One day later.

Narin presented herself dressed all in black today. She was wearing a blouse, somewhat resembling a corset, which had no straps. The upper part of the clothes left the shoulders and neck wide open, covering only the breasts and the lower part of the stomach. In addition, the mulatto girl was wearing loose, elegant trousers with a silver-plated belt. The woman draped a thin sequined jacket over her back that shimmered in the sun. Her hair, on the other hand, was combed at the top of her head in a light, messy bun. Vazquez also didn't forget about makeup, which was also in dark colors today.

After checking how her guardian was feeling, the assassin set off on her way back when she suddenly heard someone calling her. It was Billy.

So Narin sat down on a bench in the garden of Bernardo's villa, and young Morales quickly joined her.

"Did you visit my uncle? " The brunet guessed at which she nodded, but her thoughts were focused on something else, and this didn't escape the attention of her companion. "Something happened? " He asked worriedly, and she looked at him and shook her head.

The black-haired girl sighed.

"So? " She said after a long moment. "The trial is over, which means I don't have to protect you anymore. My job ends here. " She glanced at the boy. "What are you going to do? Coming home? " She asked, then shrugged. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. And I don't care too much anyway. " She rose to her feet. "I've done my job, so there's nothing holding me back."

"So you're leaving? " He asked with a hint of fear and stood in front of her.

"I'm going back to my work, I have a lot of work to do. " She replied to him. "And you do what you want." She waved her hand casually.

"So you didn't like me after all, did you?"

Narin rolled her eyes.

"It doesn't matter if I like you or not." She glanced at him fleetingly. "It's just business, Bill. "

The brunet nodded sadly. His mind was full of questions and he wanted to say a lot to the woman standing in front of him, but when it came to what, he was at a loss for words. To be honest, he himself was very used to her presence. To the fact that she protected him and was almost always with him. Billy didn't want it to end, didn't want her to leave. He also didn't want to think of it all as a job Vazquez was just doing, for him it was definitely more than that.

"So... do you like me? " He asked after a long silence. "Or not?" He glanced at her uncertainly and noticed her annoyance.

"Why are you even asking this? "

"Because... " He hesitated and then sighed heavily. "Because I like you."

Narin was speechless for a second when she heard it and carefully scrutinized the young brunet.

"I know what you're going to say now, Narin. " Billy said as soon as he saw her reaction. "But before you say that, let me speak." He walked over to her and looked uncertainly into her eyes. "Will you let me talk...?"

"Get to the point, Bill. " She waved her hand.

"Okay, so I'll start by saying... that I'm grateful to you for protecting me." He said. "If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be alive today." He laughed nervously but stopped short when he saw her stern look. "Anyway..." He grunted. "Maybe it was a short time, but even so, I was able to see a lot... Understand a lot and find a lot..."

"Stop the metaphors and just say what you want to say. " She interrupted him, shaking her head.

"I like you Narin... I like you a lot. " He said immediately, to which the woman sighed and looked away from him, but he continued anyway. "Honestly, I don't want it to end... I don't want to go back to an empty house and feel that emptiness again... I want to stay here."

"Then stay, your decision. " She interjected irritably. "What's that to me?"

"It's about you a lot. "

"About me? What? That you like me? Me?" She pointed to herself and laughed. "Bill, you don't even know me. You don't know anything about me, so don't tell me that... "

"I've seen a lot in you. " He interjected and moved even closer to her.

"Like what? "

"That you're lonely and lost." He replied as she fell silent for a moment. "You're trying to hide behind the cold assassin mask because you're afraid to feel something again. You don't want to open your heart to any new relationships, you prefer to destroy them and leave, thinking that it'll be better for both sides. Narin, you're just scared. " He said, which immediately caught her attention. "Am I wrong? "

The mulatto sighed again, she had had enough of him.

"Don't think you've managed to get to know me, even in the slightest way. " She said sternly, not allowing him to speak again. "What you thought you could see is nothing. It's like one tiny, unimportant piece of a puzzle. " She said getting angrier. "If you weren't a close relative of Berni, I'd kill you on the spot."

"Stop, don't say that. " He shook his head.

"You think I wouldn't be able to do that? " She laughed, trying to hold back her anger. "Oh, believe me, I would."

"I don't think you would. " Morales said sincerely. "You wouldn't kill me."

Narin smiled, but it wasn't a genuine smile. She was amused by Billy's stupid naivety.

"So you really are an idiot." She replied. "And what's more, it just shows you don't know me at all. And you won't."

"Okay, maybe I still don't know much about you, but that doesn't change the fact that I care about you!" He called suddenly. "You understand?" He looked at her tenderly. "I don't want to believe that with everything we've been through, you still consider it part of the job? Did it really mean nothing to you? Didn't you feel anything?"

"I feel irritated. " She replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't get attached to people as quickly as you do." She shook her head in disbelief. "Seriously, it only took a few months for you to fall in love with me?" She asked, and Billy blushed considerably as soon as he heard that. "You're pathetic, Bill. " She added, which caught his attention. "Feelings are a fucked up thing. They can muddy, spoil and only hinder. It's stupid of you to target me. I really don't know what you saw in me or..." She spread her hands. "Perhaps you saw something in me that you wanted. You don't accept the truth, and you only see what you want to see."

