THURSDAY UPDATE ON FALL INTO TEMPTATION EPISODE 20
Carolina made up an excuse about her hair being wet; she told Lola that she had had a headache and needed to take care of it. She went on about how since she began working everyone is questionin her actions, demanding to know where she was going and what she was doing. “Now you're acting as though you were the mother and I the daughter,” she told Lola. “What is the matter? What's with you?” “ Well, it's that since you've gone back to work you have no time for me. You're not around when I need you. That's what is bothering me.” “ I'm here,” she said. “I'm here to talk to you. Tell me what's happened.”
“ Now I don't want to talk. I don't feel like it; it's over. I've solved the problem. Okay?” Carolina nodded. “ Okay. Okay.” Carolina left the room without another word, took a breath, and tried to lean against the wall. Nicolás arrived at that moment, allowing her no time to think about what had just happened. When he asked about Lola, she told him that Lola didn't want to talk and asked him what this was about. He pleaded ignorance, then asked whether she had been showering.
Mia had come down to the living room and wanted to know what had been happening, specifically where her father was. Raquel told her that she had spoken to him earlier and he had said to kiss her for him. Mia then reluctantly wished Andres a good night, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and left. Raquel waited until she was beyond hearing. “ Leave.” “ First tell me why you hid the business about your sister.” “ It's none of your business. I won't talk about my sister with you. Besides you almost provoked a relapse.” “ I only wanted to go to see her, nothing more.” “ I repeat, it's none of your business. Don't interfere.” “ I'm writing checks to you behind Damián's back and it's none of my business?” “ Excuse me, but are you threatening me?” He shook his head. Raquel laughed in a knowing manner. “I don't believe you.”
“ You have the wrong idea; you're wrong about me –” “ No, no, no. I'm not mistaken. Look at yourself.” “ No, I just want to make things easier. I'm going to give you money when you need it.” “ You don't say.” “ Yes.” “ Thank you.” “ Now I understand why Damián doesn't know anything about Cinthia. That's why you came to me from help. I want to help you. Let me.” “ Permit you to what?” He took this as the invitation it wasn't meant to be. He moved in closer and touched her shoulder. She began backing away. He grabbed her left arm despite her protests. Neither heard Damián as he entered the room. “ Has something happened?” Damián asked. Andres had backed off. “ I was just saying goodbye.” “ What were you doing here?” “ I came to see my niece and nephew. And you? You don't want me to come?” “ You can see them when they're at the office.” “ Ah; that's clear. I'm to follow your example. You're not capable of leaving work behind for personal reasons.” He turned to Raquel. “Remember you can count on me for anything you need. With your permission.” He went toward the door. “Good night, cousin.” Damián waited until the door had closed behind Andres.
“ What was he doing here?” “ Like he said, to see our children.” “ I don't like him in the house when I'm not here.” “ Are you jealous, Damián?” Raquel asked, almost laughing. “ I put up with Andres at the office because I have no choice but I don't want him in my house. If he tries something sneaky please tell me.” “ There was nothing sneaky because remember that I don't exist, do I?” She headed for the stairs. “If you're hungry heat something up for yourself because Jovita went to bed early and I'm going to do the same.” She went up the stairs.
Carolina looked asleep when Santiago came to bed. She wore fully-covering modest cotton pyjamas that were comfortable but certainly not enticing. She was facing away from him. “ Are you sleeping?” he asked. “ No.” “ How do you feel? Our son said you had a headache.” She sat up on the bed. “ It's gone, thanks. In fact, I've been thinking, Santi.” “ About what?” “ What happened with Damián? Don't tell me it's about your work.” “ If the job is ruined it's not my fault. It's because Damián has other intentions.”
“ I don't know what you're referring to because Damián didn't say anything to me –” “ No, I'm not talking about you. It's about Lola. She's not a little girl anymore; she's a young woman.” “ Now, Santi, I don't understand you. You're insinuating... what are you insinuating?” “ I'm not insinuating anything; it's just things I see.” “ But it's crazy! Damián has a daughter the same age as Lola –” “ Don't be bothered by this. I've never hidden anything..” “ If I'm bothered it's because of what you're saying –” “ Okay, you know what? If you and I can't have an conversation like normal adults I'll go sleep somewhere else.” He got up and left the bedroom. Carolina looked more relieved than concerned.
