All Chapters of BOUND TO THE ENEMY: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

(The wedding's day.) When Mr. Bastidas arrived at the mansion, since he was out that day to fulfill some work obligations, according to what he told, Gladis, the housekeeper, informed him just as he entered that Miss Davis was already in the house getting ready for the wedding, which would take place in a few hours.Max walked to the far end of the courtyard (east direction, leaving from the house) where, on top of a brick-colored ceramic floor, the hired organization installed, together with the workers of the mansion, a small awning, a comfortable space decorated with white fabrics, some chairs which practically surrounded the table where the minister, the bride and groom would be seated.He nodded, satisfied with the result. Walked there, not only to make sure everything was all right, but also to add beauty and comfort, luxury, if necessary, thinking to give Carla a good ceremony."What about the photographers?""I was informed that they're coming, sir. I'm still waiting for info

Carla was congratulated by everyone, including the employees who set the table and served the dishes that Max had prepared, with Gladis' supervision, to share with those present.Amidst the appetizers with tartlet dough and salad, the main course (fish Milanese, purple cabbage salad with sweet mustard) and various desserts, between coconut and pastille, white wine, soda, and water, Carla 'now' de Bastidas, watched and kept quiet, smiled and nodded at the serene faces of everyone.It gave her time to think about the lack of things that she knew as traditional for that part of the world, or at least that thousands of families used to add to ceremonies like this: there was no cake to nibble, no bolo decorated with dolls representing the bride and groom; no crossing of arms to give the other person a drink from the glasses or same broken against the floor, no coins, no myrrh and there was no traditional vow written by the couple. There was no romantic dance, no prenuptial march, no live m

At that moment, the door rang."Come in," said Carla.Maximiliano opened the wood and raised his eyebrows at the sight of the three women gathered in that alcove, with drinks, snacks, and laughter. For a moment he felt afraid to be there."What's going on here?"Seda rolled her eyes and stood up."We are conspiring against you, dear son, don't you see? Lenis, let's go. The bride and groom will want to be alone.""What? No, don't worry, Mrs. Seda, we can continue talking," a nervous Carla said.Her mother-in-law was serious, they were leaving the bedroom.And they did so without looking back or adding anything else, closing the door.Carla tilted her head a little to one side and went about arranging things that were already taken care of, all to avoid the idea of being alone with him, now that they were husbands and wives."We're going on a trip tomorrow afternoon.""What?" The information caused Carla to turn all her attention to Maximiliano."If you want to rest now, do it, but then

"Good morning," greeted Maximiliano, entering the dining area of his house, to a self-absorbed Carla, reading that morning's entertainment headline.She didn't say good morning back, because, after all, it wasn't good anymore.She managed to get some sleep after the sleeplessness of the early morning. It was snowing outside, so the heating, working perfectly, generated warmth in her room, and waking up, being able to open the curtains and watch the snowflakes fall without pressure, calmed her down a lot. At last, she didn't have to deal with a broken boiler or a boiler that was running at half speed, or maybe the hot water wouldn't come out, or worse, it would come out, but frozen.If she had to travel to London with her new civilian status, she would do so and at the same time would take the opportunity to fulfill her promises, such as visiting her mother on her deathbed, leaving her flowers from her aunt, perhaps meeting again in the cold streets of that beautiful and gigantic city.

Maximiliano could not change his clothes, dawn came. He had chores to do and errands to run, but he could not move. She didn't know that he was watching her sleep.Max felt so guilty... especially when Carla, almost without realizing it, began to rant words about her aunt in the midst of her crying, data stipulating how well she saw her the last time went to visit her in the mountains, how safe she felt contemplating the idea of her defense before that gentleman who supposedly would not be capable of doing anything so perverse.Carla asked what her death was like. He didn't want to tell her too much right now, and if given the choice, he never would. He only gave the facts in a very precise, concise, and summarized way, devoid of cumbersome details that could worsen the strong feelings that were trying to break his wife.He had never seen a woman cry so much in his life and almost ran out of options to help him handle the situation. His instinct was to wrap his arms around her, be the