Caray, Caray!

After Juan José launches himself into the jungle, disgusted Leonardo maintains that's just why he didn't want the civilians along and orders Ramón to form an assault group. Up on the cliff, Adolfo marshals his small force against the attack, where he notes angrily they sent Juan José instead of Carlos.

But no matter, they have his woman, too; and he wants Juan José alive, to see the three hostages he's having brought up. They're mistaken if they think he won't kill each and every one, Adolfo shouts to the wind. Below the house, two goons capture Juan José, completely visible to Leonardo through field glasses.

So now they have another hostage, Leonardo grits out. The assault group is ready; and they advance, crouching through the thick underbrush, with orders to retake all the hostages alive. Meanwhile back in the D.F. at Mario's, Dora prays earnestly to be forgiven the constant urge to unburden herself to David about the identity of his father.

She knows it would kill him to learn the truth; and she prays for strength to endure again the anxiety and sadness of lying to him all these years. Back at the beach house, surrounded by guns and ammo, Adolfo empties the bottom of the bourbon bottle and nervously sweats out the wait for the attack.

Drunkenly brandishing his pistol, he laughs maniacally, threatening the women with a stray shot; just when the goons muscle Juan José onto the patio. Alejandra's hysterical at the sight and hearing Adolfo's order for the goons to shoot him with Juan José's own gun, before the women are taken below again.

Down on the beach Leonardo & Co. hear the shot, as do the women in their makeshift jail, making Alejandra lose her mind in terror and grief. But below the house, in fact, it's the goon who bought it; and Juan José absconds with his gun after overpowering him. The AFI assault commences from the rocks in earnest, and the battle is on.

The women can only jump back to relative safety and watch as outside the fight rages. Adolfo urges his troops on, but they are few and falling like flies; as Dante infuriates Adolfo by leaking out, he shouts at Dante's back for being a coward and keeps shooting. In the underbrush outside, Édgar, Valentín, a goon and Dante head for the launch.

Back in Mario's quiet study, things are nevertheless tense there, too. Yolanda comforts Santiago worrying especially about pregnant Gabriela, and she urges him to have faith everything will turn out well. Suddenly thoughtful, Yolanda reveals she's been pondering all the things she's done to protect Adolfo and why.

She's going to tell Santiago why, because tearfully she explains the secret is become an unbearable weight that's eaten her inside for years; and she makes him promise to keep the very personal, serious secret. Yolanda says her father was a cruel, merciless man; and her mother weak. They grew up surrounded by hatred -- and perversion.

Yolanda knows it's no justification, but it made Adolfo what he is. And suddenly it dawns on Santiago -- that Adolfo is Yolanda's brother! He is, she admits; but that isn't all of the story. When they found out the dirty secret of their origin, the two of them only had each other to rely on.

They reacted differently to the truth, with Adolfo full of hatred and revulsion -- and her wanting to hide, to disappear. Like when she tried to take her life and Carlos saved her; she doesn't want to try that again, which is why she desires to share her secret with Santiago.

Her name is not really Yolanda Rey, which is her stage name: her real name is Yolanda Ávila Ávila! Shocked Santiago hears that not only is Adolfo her brother -- and her cousin -- but that their parents were brother and sister.

Back at the beach, the AFI finally rush the house; while outside at the dock, the deserters board the launch. Adolfo's men are just about to murder Carlos and David when from behind, Juan José ambushes the goons and turns the tables. The good guys then hear the launch powering away and turn to blast them in a huge orange ball of flame into tomorrow with unerring shots to the fuel tank.

The AFI assault force enters the house and holds fire as Adolfo grabs the three hostages in front of him at gun point on the edge of the patio jutting out over the rocks far below. He demands the helicopter in ten minutes, or he'll eliminate the girls. He mocks David for trying to play the hero and trade places with Gabriela.

Leonardo orders Adolfo to lower his gun, because his men are going to kill him long before he's able to kill the girls; to which Adolfo shocks Leonardo threatening to never learn how his parents died if they shoot him. Adolfo entices him closer, explaining to vulnerable Leonardo that his father was probing smuggling in Durango.