“ Did he say anything disagreeable?” Raquel asked as Santiago helped her lie down. “ No, he didn't say anything.” “ But he saw?” “ Yes, but we didn't talk about it.” “ Are you sure? There is nothing to say.” She clutched her head. He began pulling the covers over her. “I feel sick.” He covered her up and asked if she was alright. She seemed to have passed out. He went down the steps from the bed only to see Federico and Mia in the doorway. Both were giving him the stink-eye. “ Your mother doesn't feel well,” he said. “She drank a little too much.”
“ Are you helping out?” asked Federico. “ Yes, I'm helping.” “ Uh huh,” said Mia, sarcastically. “ I guess I'd better go,” he said. “ I'll accompany you,” said Federico. Mia looked into Raquel's room. She was not happey.
Laura sat up in bed with documents on her lap and her computer open at her side. She got up when she heard her husband's footsteps in the corridor. “ Why didn't you tell me that Carolina intended to have an abortion, Fernando?”
“ Why do we have to keep revisiting that stuff?” “ So now we're going to have more lies between us?” “ This has nothing to do with us! This is about work. Give me those papers.” She did, but clearly resented the demand. “ Why didn't you tell me? I'm talking to you. Why didn't you tell me?” “ Because there are things I can't talk about until they're official until they go before a judge.” “ Tell me why Carolina would want an abortion. When? Where?” Fernando held his head in his hands as Laura shouted her questions. He was tired of this. He wanted it to stop. “ That was more than two years ago. Yes, and before you jump to conclusions, yes, it does coincide. Benjamín, Santiago's second son, may not be.” Laura looked shocked and he saw that. “Promise me you will not say anything about this on the news.” “ I promise,” she said. “But in exchange you have to help me with Carolina's daughter. Lola is in danger, Fernando. If she continues with this jerk she's in danger. Promise me.” “ Very well, I'll do it.” “ Thanks. One more thing that's been going around in my head –” “ I'm almost afraid to ask. Tell me.” “ It's about Lola. Patricia was sure that Lola went after older men. When I confirmed her relationship with Juan – who is her teacher -- I thought she could be fooling around with Damián Becker.” Fernando stared at her.
Rafael, the crooked narc, laughed at the idea of Cinthia selling drugs, saying that she would lose control and use the merchandise herself before being able to sell it. He suggested she had other merchandise she could sell at a good price male customers. She shook her head. “ Too bad,” he said, lounging back into his chair. “ No. I won't use even a gram. I need money for my sister.” “ No, I can't take the chance. If you screw up I will get the consequences.” “ Nothing will happen. Trust me.” He paused a moment, then took her face in his hands. “ You'll have one chance to prove yourself.” [???]
The following morning, Santiago was holding Benjamín on his lap when Raquel knocked on the door. “ I'm sorry about yesterday,” she said. “ Come on in.” She acknowledged Benjamín with a touch as she entered. “ I want to apologise about yesterday. When I sobered my life passed before my eyes –” “ Don't worry about it.” “ I'm very ashamed.” “ No, no; nothing happened.” She sighed.
“ Are you sure you're alright?” “ I don't want to talk about that. Are you alright?” “ I have something important I have to talk about with you.” “ What happened?” “ Godoy came to see me.” “ Did he have any news?” Benjamín fussed a little and Santiago handed him to Raquel. “ He said that two years ago Carolina and Damián... well, Carolina intended to have an abortion and Damián was with her.” Raquel looked at Benjamín for a second, then back at Santiago.
“ There is the possibility that Benjamín isn't mine. They want to do a DNA test but...why? I'm sure, Raquel, I'm sure that Benjamín is mine.”
Fernando Godoy kept his word to Laura and went pick up Juan on the street near the campus. He tried to resist but Godoy offered him the choice to go with him now to the station or wait for a warrant that would be delivered to his place of work. That would mean he would have some very uneasy explanations to make to his superiors at the school in view of his relationship with Lola. Godoy wanted to talk to him not only about Lola and Carolina but about Particia Vargas because of her statements about Lola and older men. Juan tried to walk away, but Godoy didn't allow him to. “ Don't mess with me,” he warned him. “Because I don't like men who beat up women. So come with me and we'll talk. [???] ” Juan stopped resisting and entered the car. He may or may not have noticed a group of students standing under a nearby tree.
