:03In this day and age,
22:09that's more than many young women can hope for.
22:12Love is a luxury,
22:13Alonso.
22:17Security and status are a necessity,
22:19but she's sacrificing her happiness.
22:22Alonso's voice rose,
22:23thick with frustration.
22:27I've seen the way Lorenzo looks at her,
22:29there's no affection in his eyes,
22:31only calculation,
22:31and I've seen the way Angela looks at him with fear.
22:37Is that what you want for your only daughter?
22:39A life of fear and misery with a man who sees her as nothing more than a bank account.
22:44You don't know anything about what my daughter needs,
22:50Leo Katia snapped,
22:51slamming the flat of her hand on the table.
22:53I have raised her alone,
22:58I have protected her from everything and everyone,
23:00and I know that this marriage is the best for her.
23:05Lorenzo will give her a name,
23:07a social position that I,
23:09with all my effort,
23:10will never be able to give her.
23:11He will protect her,
23:15he will devour her.
23:17Alonso shouted in desperation.
23:19I beg you,
23:20Leo Katia,
23:21as a friend,
23:22as a host,
23:22as a man who cares about the well-being of this child.
23:28Break this engagement,
23:30you still have time.
23:32We can find Angel a much better suitor,
23:34a good man who will love and respect her.
23:36The marquise's insistence,
23:42far from softening Leo Katia,
23:43was beginning to erode her patience,
23:45to scrape away an already thin layer of courtesy
23:48to reveal the stubborn rock beneath.
23:53A good man,
23:54like you,
23:55Alonso,
23:56she said with a hint of venom in her voice.
24:00A man who has not been able to maintain control of his own house,
24:04who has allowed his son to usurp him
24:06and his daughter to leave.
24:11I'm not sure you're in any position
24:12to lecture anyone on how to protect their family.
24:18The blow was low and accurate.
24:20Alonso paled.
24:22The mention of Catalina and Cristobal
24:24hurt him more than a slap.
24:28That's not fair,
24:29Leo Katia.
24:30Life isn't fair,
24:32Alonso.
24:33And I'm tired of this conversation.
24:36Tired of your insistence,
24:40your dramas,
24:41and your apocalyptic warnings,
24:43her small figure stood up,
24:44radiating an inflexible authority.
24:46The engagement is still on.
24:52The wedding will take place,
24:53and I would appreciate it,
24:55for the sake of our coexistence in this house,
24:57if you would not mention this matter again.
25:02I'm sick of listening to you.
25:04She left the room with a slam of the door
25:06that resounded in Alonso's heart.
25:07He stood there in the middle of the silent room,
25:13tasting the bitter taste of defeat.
25:19It wasn't just Leo Katia's stubbornness that pained him.
25:23It was his helplessness,
25:24the terrible feeling of seeing an injustice about to be committed
25:27and being unable to stop it.
25:31And with each door that was closed on him,
25:34the Marquis of Lujan felt a little smaller,
25:36a little more irrelevant in the great theater of promise.
25:43Ricardo's Purgatory.
25:44Far from the intrigues of the nobles in the world of service,
25:47Ricardo lived his own personal hell.
25:53The fall had been dizzying and brutal.
25:56From being the respected butler,
25:58the man who pulled the strings of the service
26:00with implacable efficiency,
26:02he had become a simple servant.
26:06A ghost in livery who carried out the most thankless tasks
26:09under the watchful and often contemptuous gaze
26:12of his former subordinates.
26:13That morning it had been his turn to clean
26:18and polish the boots of the gentleman.
26:21He was kneeling on the stone floor of the boot room,
26:23a cold and damp place,
26:25with the smell of leather and shoe polish
26:27permeating the air.
26:31He held one of Captain Lujan's riding boots in his hand.
26:35And as he applied the wax with circular,
26:38mechanical movements,
26:39his mind was a whirlwind of guilt and regret.
26:43Every gesture,
26:45every humiliating task was a reminder of his mistakes.
26:49He blamed himself for everything.
26:53For his boundless ambition,
26:55for having trusted the Englishman
26:56who promised him a better life for him and Pi.
