Chapter Text
CHAPTER I: EXILE
“I love you,” Fina whispered before closing the door of the house that had been their refuge, the place where she and Marta had lived their love.
She walked along the side of the road until she saw the parked taxi, right where Pelayo had said it would be. Everything was coldly calculated. He had planned every detail to finally get rid of her.
Hanging around her neck was the camera Marta had given her. She felt the urge to use it, to capture that moment, but stopped herself. She knew that whatever she did tonight, nothing would change the course he had already set. Right now, she couldn't do anything against Pelayo; after all, he had the money and the certainty of his appointment as Civil Governor of Toledo, everything at his disposal to silence anyone necessary. She, on the other hand, only had the truth of what had really happened.
Before approaching the car, she took off the camera and slipped it into the pocket of her coat. She tried to calm herself, to take a deep breath, to wipe away her tears. She wasn't going to give Pelayo the satisfaction of knowing how shattered she was. No. He had already seen her suffer the moment he showed her the knife with her fingerprints on it. Now she had to be strong. She needed to protect Marta, even if it meant breaking both of their hearts in the process.
As soon as the driver saw her, he stepped out and motioned for her to get into the passenger seat. Fina climbed in without resisting. She was exhausted and hadn't slept at all. She had wanted to savor every last second of holding Marta in her arms. Marta, who had reaffirmed her love for her that very night, trying to erase the sadness from her eyes. Her Marta, who surely wasn't going to understand why she had left just like that, without warning. And it was for her that she was doing all this. She had to think. She had to survive. She had to make Pelayo believe he had everything under control for the time being.
Fina was lost in her thoughts, resting her head against the window. It was a beautiful night, the stars at their brightest. The irony of it all. She noticed they were approaching the outskirts of Toledo and looked up to study the driver again. She had to memorize as much of his face as she could. She didn't know if that detail would be of any use, but something inside her refused to leave loose ends.
Suddenly, she remembered what had happened just two days ago: that cursed afternoon when the knife had pierced Santiago's skin and ended his life. In that instant, the hours she had spent with Marta came flooding back: the declarations of love, the promises, and the pain of feeling like she was betraying her by leaving her like that, in the middle of the night with only a letter to help her move forward. With every word she had written, she felt her heart breaking to pieces, but she had to do it. She couldn't bear to leave without at least saying goodbye, without letting Marta know how much she loved her, even if it was through written words, even if she had to lie about the real reason for her departure.
Fina shook her head. She had to focus. There would be time to cry later. She tried to think about the future, but her mind was blocked. Regardless, now wasn't the time. Pelayo had the upper hand, and she could only think about one thing: protecting the woman she loved with her life.
The car continued its journey toward Madrid. Dawn was beginning to break, and the sign for Barajas Airport indicated she was getting closer to boarding a flight to an unknown country. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was the promise she had made to herself: not to fall apart before she could someday return for Marta.
As she stepped out of the car, suitcase in hand, the airport entrance looming before her, she closed her eyes for a moment. And there it was: Marta's smile, her beautiful blue eyes, the certainty in her voice telling her that nothing and no one in this world could separate them. All while the man she had believed to be her friend had betrayed them both. The difference was that Fina had seen Pelayo's true face, while Marta had no idea who she had married.
The memory of their last night together became her driving force, her strength to keep going and take the next step into the unknown: a life in Buenos Aires without Marta de la Reina.
And without knowing how long she would be able to endure that absence.