Federico went to the pasta company and told Andres he wanted to go into Damián's office. Andres would not let him in, saying he was to start at the bottom by working with the construction crew.
Raquel and Santiago sat down to talk. “ I have to understand that for us to face the truth would be best,” she said. “Why won't you do the DNA test?”
“ No,” he said. “Stop saying this. I won't do it.” “ Why not?” “ Because I don't need it. Because it's not necessary.” “ Assuming that Damián is the father –” “ Assuming. So what will happen? Tell me, what will happen? Someone will take away my son? No. If I get that test... it won't matter. I love my son. Nobody will take him away from me.” “ No. The only thing I'm saying is you need to think about these things.” “ What do you want me to think?” he shouted. “Tell me the truth. To have him taken away because of lies? I won't do it!” “ Can we lower our voices at least for a moment?”
“ I'm sorry. Can you take care of Benjamín?” “ For now?” “ I have things to put right.” “ Raquel, please.” “ Don't worry. I'll do fine.” “ I understand that we're not perfect and made lots of mistakes. Maybe we didn't handle things well with Damián and Carolina. But all this isn't fair. You didn't deserve this and neither did I.” He took his keys and left. When he closed the door Raquel allowed herself to cry.
“ What's up with you?” Antonio asked Fernando. “Have you gone mad? What has this man done? Why did you do this without an order?” “ I don't know, but this jerk beat up Santiago's daughter.” “ No, no, no,” said Antonio, unable to avoid looking shocked. “Are you sure of whwat you're saying?” “ Yes. Lola told Laura.” “ Yes, but what do we have? We have no proof and no accusation. What do we have?” “ I don't know. Lola doesn't want to bring charges because she doesn't want to cause more problems for her father. But this jerk is capable of killing him.” “ Poor thing, poor thing. With everything that's happened, now this.” “ I'll take charge of him.”
“ I will take charge of him.” Both men entered the office where Juan was seated.
Andres paused in his pose of reviewing company accounting in time to see Santiago enter. He slapped the file onto the desk in anger. “ Ah, you've come. Are you going to work?” he started taunting Santiago. “Oh, I know. About your daughter –” Santiago belted him in the face, almost knocking him off his feet. “ What's the matter with you?” He grabbed the door jamb to prevent that and rose, but Santiago shoved him back against the office wall. “Let go of me! Let go of me!”
“ What do you think you're doing to Raquel? If you try to do that again –” Andres shoved back, his face full of hate and contempt that he started verbalizing. “ I'll kill you, imbecile!” Santiago shouted at him. Santiago walked out calmly, passing two employees who may or may not have heard what had been said. “ What do you want?” Andres shouted. “Get back to work! Now work!” He slammed the office door shut.
Santiago had slept on the couch without having changed his clothes. Lola came down the stairs in her robe. She couldn't sleep either and came down for a glass of milk. She was worried that he and her mother had argued about her going to work for Damián. Santiago told her that it wasn't about that or about her. It was about themselves. “ Maybe your mother is right. I'm a macho jerk and sometimes I get out of control.” “ No, you're not.” “ You say that because you love me.” “ So therefore do you think she doesn't love you?” “ That who doesn't love me? We'll work it out; don't worry.” He looked at her; she did not look as though she was reassured. “ What's wrong? Why did you wake up?” “ I feel strange.” “ Is this about stuff you and your mother think I don't undertand? Is it a boyfriend?”
“ That's if he is my boyfriend; I don't know.” “ Lola, you can always confide in me what you've done. You don't have to hide it. Did he do anything?” Lola shook her head. “Are you sure? “ No, nothing,” she said as she got up. “I want to get back to sleep.” Santiago wouldn't let her go. “ Stay here. Talk to your dad. What happened?” She said nothing. “We always could talk. We talked about everything. Now you're hiding it all. I'm here. Tell me.” “ We did it. Forgive me.” She looked as though she might cry, so Santiago embraced his daughter. “ Nothing is wrong. I'm here,” he said as he held her and said reassuring words to her, telling her the guy should still respect her.
