HERNAN AND GABRIELA BOOK 1

CHAPTER 21

On Tuesday, John is in the garden after breakfast. A newspaper has been left on a bench, and he picks it up. He aimlessly flips through. He sees a picture of Helena and looks at it like he knows her. He points a finger at her.

Back at the university:

Aranza is walking from class to go to a friend's hostel room when she sees Aurelio chatting with Anna. She is clearly flirting with him and he is enjoying it. She glares at them both and walks away. Aurelio smiles. Aranza is clearly jealous. She loves him.

Clara and Anna Patricia go to visit Ramon and the three of them discuss relocating to the city. They decide that when Ramon is released, they will move in together. Armando and Luisa also decide to relocate to the city and are making plans from their small town.

Two weeks pass during which Ramon recovers and is released from the hospital. Armando and Luisa and, Clara, Anna Patricia, and Ramon move into houses near where Hector, Gina, and Aurelio live.

Meanwhile, it is approaching the 18th anniversary of Gabriel Montes De Alba's death. Antonio can see that Gina is sad, but she won't tell him what's wrong. He has always had that feeling that she is keeping something big from him. Hector is in a similar mood. What he would give to have had his father alive and to grow up with him. Adrianna too can sense something is up with him. He is sad but he won't open up to her.

Only Clara, Ramon, Armando, Luisa, Martin, and Anna Patricia know the truth. The anniversary is that Friday but because it is a working day, it was pushed to Saturday. That Tuesday night, Aurelio is with his friends outside, and Gina is at Antonio's house. Clara, in typical fashion, drops in unannounced. This time she goes to Hector, Gina, and Aurelio's house. She finds Hector alone.

Meanwhile: Anna Patricia is at home taking care of her father. She asks him where her mother is. He smiles and says her mother is very nosy and is probably poking into the children's lives, but she will be back soon.

Back at Hector's house,

He is surprised she is alone and tells her. Clara waves him away. She tells him that she was on her way home, but decided to drop in and check on them. Hector reminds her that they are not children. Clara says they are not but they are never too old to need her pampering and wise words. Despite himself, he smiles. Clara notices Hector, looks sad and tells him to sit near her. Clara sits on a sofa, as Hector places his head on her lap.

She asks him what's bothering him. With her, he doesn't need to pretend and act tough. He tells her about his conversation with Aranza the other day. He says it reminded him of what he had missed all these years, to see his little sister grow from the small baby she was the last time he saw her to the beautiful, confident, and intelligent young woman she has now become.

He says he would have loved to be the one she trusts and the one she looks up to, to guide her as she does with Antonio. Hector adds that on top of it all, it is the 18th anniversary of his father's death. He adds that time has not made the wound any less painful. He adds that on top of it all is the possibility that Helena and Carlos murdered his father.

He finishes by saying that he is feeling increasingly guilty about lying to Adrianna, Aranza, and Antonio. He then says he is sorry for burdening her with his problems. Clara waves him away and says that she loves him very much and that she will always be willing to give a listening ear when he needs it. Clara hugs him.

Meanwhile:

Antonio goes to the restroom. They are in the living room having dinner. Gina hears a message. It's a WhatsApp message. She opens the data on her phone to read it. She is shocked at the image. She puts the phone down and prances around. She then remembers what Isabella said in the loo during the launch of the new products at work. She says that Antonio will always be hers. Antonio finds her still prancing. He asks her if anything happened to her grandfather.