Page 61 of The Moral Dilemma

“I don’t need him,” she whispered to herself. “I don’t need anyone but my Raf.”

Cisco was too late. There was nothing he could do for her now. Not when her family had ignored her when she’d needed them the most.

Placing the lipstick onto her vanity, she took a kohl pencil and lined her eyes before topping everything with mascara.

“Why are you putting on makeup?” Lucero’s voice took her by surprise.

Startled, Noelle turned to see her friend take a seat on the bed.

Lucero was wearing a brown linen dress that covered most of the marks on her body. Her hair was plaited in two braids on each side. Compared to her, Lucero’s face was scrubbed free of makeup, her features bright and clear.

“I was in the mood.” Noelle shrugged.

“Is it because of your brother? Did anything happen?”

“He came to take me home. I didn’t want to go,” she answered nonchalantly.

“Why? Why would you refuse when this could be your way out?” Lucero frowned.

“Because that would have meant leaving Raf behind. And I won’t do it.”

“But… Couldn’t you have told your brother about him? He could have helped you both…”

“No,” Noelle said sharply. “I don’t trust my brother, least of all with Raf. And I don’t trust that once Sergio realizes who he is to me he will stand still. The moment he realizes my weakness, hewillstrike, Lulu. I am absolutely sure of it. I can’t showanyweakness.”

Lucero pursed her lips.

“He still came for you. Isn’t that worth something?”

“Is it when he brought me here in the first place?” Noelle mused. “Our relationship ceased to exist the moment he sacrificed me for his happiness.”

Turning her attention to her vanity, she picked up a bottle of perfume and dabbed some behind her ears and onto her inner wrists.

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to do something stupid,” Lucero whispered.

“Stupid? Define stupid,” Noelle murmured, picking up her lipstick and going to Lucero’s side. Tipping her chin up, she applied the red rouge to Lucero’s lips.

“You’ve never worn makeup, have you?” Noelle asked as she went back to her vanity to retrieve some eye shadow and mascara.

Lucero slowly shook her head.

“I’ve never had any,” she murmured softly.

“You’re a very beautiful woman. You know that, don’t you?”

Lucero blushed, her gaze dipping to her lap.

“You know that, right?” she repeated.

“If you say so,” she whispered, her cheeks turning almost the same shade as the lipstick.

“You are, Lulu,” she murmured as she applied eyeshadow to her lids. “And that man of yours must have noticed it too—everyone does.”

Lucero’s lids fluttered in shock.

“I told you. He didn’t see me like that.”

“Hmm, I wonder about that,” Noelle mused with a smile on her face. “Men are men.” She winked at Lucero.

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