Chapter 4 The day does not end.

I rested my hands on the bed, lifting my back from it.

It was very obvious the empty bed, just me, no Camila.

I looked at her things were gone and let out a sigh.

At least she could stay until I woke up. What a way to go. I guess we would never see each other again, after all she was no longer my employee and that's exactly why this happened.

I scratched my chest and went straight to the shower, but then I remembered I had a very urgent matter with Tyler, my best friend. I texted him to meet me at the hotel restaurant and now I got in the shower.

As I was brushing my teeth, I saw a small scratch on my chest, it was hers.

Why the hell did she leave when I fell asleep, what a way to ruin things!

My shirt was a little wrinkled because I threw it all on the floor when I undressed, but Tyler was already downstairs and I couldn't have time for anything else.

"The cat's out hunting," He said when he saw me, what did my appearance say? He greeted me with a hug, paused to shake my shoulders and showed me a hair he had in his jacket. "Well...I guess you've been a good day." His smile rubbed off on me, I scratched my head and rolled my eyes, it was obvious I had been with a woman, at least it was obvious to him.

"Not very good. I woke up and she was gone."

"Ouch! A big blow to the ego?"

"To my self-esteem," How was she able to walk away and leave me asleep! Maybe it was his way of getting revenge for firing her. "And I don't think I'll ever see her again."

"Keep the taste of something good and don't think about her." He advised.

"That I will."

"Nothing better than the scent that's left when they leave, but you're not one to keep them anyway, so why the disgusted look on your face?"

"I don't know," I don't know why it affected me that she was gone like that. "What about the land? That land has to be ours by now. How's it going? Give me the details already, Tyler." The waiter came over, I invited him to dinner, it was already dark anyway, we ordered a few glasses of wine and the talk went on. There was business to talk about. "I've left it in your hands, tell me the details now. That's all that's missing to be able to give the green light to the construction of the factory."

"You see..."

"One of the most important areas is in the hands of a man who doesn't want to sell, I know that. But your job, in order for everything to go ahead, is to convince him to sell, give him a good offer, and then we can get it all out of the way. That's all that's missing! There's always a price! The others sold, he'll do it."

"He passed away," he said slowly. "I came to see you as soon as I heard. It was this morning. He had a heart attack."

But this just made things easier for us, didn't it?

"Well, who's left in charge of his land?"

"He had two sons, from different mothers. One of them, who lived with the father, has a special condition, he's the oldest son."

"How special?"

"He has to be left in charge of his sister, he can't fend for himself, as far as decision making and all that, he's...like a child, a very big one."

"We'll have to contact his sister, does she live in town?"

"No. As a matter of fact, according to the data from several dwellers, she is from this town. She left that town when she was only seventeen, I think she didn't have a good relationship with the dad and she won't have a good relationship with the brother either. The people there don't say much, it's as if she's leaving after betraying them all, as if her leaving was not well seen."

"What if she decides not to take care of the brother?"

"Well...it's up to her, in case she doesn't want to I think she would have to pay for his stay in some center. Supposedly, because of his condition, he receives help from the government that helps him to subsist, him and whoever takes care of him, not to mention all the work that that ranch they live on has, the sheep, the cows, I don't know, but that's where they have their livelihood. They sell cattle to a few people, they also lend their land to raise some others and rent stables for horses. They don't do badly."

"If the daughter, who I'm sure will end up taking over for the brother, decides not to sell, everything will have to be taken away from them, no one will buy their meats, rent their stables or any other damn income that comes in for them. They have to sell! This is not child's play. Give it about three weeks, do nothing. Let them get through their grief and then, with a cool head, we'll talk business again. In case a rejection is made again, I will have to step in. I've been on the sidelines for all these months and the pressure I'm getting is too great, the factory has to start its construction."

I wasn't going to stress, the man's death was going to slow some things down, but being a city woman who was taking the reins now, I would sell the first time, there was no doubt in my mind.

[***]

When...I saw my uncle sitting next to Susana, just me coming home, my tears came out of my eyes because him being there only indicated that one of us had died.

My father or my brother, and if it was my uncle who was there, it was my father who died.

How was I so foolish to believe that this day had already gotten better? It seemed like a cursed date for me and one I could never forget.

Roger Simons really wasn't my uncle, not by blood, but he was my father's best friend since they both had consciousness and his children were my cousins and my father's children were his nephews, that's how close everything was.

He stood up and came over to give me a hug.

"I'm sorry. I hate to be the one to bring such bad news, especially now, when you're about to get married. It happened this morning, he had a heart attack. Your brother...he needs you."

My world....

My world no longer existed, my body, mind and heart could no longer take so many blows, one after another.

I ran to my room and locked myself in, crying hard for my loss.

We were not the closest, but even he was very enthusiastic about coming to my wedding, and I hadn't seen my brother for about two years, he was nothing, nothing without my father.

I didn't see myself capable of taking care of him. But I was all he had left and he was all I had left.

I looked in my bag to see the last picture my father sent me with him, they were with the sheep and they were both smiling, I'm sure Elian missed him a lot.

My chest hurt so much, losing my father, having lost my mother too, everything was taken away from me.

"Niece, your father..." by the door, he was walking towards me, speaking loudly so I could hear him. "He left you a letter. He had it ready in case something happened to him. Elian gave it to me."

I listened as he slid it under the door and I stood up to take it, read it.

It was very hard to know that my father wrote this with his death in mind.

"I hope I won't need to give this to you for a very long time, for I don't want to go away and leave Elian alone, you know how attached he is to me, Camilla.

But in the absence of me, he has only you left and it mortifies me very much to think of what will happen to my son when I am gone, when I am no longer by his side. I wouldn't want to leave you what would be a great burden for you, but he has to be with his family and you would be the only thing he would have left if I am gone, his little sister.

I'm sorry, I don't know how you are taking this letter and if you are holding it in your hands, I am gone. Believe me, I would never abandon him, but at some point I will be gone, the only thing that mortifies me is what will happen to Elian, that he will end up with strangers, far from home.

I need you to take care of him, Camila, those lands are his life and far from there he would be very unhappy and his condition would only get worse, even if they tell you that he will get used to it later. Taking him away from his home is the worst thing you can do to him. I beg you not to do it. It is...the last favor I ask of you.

The burden on your shoulders will be very great, but don't forget that once you went from there, you can handle anything, my little one.

Take care of your brother. Take care of you."

The burden you left me is very big, daddy, and I don't know if I can handle it.

My brother doesn't know me as his sister, I could be a stranger to him, breaking into his space, a space that was just the two of you.

Lying in bed, after hours of crying, I hoped that something about this day, or what was left of it, was not true.

I took the two remaining tests left on the rapid pregnancy test and went to the bathroom.

The first one came back negative, after this morning they kept coming back positive.

I waited another half hour and did the last one.

Negative.

I didn't understand anything, but I would forget about it.

I think it was one of my smallest worries right now.

I had to leave early for my father's funeral and keep my brother company, still undecided if I would take care of him, because that meant that...I would have to go back to that place, stay and live there together with Elian and take care of everything.