27:03For having betrayed the marquee trust,
27:05but above all he blamed himself for Pia's departure.
27:07Her absence was a physical pain,
27:13a constant pressure on his chest
27:15that sometimes made it difficult for him to breathe.
27:20He missed her with an intensity that consumed him.
27:24He missed her smile,
27:25her good sense,
27:26the warmth of her hand,
27:28the way her mere presence managed to anchor him
27:30and give him purpose.
27:30Without her he felt adrift,
27:36a rudderless ship in the middle of a perfect storm.
27:42He looked at his distorted reflection
27:44in the shiny leather of the boot.
27:46He saw a defeated man.
27:50The lines of worry on his forehead had deepened.
27:54His shoulders were hunched under the weight of shame,
27:56and there was a deep,
27:58almost unfathomable sadness in his eyes.
28:04He had become what he had always despised,
28:06a failure,
28:07a nobody.
28:11He remembered his conversations with Pia,
28:14their dreams of a life together,
28:16far from the promise,
28:17with their little son.
28:21A future that he himself had destroyed.
28:24Where was she now?
28:25Was she safe?
28:26Was she thinking about him?
28:27The idea that she might hate him
28:29was a dagger that stabbed him in the heart
28:31over and over again.
28:35Salvador entered the room
28:36and stopped when he saw Ricardo on the floor.
28:39There was a moment of uncomfortable silence
28:41between the two men.
28:46Despite their past grudges,
28:47seeing the former butler in that position
28:49was something that Salvador found uncomfortable.
28:51Ricardo began,
28:53not knowing what to say.
28:59Ricardo did not look up.
29:01I'm just doing my job, Salvador.
29:06It's what I'm supposed to do.
29:08This is not right, Salvador said.
29:10His voice was quiet.
29:12You shouldn't be doing this.
29:13And right now his opinion is the only one that counts.
29:28We all miss Senora Pia, Salvador said,
29:31trying awkwardly to offer some consolation.
29:33She was the heart of the service.
29:38At the sound of her name,
29:40Ricardo stopped.
29:41He squeezed his eyes shut,
29:43as if the mere sound caused him pain.
29:45It was my fault,
29:50his broken voice whispered.
29:52This is all my fault.
29:53If I hadn't been so blind,
29:55so stupid.
29:58She would still be here.
29:59We would be together.
30:01Salvador crouched down beside him,
30:03something he would never have imagined doing.
30:07You can't blame yourself for everything, Ricardo.
30:10Things got complicated for everyone.
30:12But I was the one who made the wrong decisions,
30:15Ricardo insisted, opening his eyes.
30:18And there was naked desperation in them.
30:23I was the one who ruined everything,
30:25and now, now I have nothing.
30:27Not her, not my dignity, not a future.
30:32All I have are these boots
30:33and the memory of what I lost.
30:35He stared at the boot in his hand
30:37as if it held the weight of all his failures.
30:42He felt utterly defeated,
30:45a man hollowed out from the inside,
30:47his only company,
30:48the incessant echo of his mistakes
30:49and the deep, overwhelming longing
30:51for the woman he loved
30:52and had lost at his own hand.
30:57His punishment was not cleaning boots,
30:59his punishment was living,
31:01the shadow that grows over Petra.
31:02And while the intrigues,
31:07fears, and regrets swirled in the palace,
31:10a more personal and silent shadow
31:12began to spread over Petra Arcos.
31:18What had begun as a simple discomfort,
31:20a passing annoyance
31:21that she had attributed to fatigue
31:23or accumulated tension
31:24was evolving into something
31:25more persistent and worrying.
31:27Petra, a woman forged in discipline and endurance,
31:35had always boasted an iron hell.
31:40She rarely complained,
31:42considering any ailment
31:43and unacceptable weakness.
31:49But now her own body
31:50was betraying her
31:51in ways she could not ignore.
31:52It all began with a strange fatigue,
31:59a heaviness in her bones
32:00that wouldn't go away
32:01even with a night's sleep.
