To celebrate the century, Fermina and Urbino take the first ride in the hot air balloon. She wants to go visit her city where she grew up in but cant because it is infested with cholera. Anyways, when she comes back, Florentino sees Fermina's reflection in a mirror at an inn and ends up buying the mirror as to preserve her reflection forever. He then watches her for over a year. He wataches her house, where he never sees her at and he also looks for her at mass but he never sees her there either. He has no idea where she could be.

Well the reason for her disappearance is this: She decided to go stay with her cousin on the ranch for some time because she discovered an unsual scent on her husband's clothing and thinks he is having an affair. So she leaves quietly, without a scandal and they only discuss formally about their children.

Well her suspicions were right. She pokes around in his office but finds no trace of an affair. She then deicdes to confront him. Now that Urbino knows that his wife is on to something, he immediately ends his affair with a 27- year old Barbara Lynch. He tells Fermina that he feels as if he is going to die and she responds with, "It may be for the better". He finally ends up confessing to her, telling her everything, and she of course is in rage.

She then leaves for her cousin's house and after some time. Urbino goes after her, well Fermina forgives him, goes back with him, but makes him pay for the pain he has caused her. Then Floretino sees Fermina one day and decides he must renounce his love for her. It then occurs to himn that Fermina might die beofe him so he has to do something quick. He is then promoted both president and manager of his company and decides that he can love more than one person without being unfaithful. So he calls up this girl who is a prostitute and ends up paying for love; something he promised he would never do.

He then floats over to another girl; 14 year old America Vicuna. One day he hears bells signaling a funeral. When asked who had passed, he found out it was Urbino. He didn't feel good about this as he thought he would but rather scared because it dawned on him that it could've been him. He goes back to Fermina and once again promises her his ever lasting love. He then makes himself sick over all this stress and one night he finds a letter from Fermina in a puddle outside of his house.

I wonder what it says..