Carolina, who also had trouble sleeping, stood just outside the room and listened. She remained silent because she was in shock that Santiago was able to talk to Lola in ways that she couldn't.
The next morning Santiago drank down some coffee as Nicolás came down. There was no breakfast on the table because Carolina was still in bed. Lola was not feeling well and was staying home from school that day. The men decided to get breakfast on the way to work – or in Nico's case, school – and headed for the door. Carolina came downstairs but her “Good Morning” to Santiago fell flat. He went out the door. Just as the door closed she felt nauseous and headed for the bathroom.
Raquel was at that time trying to get her family's day started, but for her and Damián things were no better. They were as apart from each other as Carolina and Santiago. Damián suggested that they go out for dinner together that night, just the two of them. Raquel was a little suspicious. Before this was officially decided Federico came down the stairs with his books. Damián told him he was driving him to school that day. Mia came down and was pleased to hear that her father would be driving. He took her hand. “ Kisses?” Raquel asked her children. “ Mother, I'm not two years old anymore,” Mia said, without looking at her. “ See you tonight,” Damián said as they left. A little while later Damián was working at his desk when Santiago returned to the office to see him. They spoke behind a closed door. Both apologized for their stubbornness and Damián expressed the wish that their families' closeness not be ruined by misunderstandings. Santiago agreed and said that if Lola wanted to work there it was alright with him. They shook hands and smiled.
While this was happening Juan had the unmitigated gall to visit Lola's house and introduce himself to Carolina. If Carolina had caught his predatory smile she didn't have time to act on it as Lola came down and asked him “What are you doing here?” “ He came to see you and to see how you were,” Carolina said. “ You could have sent a message,” Lola told him. “ I wanted to see. I was worried.”. “ Okay; now you've seen me.” “ If it bothers you, I'll go,” he said.
“ If you'll like, I'll get you something to drink,” Carolina said. “ I'd rather we see each other tomorrow,” Lola said. “Alright?” “ Excuse the intrusion, Senora. It wasn't my intention,” Juan said to Carolina with a slight bow. “A pleasure to meet you.” He then left. “ You were a little rude,” Carolina said to Lola when he was gone. “ What does that matter?” “ Lola, you never told me you had a boyfriend.” “ Yes, well, you're always so busy so I couldn't.” “ I have time for us to talk so you can tell me what's going on with you.” She took Lola's hands. “Above all so you can forgive me. Do you want to talk with me?”
“ No, because I talked with Dad. Now you can go out, can't you?” She left Carolina alone in the kitchen. Alone to realize she had failed again with her daughter. She then took a deep breath and went out herself.
Santiago sent his workers home as Raquel came into her new kitchen. She was delighted with it but noted the issues with Damián. Santiago hoped that he would like it and told her that they had cleared up the problem. “ That's good, because I'd die if you didn't come back.” Raquel said. She put her arm around his shoulders. “I'm serious.” “ You're serious.”
“ You've become someone indispensible to my life,” He looked a little ill at ease. “ Really?” “ Yes.” She released him and looked him in the eye. “What is it? Something's up.” “ No.” “ You look a little dispirited. What's going on?” “ Well, what happened is – I don't know if this is weird – that Lola talked to me. She talked about Her First Time.” “ No! With you? With you? With her father? She told you? Why?” “ I don't know.” “ How weird you must be feeling.”
“ Well, no.” “ Oh, don't tell me that.” “ Well, lately she hasn't gotten along well with Carolina. Perhaps she couldn't tell her, or me either. Things are a little weird at home.” “ Let's talk about this.” She took him by the hand to lead him to the living room while callin to Jovita to make coffee.
Carolina went into a pharmacy and requested a pregnancy test. As the clerk stepped away from the counter her cell phone rang. She hesitated to answer when she saw it was Damián, but finally did. “ Damián.”
