—No. You destroyed it when you decided to steal one daughter's future and buy the other's obedience.
After that, no one said anything else. There was nothing left to embellish.
The civil judge, who had been standing aside like a lost waxwork, asked in a low voice if the ceremony would be suspended. Clara turned to Álvaro. He looked at her as if she were an equal, not as if she were just an extra.
"Do you want to get married today?" he asked her.
He looked at our parents, then at me, then at the garden filled with unwitting witnesses. He took a deep breath.
—Yes, —he said, —but not here. Not like this.
And, to everyone's surprise, she took off her veil, placed it on a chair, and took my hand.
—Come with us.
