On our walk home, Yulia is silent, and I know she’s worrying about Esguerra. Diego came back to get Michael shortly after my confrontation with Esguerra, and Yulia smiled and gave her brother a parting hug. Since then, however, she’s barely said a word, her gaze distant and her shoulders tense as she walks next to me.
I want to reassure her, tell her that she’s stressing over nothing, but the words stick in my throat. Esguerra’s estate is large in terms of acreage, but population-wise, it’s more like a small village. Everybody runs into each other on a regular basis, and keeping Yulia out of Esguerra’s hair won’t be easy—at least if I do as I promised and let her roam on her own.
Esguerra might not harm her in the near term, but he won’t forgive her either.
As we get closer to the house
