Chapter Thirty-Seven
Sophie could feel the wind go out of Fernando’s sails. He pulled back and looked into her eyes as if measuring her words and body language for any sign that this was a joke. A cruel joke. One he knew she would never play, but he looked for it anyway.
“Context, please,” was all he said. No judgment or recrimination, just a need to know the facts and align them with what he knew of her. This new detail certainly did not match up with his Sophie.
“When I was eighteen, I went through a rebellious stage. I had been the good little girl for so long when all the girls around me were partying and having fun. I hadn’t even dated up to that point. My brother was my watchdog, and he was good at it. That is, until he graduated. He was two years ahead of me, so when he left, I got my groove on. Richard had been making eyes at me for years, but if he came anywhere near me, Santiago would black his eye. He never fought him back, so I knew it had to be love. To be honest, I think it was. Knowing what I know now, he could have had my brother killed, severely beaten, or maimed at the very least, but he never did. His family didn’t either, so he had to have come up with a story to explain the damage to his face. We secretly dated for a year. He was very careful not to let his family or mine know. When I turned eighteen and could legally marry, we went to the county clerk’s office and got married right in their office. It was filed that day. He said he wasn’t trying to hide anything, and as long as no one had a good reason to look, we would be fine. He kept the certificate somewhere safe. Where? I was never told. We kept it low-key for months. I would arrange to spend long weekends at a friend’s house, and we would meet up and stay at the apartment his family had for him in the city. I knew he had money and would care for me, but I never stopped to consider where it came from. When we figured out I was pregnant, he got very excited. I wanted to come clean with my family and move in with him full-time, but he said he had to get some things together and put a plan in place. He told me to get everything I needed to graduate in December and pack a bag with only the things I really needed and didn’t want to leave behind.”
Sophie paused, taking a deep breath before continuing.
“The bag sat in the corner of my room for two months. He called me one day and said he had it all figured out. He would send a car for me, and we would go start our lives together. I told him I needed to tell my parents, but he insisted that I keep it quiet. He said once we got where we were going, I could tell them. The plan was to disappear in five days. I slipped into a depression. I loved my family. What had felt so right and magical suddenly felt so wrong. I mean, it felt wrong from the start because I was hiding it, and my mother always told me that nothing good is done in the shadows. I mentally argued that lots of great things were done in the shadows, like the underground railroad and the efforts of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon or Schindler. Yes, comparing myself and the love of a boy to brave souls who risked their lives to rescue slaves and Jews during some of the darkest times in history was childish; I own that. But the truth is... I rationalized my behavior right up until my brother caught me crying on my bedroom floor, saw my go bag, and started demanding answers. Santiago and I had always been tight. He was my hero even though he was only two years older than me. My mother came in when she heard the ruckus because my brother and I had never fought before. Before the sun rose, I had told them everything. What I didn’t know is that my family was aware of Richard’s cartel connections. Mother picked up on the fact that I was already pregnant, and that very day, my family started putting together a plan to get us all out of Miami.” Sophie stopped once more, taking in the scenery around her as an excuse to gather her thoughts, not truly absorbing the view.”
“Your families’ plan must have worked. Here you are safe, years later. How many years exactly?” Fernando asked, knowing it was more than four as that was how long she had been in his employ.
“A little over five. They bundled me up in Santiago’s car like we were going to the movies. In fact, we drove for three days straight from Miami to Napa Valley. Mom and Henry, my stepdad, left two days later after packing up a few of our things. Mom made it look like she was cleaning out the house by writing Donate really big on the boxes. Henry traded a friend his van for our family car with the promise that he would not pick up the car from the house for a week. By then, we were all long gone, but no one knew it.”
“Was it a clean break? Did Richard ever find you? What was in Nappa Valley?” So many questions swirled in Fernando’s mind, and he had difficulty prioritizing them .
An unexpected tear streamed down Sophie’s face. Surprised, she wiped it away. She thought she had cried out all the tears she had for Richard many years ago.
“We did if you mean safe from Richard’s family. Did I make a clean break from him? Not exactly. He had given me a cross necklace on our wedding day. Turned out to be a tracker. He did it in case his family took me, but since I ran before that could happen, it helped him track me down. Did I ever see him again? No. He felt danger closing in on him and chose not to follow me. He sent my brother a letter. Inside was a safety deposit box key and a short note that said, ‘I loved her. Make sure she knows. This is clean. I take care of my own.’ Santiago didn’t check the box for two years, but when he did, he found thirty thousand dollars in cash. We never spent it because we didn’t know for sure if it was clean, so it is still sitting in that box. There were also some loose gems. One of the reasons I took the job at the jewelry store was because I would have access to the equipment I needed to read any numbers inscribed on the stones. They were clean and of significant value, but I didn’t have the means to sell them without raising eyebrows, so I still have those as well. Richard tried to help his family; he just didn’t have the means to do that without drawing more attention to us. The necklace with the tracker was microwaved, and then Henry drilled a bunch of holes in it, hoping to hit the spot with the device. I kept all the pieces; why, I don’t know. I never want my son to know his heritage; it would be too dangerous for him. Nappa is where my mother’s family is from. She comes from a long line of vineyard caretakers, but she married the wrong man and was disowned. That is how we wound up with my Tia and Tio. Her Nappa Family still held the grudge and wouldn’t take us. Well... they wanted my strapping young brother to hire on, but the rest of us had to keep traveling. Uncle Miguel took us in, and we lived with him and his family in Sana Ana for the first year.”
“If you escaped clean, why the facial reconstructive surgery?” Fernando wondered aloud.
“Richard didn’t send the letter right away. In fact, it didn’t come for three months. By that point, I was already visibly pregnant and not having an easy time of it. Doctors were consulted, but none would do the surgery while I was pregnant, and we needed to gather a great deal of money. All of us worked two jobs, taking all the hours we could get. Three months after Javie was born, I had the surgery and wiped out our savings. That is how we got in such a bad place with our rent. A month or so after I went back to work, my cousin’s new wife moved in and made everyone miserable. She was already pregnant, so she was tapped as the childcare provider while the rest of us worked. Santiago came home sick one day and caught her shaking Javier, screaming at him to stop crying. Mom immediately quit her job and took over childcare until we left. We took the first house we could get into, which was a little tight for our budget. It was all working until Henry’s car accident, and we lost the income from his two jobs. Then you happened, and life has been good ever since.” An enormous sigh escaped Sophie as she finished her story, “And now you know all my dirty little secrets. Even if you still wanted me, your family won’t.”
“You let me worry about my family. Nothing has changed. So there’s a little more drama. Intrigue. Danger. You do remember I’m a best-selling mystery author; I live for this stuff! I also have a pile of money in the bank that will make protecting you and Javier possible.” Taking both hands in his once more, he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand before turning them over to kiss the inside of her wrists, punctuating his words, “Sophie Amelia Williams. Will you be my lady? ”
With a gentle smile, she nodded, squeezing his hands. “Yes, Fernando, I will,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the melodic serenade of the gondolier as he began a rendition of “The Way You Look Tonight.”
As they continued their journey through the canals, now officially a couple, the gondola bobbed lightly with the wake of passing boats, adding a gentle thrill to their ride. The lights from the city began to twinkle like stars around them, casting reflections on the water that danced with the rhythm of their newfound commitment. They leaned close, Fernando draping an arm around Sophie, both content in their shared silence, letting the magic of Venice and the promise of new beginnings envelop them.