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762 pages, ebook
First published February 3, 2021
“Give her whatever she asks for.” Then, Cárcel’s face lit up as soon as he spotted Inés entering the sitting room. He knew his muscles acted on instinct, but he tried to persuade himself that he had consciously chosen to smile to be polite."

"For the past few weeks, the first thing Cárcel did upon arrival was ask, “Where’s Inés?” His routine was so predictable that the maids even mimicked the movement of his lips, secretly echoing his words."
"Cárcel scoffed at himself for acting like he still didn’t love her. The truth was that he was already besotted with her. When he heard her breathing stop and thought she would never open her eyes again, his world fell apart, and he could no longer deny his feelings."

"his hand pulled her back into his embrace. “You are much prettier. The most beautiful. Perhaps the only truly beautiful woman.”
[…]
"In fact, I didn’t see any woman prettier than you today. I didn’t see a single one. Not just today, but every day.”
[…]
“Even if she were prettier than you, it still wouldn’t matter. Of course, such a woman would never exist . . .” Cárcel stopped mid-ramble and asked her impatiently, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

"Cárcel Escalante stood in front of the mirror, smiling like a fool. Only a day ago, his wife decided he could not be a fool, but he was proving her wrong right now. His mind was too occupied with Inés’s voice saying, “I’ll never leave you first.” As blunt as ever, all she had said was that she would not leave him if he became less attractive than he is now. But Cárcel’s brain rewrote the narrative to interpret her words as a promise that she would never leave him."