“ Are you alright? Did you get home alright yesterday?” “ Yesterday was a difficult day,” she said. The clerk returned, saying “These are the two brands we carry of home pregnancy tests.” Carolina did not have time to mute her cell; she looked shocked, knowing that Damián could hear this at his end. “ Which do you want?” “ Whichever is better of the two.” Carolina went back to her phone. “I'll talk to you in a little while; I'm out shopping.” “ Yes, yes. Okay.” He ended the call, looking shocked. Azucena came into Damián's office with documents he needed to sign.
“ Azucena, not now, please.” “ Is there a problem?” “ I'm sorry. [???] Leave me the papers and I'll get back to you. Thanks.” She left the office and he tried to breathe.
Carolina had gone home and used the pregnancy test. She looked at it and saw the result she didn't want. Lola knocked on the bathroom door and called for her. “ Mother, do you need anything?” “ No; I was just out.” Lola knocked again.
“ Mother, I need to talk to you.” Carolina quickly hid the test unit under a towel and came out of the bathroom. “ What happened?” “ Forgive me,” Lola said, sounding like she was going to cry. “ What is it? What's happened to you?” She pushed back Lola's hair. “Tell me what it is. Are you alright?” Lola shook her head and Carolina embraced her. She led her out to another room while encouraging her to talk.
Federico and Nicolás were at school, talking. Federico had discovered that Joaquin had created a false profile exactly like Mia's on Facebook and it was causing problems because it revealed that Mia was cutting herself. He didn't want to talk about it. Nico was offended, as he considered himself to be a friend, but Federico told him that this was why he didn't think that Nico should get involved with Mia, telling him again that for both his good and Mia's he should forget about her.
“ But, he's older,” Carolina told Lola. “ Yes, he's older. Does that bother you? It's that guys my age are such fools.” “ No, that doesn't bother me.” She looked Lola in the eye. “Do you love him?” “ I like him.” “ Love, at times that's not enough. It's important to know lots of things about a person before having relations. It's not good to just have sex with anybody. You have to hope for better.”
“ Hope? When you got pregnant so young?” “ And I didn't regret it. But if I had been more responsible and more careful we wouldn't be talking now. [???] Did you take precautions?” Lola didn't answer. “Tell me the truth. Did you protect yourself?” Lola shook her head. “ It was only once.” “ Lola, listen. You have to know something. You are the one I love most in the world. With your father it was also the one time. You have to be responsible. You have to protect yourself because it's not just that you can get pregnant. You could also catch diseases.” Her cell rang and she checked it but didn't answer. “ You should answer.” “ No, I'm turning it off for now.” She then turned it off to continue the conversation.
Santiago and Raquel had coffee in the dining room. They both drank it black. “ We met at a [???] . I don't know, it was something overwhelming. We were together all the time, laughing and.... the first time we did it she became pregnant.” “ The first time?” Raquel asked. “No! How odd, but it's a blessing.” “ Maybe.” “ Now, I worked with Damián in the business. We got married and I got pregnant shortly thereafter. Does that sound crazy?” “ Not as much as you think.” “ Actually I think you and I are very fortunate.”
“ Yes, I know.” He looked away. His tone said he thought otherwise. “ We're with people who love us and after all this time we're still together.”
Damián paced in his office, then finally gave in and took out his cell. He started calling Carolina but put his phone down when Miriam entered his office. “ Damián, when are you going to tell these beasts you call workers that we can't go on without water?” she asked. “ Mother, not now, please.” “ Son, yes, now. Do I have to remind you that we are losing a lot of money?” “ Very well, wait a minute.”
“ What are you going to say?” He left the office, leaving his cell phone on the desk and ignoring her question.
“ Therefore, Dad was the first?” Lola asked. “ Yes. I was so in love with him. I always loved seeing him. Your father has such beautiful eyes, doesn't he? I always had butterflies in my stomach when I was with him.” “ And now?” “ Now, after all those years it's different. It transformed into something much calmer, much more profound. Not quite as passionate.” “ And what if Dad suddenly developed this passion again for someone else? Are you ever afraid something like that can happen?” “ Well, I trust your father.” “ Therefore he was the first and the only?” “ Yes, I told you he was the first.” She smiled. “ Well, if Dad was the first and the only how would you know when he got the invitation? How do you know when you feel love?” “ Well, it's when the only thing you want is to be with that person. Because you think you will die if you are separated from him and you'd like everything else to disappear for this.” “ Well, I hope I will be in love the way you were in love with Dad.” Carolina smiled at Lola and kissed her cheek. Her smile disappeared shortly thereafter.