32:05Then came the dizziness
32:07or sudden attacks of vertigo
32:08that would assail her without warning,
32:10forcing her to lean against a wall
32:12or a piece of furniture
32:13to keep from falling,
32:14waiting with her eyes closed
32:15for the world to stop spinning.
32:16That morning,
32:21as she was supervising
32:22the cleaning of the great hall,
32:24she felt a sharp stab in her side,
32:26so intense that it took her breath away.
32:31She doubled over,
32:33stifling a groan of pain,
32:34and pressed her hand to the area.
32:39Are you okay, Mrs. Arcos?
32:42One of the younger maids asked,
32:44looking at her with concern.
32:46Petra sat up abruptly,
32:50her face a mask of sternness
32:52to hide the panic she had felt.
32:57What do you care?
32:59She snapped,
33:00her voice harsher than usual.
33:02Stop dawdling around
33:03and get back to dusting.
33:04The silver isn't going
33:05to shine by itself.
33:09The frightened maid
33:10hurriedly returned to her task.
33:13Petra stood still for a moment,
33:15breathing deeply,
33:15trying to control the pain
33:17and trembling
33:17that ran through her body.
33:22She looked at her hands
33:23and noticed a slight tremor
33:25shaking her fingers.
33:26She tried to stop it,
33:28but the tremor persisted.
33:30A visible sign
33:31that something inside her
33:32was fundamentally broken.
33:37Later,
33:38as she climbed the grand staircase,
33:39she had to stop halfway,
33:41gasping for air.
33:46Her chest ached
33:47and a cold sweat
33:48beaded on her forehead.
33:51She felt incredibly weak,
33:52as if all her life energy
33:54were escaping from her body.
33:55She clung to the mahogany railing,
34:01her labored breathing echoing
34:02in the silence of the hall.
34:07Cruz,
34:08who was coming down
34:09at that moment,
34:10saw her and frowned.
34:11Petra,
34:12what's wrong with you?
34:13You look horrible.
34:17You're as pale as death.
34:19It's nothing,
34:20Madame Marquise.
34:22Petra lied,
34:23trying to muster a smile
34:24that turned into a grimace.
34:29Just a little dizziness.
34:31The heat, perhaps.
34:33Whatever it is,
34:34sort it out.
34:35I can't afford
34:36to have my personal maid
34:37fainting in corners.
34:42You are the pillar
34:43of this house, Petra.
34:45You are expected to be strong.
34:47I am, ma'am.
34:49I always have been,
34:53Petra replied
34:53with a loyalty
34:54that bordered on the fanatical.
34:56But as she watched
34:57the marchioness walk away,
34:59the words echoed in her head.
35:03Strong,
35:04she had always been strong.
35:06She had endured humiliation,
35:08intrigue,
35:08loss.
35:11She had always stood her ground,
35:13implacable,
35:14unwavering.
35:15But this new threat
35:16did not come from
35:17an external enemy.
35:19It was not a rival
35:20she could defeat
35:20with cunning or malice.
35:24It was an internal enemy,
35:25a traitor growing
35:26in her very gut,
35:27and against him,
35:28for the first time
35:29in her life,
35:30Petra Arcos
35:31did not know
35:31how to fight.
35:36Her physical discomfort
35:38was increasing
35:38and the symptoms
35:39were beginning
35:39to take a visible toll
35:41on her daily life.
35:42Her legendary energy
35:47was waning.
35:48Her complexion
35:49had taken on
35:49a sallow tone,
35:51and dark circles
35:51appeared under her eyes
35:52that not even
35:53her makeup could hide.
35:58She tried to hide it,
35:59to grit her teeth
36:00and keep going,
36:01but the pain,
36:02the fatigue,
36:03and the fear
36:03were becoming
36:04constant companions.
36:10And in the solitude
36:11of her room,
36:12as night fell
36:12over the promise,
36:14Petra faced a terror
36:15she had never known
36:16before,
36:16the terror of her
36:17own fragility.
36:18The shadow inside
36:24her grew,
36:25and she felt
36:25with an icy certainty
36:26that it was beginning
36:27to consume her.
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