And that Adolfo arranged for his mother and father to die in a fiery crash into a canyon; not only that, he arranged for a dirty doctor on his payroll to murder Leonardo's wife in the hospital! Leonardo hardly has time to react, when at that moment, Adolfo's gun clicks on an empty barrel -- and then another -- and another!

The girls desert Adolfo, leaving him teetering on the edge above the precipice; and then he tumbles over on a long fall to break his head open on the rocks below, with son Carlos yelling and running to the railing with Leonardo. Leonardo gazes at the splayed body below bitterly, regretting Adolfo didn't get what was truly coming to him.

Julieta comforts Leonardo for saving their lives, and as they embrace he cries that he's so tired of death; so tired. While across the patio, Carlos weeps piteously at the twisted figure below; Adolfo was bad to him, but he was still his father and he still cares.

How sad he had to end like this; how sad! Carlos sobs. David consoles Carlos, apologizing that it was Adolfo's destiny. As Alejandra runs to embrace Juan José, and Gabriela embraces David, their tension begins to break as they rejoice, relieved.

David is just promising Gabriela never to keep hidden truths again, when Dora phones; and David finds it oddly curious that what Dora was most anxious to know was who had killed Adolfo. Ramón approaches Julieta and Leonardo to report it appears several men were escaping on the exploded launch, including Dante.

The patio's blue pool of water is glassy and tranquil again in the twilight sky, reflecting the mood of the reunited couples, gathered around it and more relaxed AFI officers, who did their jobs. Back at Mario's, Yolanda is not finished surprising Santiago; there's even more to the story.

Adolfo drowned his unhappiness in alcohol and took advantage of all the women associated with his theater troupe. In particular, on one occasion he became insensibly drunk and set upon a pretty cleaning girl -- and raped her. This act, Yolanda continues, also resulted in a child. The woman -- was Dora!

Dora was a good girl and felt humiliated; Yolanda urged her to get away from Adolfo, whom she feared, and take her child far from him. Yolanda promised never to tell, which is why Yolanda never revealed anything about the accident at the hotel. Doesn't he see now, she asks: David is also the son of Adolfo Ávila!


Unwitting brothers, looking at the broken body below.
And no one can know; no one! Santiago swears willingly for the good of everyone that this will remain their hidden truth. Some considerable time later, across town at a church to the applause of many and under bowers of roses, limousines pull up and deposit their beautiful cargo of four brides dressed in white with veils.

To a string quartet's wedding march, dapper tuxedo'd Asuncion leads Alejandra; Santiago his two daughters Gabriela and Julieta; and Abelardo leads Bertha down the aisle to meet their grooms in a huge, quadruple wedding, followed by flower girl Caramelo and ring bearer Chicles, who cleans up nicely.

In the crowd, Mauricio together with Mina smile and applaud as Juan José kisses radiant Alejandra's hand; and Dora beams happily as David joins Gabriela; grinning Santiago guides Julieta to pleased Leonardo; and Yolanda looks on approvingly as Carlos, grinning ear to ear, takes laughing Bertha from Abelardo at the altar.

Caramelo likes what she sees when Juan José pulls back Alejandra's veil; and each couple in turn reveal the brides, including Julieta with Ramón and Leonardo's daughter, Paula, looking on. Leonardo makes Julieta smile declaring how very pretty she looks. Each couple participates in the ceremony as it advances through the vows, rings and symbolic coins.

At the close of vows, in the audience, Mauricio threads Mina's hand with his and asks in a whisper whether she will marry him. Eyes wide with surprise and pleasure, Mina agrees and lowers her lids just briefly in thanks and relief for finally sending a good looking, good man who loves her!

The priest pronounces the quartet of couples married, and as they seal it with a kiss amid applause and cat calls, Santiago sends thoughts Gabriela's way from himself and in Mario's stead, that they are both satisfied today to see them setting off on their new path; while Dora thanks God and vows with renewed determination that David will never learn the terrible secret.

