Chapter 4
The Worm in the Apple
Don Rogelio reveals the orchard was already sold. Liam confesses he was the buyer, unaware Elara was the heir. Feeling betrayed, Elara rejects him and retreats to her bakery.
The air in the orchard had been sweet, a heady perfume of blossoms and damp earth, a scent that had begun to weave itself into the very fabric of Elara’s being. It was the smell of hope, of second chances, of slow, steady growth. She had breathed it in deeply each day, letting it fill the spaces that worry and debt had hollowed out within her. But now, a different scent was creeping in, sharp and metallic, like the tang of fear.
Don Rogelio stood at the edge of the apple trees, a figure of crisp linen and stern pronouncements against the backdrop of the wild, untamed beauty Elara had begun to coax back to life. He held a slim folder, its edges sharp and unforgiving, much like the news he carried. Liam stood a few paces behind him, his usual easy posture replaced by a stiff, almost brittle stillness. Elara’s heart, which had been fluttering with the quiet joy of ripened fruit and shared hands, gave a sudden, sickening lurch.
“Señorita Elara,” Don Rogelio began, his voice smooth but devoid of warmth, “I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding regarding the inheritance of this property.”
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