I stayed in the room sitting on the floor while my daughter fell asleep in my arms, I tried to keep my sanity amidst all that tragedy but every time I closed my eyes I remembered my husband's body covered in blood losing his life in my arms.
My mother-in-law and Luana cried non-stop, they were in no condition to resolve anything or act in the face of all that, of something I knew my husband deserved a decent wake and a dignified burial, I had to draw strength from where I could not imagine I had to take care of my love as he deserved.
- Luana and Mama, I know you are suffering but I need you to stay with Melina, I need to take care of my Tomas, he deserves our love and care until the last moment. It hurts a lot but given Mr. Bernardino's condition I don't think he'll be able to do much for us.
Everything that I didn't want was happening, every night I prayed and begged and prayed to God that he wouldn't take my love away from me but it's like I once heard our Lord wants the good ones by his side so Tomás left. The room of the Bernardino mansion looked like a war field full of wounded men and people running from one side to the other trying to help the men. I went in the direction of Bernardino's office where he was being attended to by the family doctor, when he saw me he asked the doctor and everyone else in the office to leave, before he said anything I anticipated him.
- I don't want to know how it happened or for what reason, my husband knew all the risks he was running, I only have two requests for you: deliver my husband's body, I need to give him a dignified wake and burial as he deserves, and I want to know who did this to you!
- Cecilia, your husband was one of my best soldiers! A man of integrity who died defending our cause, I'm sorry for everything that happened. We were happy to have finally signed the contract with the Colombians, but some Tolentino members got into a direct confrontation with us before we left the warehouse, Tomas defended us until the end, but unfortunately he was hit and lost his life to protect me, you will have your husband's body so that you can pay your last respects to him, as well as the name of the man who ambushed us, the Colombians also want the bastard's head. He is a cousin of the Tolentinos, Gian Tolentino is his name!
Bernardino was not the capo of the Albertini family for nothing, he knew very well who had set up that ambush, and he must also know where to find him.
- Neither you nor the Colombians will kill this man, I will!
- Cecilia, don't worry about it, your husband will be avenged, I don't want you to dirty your hands with that damned worm, we are already looking for the son of a bitch, when we find him he will regret having gotten in our way.
Despite the difficulty in standing up Bernardino came to me holding my hands firmly, trying to pass comfort to me in that very difficult moment.
- Mr. Bernardino, I respect you and have a great appreciation for you but don't stop me from taking the life of the cursed man who destroyed my family. Leaving a mother without her son, my sister-in-law without her brother, a little girl orphaned and a widowed woman, you will give me all the information about this disgrace who killed my husband or gave the order, you will give me the means to be close to him and the rest you can leave to me! Don't deny me this, Tomas was the love of my life and the father of my daughter, he deserves to be avenged but I'm the one who's going to do it!
Vengeance is mine, I won't let anyone take it away from me. Gian Tolentino will regret the day he was born, I'll have my revenge whatever it takes.
- All right, Cecilia! I'll give you what you want, but bury your husband, have your seven days of mourning as is expected of a family widow, then I'll give you the means to kill the bastard who ambushed us, you'll have your revenge with the blood of that scum!
At that moment all I could think about was my love, Tomas died for his family and for him I will kill the bastard who took him away from me, I never thought that in the midst of so much pain and suffering I could imagine that I would be capable of acting like this but I couldn't bear to think that because of that cursed my Melina won't have a father, and my husband won't be with me but swore that Gian Tolentino will pay dearly for having crossed my path.
Looking at my husband's lifeless body like that was horrible but what was worse was knowing that he would never be with me again. He was in one of the rooms still wearing his bloodstained clothes but I made a point of cleaning him and changing his clothes for the ones he liked best, all the expenses for the wake and funeral were paid by Mr. Bernardino, even so I wanted to be by Tomas' side until the end.
I remember the first time he confessed his love for me, it was so beautiful the declaration he made and the new ring he bought for me but now everything will remain in my heart and mind as a good memory of something beautiful that I lived. I took the ring from her finger and put it on my finger, it was a little big for me but I would always wear it as a reminder of my love and our marriage. Mama Emilia was the first to see her son in the coffin, I swear I wanted to spare her that pain but even I couldn't get the pain out of me.
- It was the same with my Olympus, they took my love from me and now they have taken my boy too!
She cried a lot while she caressed her son's face, my eyes no longer had tears to cry even so it was impossible not to suffer with that scene, Luana looked at nothing with tears streaming down her face.
My daughter in my arms looked at the coffin without understanding anything but the worst was when she realized who was there, Melina began to call her father with her hand as if he could wake up with that act but he would never take her in his lap again, I decided to leave the mansion could not stand seeing Thomas dead inside that damn coffin.
- Cecilia, my deepest sympathy, I'm sorry for what happened! Your husband was one of my best friends, he will be greatly missed.
- Sergio, I thank you for your services but I need a favor from you, I know that you are a very good shot and that you used to train with my husband, so I want you to teach me how to shoot.
I needed to learn in order to avenge my husband, I had never held a gun before but in order to kill the wretched bastard I needed to learn.
- Cecilia, I don't agree with that idea, I even discussed it with Mr. Bernardino. Tomas wouldn't want that!
- Tomas, if it was because of that wretch, it's not fair to deny me the chance to come face to face with the person who ordered the assassination attempt against my husband. You may think I'm fragile but you have no notion of what I've been through in my life so please consider me and let me kill the man who took away the father of my daughter.
Sergio looked at me fearfully but he knew that if he didn't teach someone else he would do it, it didn't matter how or in what way but the culprit for my Tomás' death will pay dearly.