"It's not true. "

"Is it?" She raised her eyebrows and laughed. "Anyone who knows me anyway knows I could kill you."The only thing that stopped me was the fact that Berni asked me for your protection, but... Honestly, I'm not obligated anymore because I've done my part. Then I might as well kill you right now." She sighed seeing his hurt expression. "But I won't."

"Why?" He asked gently.

"Because you're related to Berni and I don't want to let him down or hurt him like that." She answered right away. "You must understand..." She approached him. "Bill, I don't care. Everything I did, I did for Berni, not for you. We had fun talking together sometimes, but nothing more..." She shook her head. "For me, it meant nothing. You were just part of my job, nothing more. And the fact that you took it in a different way... It's not my problem. " She spread her hands and shoved them into her trouser pockets. "Bill, you're a good man." She said after a moment. "But you shouldn't trust someone so easily. Think before you do something."

"So it was really just a part of Job for you?" He asked in a broken voice.

"It's just business. " She shrugged. "I'm sorry, Bill. " She added after a moment.

Narin couldn't understand one thing. Why, despite how much she tried to push people away, to ignore them, they still clung to her. She didn't want to make new friends, she didn't want anyone to like her. She didn't understand why this was happening, why there were still people who could openly say that they wanted to be friends with her. That they care about her, or that they just love her. It was a great unknown for her. Why was this happening? After all, she didn't even try, she didn't care, she didn't want it... So what did people see in her?

She saw only a monster in herself, nothing more.

"You're just scared."

She remembered Billy's words, and whether she wanted to or not, she knew that the boy was partly right about it.

After losing Arcenio, Narin preferred to push people away from her as much as possible. She didn't want her to care about anyone else, because the moment she remembered how much it hurts to lose a loved one, she didn't want to feel that way again. She didn't want to feel anything. She preferred to shut herself up. But even so, there were still people who managed to break down the door to her heart. Vazquez didn't want to admit it to herself, but she still felt that there were still a handful of people in this world who, despite everything, were important to her. It didn't matter if it was one or two people. But they still were here.

The fact that Billy had feelings for her hurt her and left her a bit disappointed. She didn't know why it happened to her. What was she supposed to do about it? Why her? There was nothing special about her, she hadn't seen it. She was just an empty, broken person whom people still loved and accepted.

She herself loathed herself, so when Morales said he cared about her, she felt deeply disappointed and let down. Billy is such a good man. Young, talented, handsome, and his naivety was sometimes really cute. Narin knew that the young man would certainly be a good husband and father in the future. He'll find a woman who truly loves him, appreciates him. That he'll find someone worthy of him.

So why did his first feelings have to fall on her? She didn't want to hurt him even more by rejecting him, but she had no other choice.

She liked him, but only as a person. She even saw in him the person she once wanted to be. To be someone...good.

She admired him. Even though he was scared, he kept fighting. No matter how much he shook, he didn't give up and fought. He was kind, good... He was a gentleman.

He was a bit like... Arcenio.

The very thought made Narin feel a great pang in her heart. Why did she always think about him? He still had a great influence on her. He was the first one to make her feel something. It was him she trusted, she gave herself to, it was him... she loved. It made her feel weak. She had the impression that the feelings only weakened her, which is why she tried so hard to push them away.

"Love is weakness." She remembered her old words. "Love only makes people stupid, it makes them weak. "

"Weak? " Arcenio repeated, amused. "My dear, I think you are mistaken." He said in a warm voice. "Love... It's one of the most beautiful gifts in this world. Sometimes it can make people feel weak, this insecurity or fear... But it just shows that this very feeling is strong enough to make people go crazy." He laughed softly. "Love can drive you crazy, it can make people fight for it..."

"For love? " She asked surprised.

"For love." Man nodded. "For a loved one." He looked at her gently, making her heart speed up significantly. "Love is strength, Narin. There is no reason to be afraid or ashamed of it. It's something...good. And the good has to be shared. Don't you think, querida?*"

Vazquez cursed silently under her breath at the memory.

"Basta, Arcenio. No me lo recuerdes, duele demasiado de todos modos... (Stop it, Arcenio. Don't remind me, it hurts too much anyway...)" She whispered to herself, clutching her head and leaving the guardian's villa.

After a short while, she collided with someone, which made her immediately come to her senses.

"Reinita?" She heard Itzel's worried voice. "Are you okay? You don't look too good." She said with concern.

"I'm fine." The mulatto answered immediately and wanted to go further, but the black woman stopped her, grabbing her hand. "Itzel, not now!" She called. "I've had enough for today! Please..." She looked at her pleadingly. "I'm done..." She whispered, her voice breaking. "I'm done..." She freed herself from her grip and moved forward.

"Narin! " The woman called after her.

"Not now. " The assassin shook her head. "Leave me alone..." She tried to control the storm in her head a bit. She felt like she was going to lose all her senses.

"Narin, but... I need you! " Itzel called, and Vazquez, hearing this, instinctively stopped and looked uncertainly at her companion standing in the distance. "I need your help..." She added as she approached her confused beloved.

Itzel sighed heavily and then waved her hand.

"I got a new job. " She announced.

"And? "

"And I need your help. " Narin repeated, which surprised Narin even more.

"With what? "

"With the murder of my sister. " She replied broken.

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* querida – my dear