Nicolás went into the bathroom and washed his hands. When he dried them on the towel hanging on the wall he found the pregnancy test stick with its results on display. In her haste, Carolina had not hidden it entirely under the towel on the shelf. He came out of the bathroom and overheard his mother and sister in his sister's room. “ Therefore, you're going to protect yourself?” “ Yes. I'll take precautions and thanks for listening to me.” “ I love you. You need to take care of yourself, be responsible,” Nicolás stepped away from the door, not wanting either to know he had been eavesdropping. “ You promise?”
“ I promise.” “ Good.”
“ Is this other chapter as good? You're patient, but to be the only man in someone's life as you said isn't bad, understand me, but to to regret not having another life, work –” “ What do you want to say? That that was premature?” “ I didn't say anything!” “ I never was with another woman.” “ What?” Raquel could not quite believe this. “Wait, look me in the eyes. You don't seem to be a liar but you've never even thought of another woman? Not even another thought?”
“ No. No.” Based on his manner, Raquel had no reason to believe he wasn't telling the truth. However, it was difficult to think he had never had opportunities.
Lola was looking out her bedroom window when Nicolás came in. “ I was right,” he said. “You fooled around with that idiot teacher of yours.” “ What are you talking about?” “ This.” He held up the test stick. Meanwhile, Carolina was in the bathroom looking for it. She panicked when it wasn't where she knew she had left it and looked under the other shelves and behind the wicker unit. Even in the drawer. She took out her cell. Azucena returned to Damián's office for the folder with the documents and noticed the screen on Damián's cell, which was still on the desk. Damián was telling the workers to fix the water problem. Augustin told him that they could have it done overnight if they were there when nothing else was going on. Azucena found him and told him he had a message. Her expression said that she was perhaps another keeper of his secret. He took his phone into his office and Carolina called him before he could read her message. “ What's going on?” “ Damián, I'm losing my mind. When I was talking to you I bought a pregnancy test and now it's not here. It was in the bathroom and now it's not. I've very afraid that my children will find it.” Damián looked out his office window into the corridor and turned around. “You know, I think it would be better to go to a lab. I'll take you to one.” “ No. After this I don't think it's a good idea for us to see each other again.” She ended the call. Damián didn't need to hear more to know what this meant.
Raquel sat on the living room floor playing with Benjamín when Santiago came back. “ Did he behave well?” “ Oh, very well. Very well. I know this might be sad, Santiago, and I understand but I need to have that DNA test done.” “ Why? Do you want to take Benjamín away?”
Antonio questioned Juan while Fernando watched his facial expressions. “ I had nothing to do with that girl Patricia,” Juan said. “Besides, was it suicide or not?” “ Where were you yesterday?” Antonino asked. “ I was at home.” “ What were you wearing?” “ Am I a suspect in something?” “ No, no, but we're beginning to investigate your behavior with the girls in that school.” Juan looked away from him. “What? You're afraid? I don't believe you've done anything to others or did you?” Juan looked at each of the two. “ Of course not.”
“ Good!” said Antonio, with a note of sarcasm. “Because the pain of incarceration is great. You'd be spending a long time there. You know what happens to rapists in there, don't you? When you enter the prison they all take justice into their own hands.” He watched carefully. “Now go. Hear this well: We took a hair sample from Dolores. You will have to answer to me.” Juan left as quickly as he could. “ Boss, we have a recording from the emergency lines,” Fernando said. They went into a conference room filled with forensic experts who played back a 911 call from Damián. “I need help. There is an injured person and we need help, please.” He answered questions about where he was with “I don't know. We ran off the highway. Come quickly, please! Help! She's dying. Help me, please!” “ That's all, then it cut off,” said the expert.
“ She was alive,” said Antonio. “Carolina was alive, but what happened after this?”
Someone was going to lose sleep over this.
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