Then part of her back.
The laughter stopped.
The marks across her skin told a story no one on that beach understood.
Vanessa gave an uneasy laugh.
“God, I forgot how awful it looked.”
Abril covered herself calmly, refusing to give them the reaction they wanted.
Then a black vehicle entered through the private gate.
Every officer on the beach immediately straightened.
An older man in a flawless white Navy uniform stepped out.
Admiral Esteban Luján.
Vanessa stopped smiling.
Don Roberto went still.
The admiral walked straight to Abril, stopped in front of her, and raised his hand in a formal salute.
“I’ve been looking for you for five years, Captain Salvatierra.”
The beach froze.
Don Roberto’s face drained of color.