Asunción watches Juan José and thanks God for finally giving Caramelo her family and Juan José the happiness he deserves; as now-peaceful Mina watches Carlos and Bertha embrace enthusiastically and Yolanda wishes despite all Carlos's father did to him that from this day forward his way will be blessed.

Not a dry eye in the house as Santiago watches Leonardo kiss Julieta and speaks fondly in thought with his absent Márta, saying that wherever she is, she can see that their daughter will be happy. All the couples enjoy their wedding kisses as Caramelo showers everyone with flower petals and the audience showers them with congratulations.

Abelardo plays tour guide through the near future, first to introduce Gabriela and David's baby boy who looks like Mario -- and the news they are expecting again, with Gabriela insisting on working until she can't anymore, and David adoring his executive mom.

Then to a lawyer's office, where Juan José and Julieta rejoice with Leonardo at the news that Juan José is acquitted of all charges without a stain on his name -- and that they can legally adopt Caramelo now. Caramelo's ecstatic at the news she's going to have a baby brother, too.

Across town, Juan José has gone into business with Jorge with a brand spanking new, high-tech wood shop, where they produce a line of elegant furnishings for their successful upscale design store chain. With all the publicity of the case and Adolfo's death, Santiago returns to acting, even bigger than before; and Yolanda does, too.

Santiago and Yolanda share a chuckle on their television studio set after their writer scoffs at an idea Santiago has concerning a man passing for another person and fooling everyone, including family and the police. Who would believe that!

Fabulous original Mario returns in a scene Abelardo remembers where Santiago even fooled him as the double; and successful student Asunción stops by Abelardo in the office to discuss his favorite Spanish authors and poets. In the garden, Dora enjoys her role as grandmother to all the children, including Chicles who typically smashes a window with his soccer ball.

Abelardo expects to hear news Julieta will be bringing a new grandchild any time, while on Leonardo's beautiful ranch, he guides Julieta on horseback around the green, admitting sometimes he misses the adrenaline rush of police work; but that he's very glad to be at peace there on the ranch now. Paula seems happy to have a new mother, too.

Elsa visits Marcos in prison, looking relaxed, and pleases him saying she has found her place helping others and will be in charge of "Casa Hogar Caramelo," dedicated to helping the thousands of street girls like her. At his architectural office, Mauricio smiles at Mina, who beams back at him. They work together there now, in advance of their upcoming wedding.

Carlos and Bertha opened a chain of restaurants, as it turned out that Adolfo never disinherited him -- and he shared the fortune equally with Yolanda. Bertha contributes as an image designer for the chain. Abelardo tells the story that the infamous diamond shoes disappeared without a trace; but in fact, we see that Chicles carries a few of the brilliant gemstones around in his pants pocket.

Standing in Mario's office doorway, Abelardo is sure that his much-missed friend Mario would be happy at the way everything turned out as it should. His family is good; they're all blessed, or at least not restlessly pursuing happiness.

And if we want to know how David reacted to the news that Adolfo is his father, well, he still hasn't been told. He'd suffered enough; and as Abelardo closes the front door at the Genovés house, he says that for the time being, it remains between the story and us, the very last "hidden truth."

Or is it. After everything is tidily wrapped up in a pretty box, we arrive in New York City to put a bow on the gift that is this story. In an office there, Dante enjoys a nice laugh over the phone, explaining the joke on everyone back at the beach house dock, that he supposedly failed to board the launch to go back and help Adolfo.

But Dante simply absconded instead; and there he is, with his blonde female companion looking on. He hangs up as she turns, where we see she is not perhaps Zaida -- but Susana! And looking satisfied like a sleek cat after a dish of cream.

Things are very different in America this time, she notes with pleasure. And Dante promises her he'll treat her to a fine restaurant that he used to frequent with an old business partner, Adolfo Ávila.

THE END - "Dedicated to true lovers."

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