For a moment, nobody moved.
Then whispers spread through the room.
“She’s old enough to be his mother.”
“He must be joking.”
“Look at what she owns. Why else would he do it?”
Raquel heard them.
For one painful second, she saw the ghosts of her past marriages standing between her and the man kneeling before her.
Was this another performance?
Another carefully prepared speech designed to gain access to her fortune?
She looked into Raúl’s eyes.
He wasn’t smiling for the audience. He wasn’t looking toward her guests to see whether they approved.
He was waiting for her answer.
Tears filled her eyes.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Raúl stood and slipped the ring onto her finger.
She embraced him as the room erupted in applause, though not every guest joined in.
Raquel held him tightly.
“I hope you know what you’re promising,” she whispered.
