Chapter 16
SOFIA
I Am What I Am – Emma Muscat
The few times she’d been to Biarritz were always in summer, either on surf trips with Alejandra or for conferences with Neptune. The thought made her snarl in frustration just at the memory of how foolish she had been.
The conference was small, and not many of the famous scientists she had worked with were likely to attend a tiny event like this. She had double checked the program and didn’t see anyone linked to Neptune.
Grazie al cielo.
The goal of the conference was to bridge marine biology with digital communication, science storytelling, and public awareness. Lidia, the social media manager who had contacted her, had been extremely excited about her acceptance, telling her she was a huge fan.
Sofia had thought to pay for it herself, but when Ilias had suggested joining her to push the narrative of their relationship, TerraVive’s contract came to mind reminding her that they would fund any travel they did together for work.
They had chosen a central hotel, right across from the beach, with two beds and all the complimentary bullshit she normally didn’t need in hotels, but if TerraVive was paying, she might as well live large.
Her social media following had almost doubled overnight since they’d shared their first post together, and the press had gone wild over the pro surfer and the scientist ending up together.
Alejandra had texted her that the “romance book girlies” were losing their minds about the pairing, and Sofia genuinely couldn’t understand why.
Her friend had explained something about tropes, but for the love of God, Sofia couldn’t see what all the hype was about.
At the end of the day, she’d become known for her videos diving with whales and explaining marine biology.
She was a nerd, plain and simple. Ilias was the sexy athlete everyone swooned over.
And even though Alejandra had tried to make her understand the public’s fascination, Sofia couldn’t quite relate.
Even as a content creator, she spent very little time online, thanks to the social media team she had hired.
She preferred to record the content, and let them deal with posting and interacting.
It was fun at first, but sometimes she ended up on the wrong side of social media, and her mental health mattered more than being insulted by Juan from Spain.
Since their “relationship” had gone public, she’d skimmed through a few, and some weren’t exactly thrilled about them being together.
Her immediate thought had been, And who the fuck cares about you, Karen?
but she obviously couldn’t post that. They were supposed to be repairing Ilias’ image, not tanking it with her unfiltered mouth.
Renting a bike had allowed her to reach the conference and breathe some fresh air, and now the panic of speaking in public, alone, without the backup of Neptune, was real. And scary. As soon as she jumped off the bike and parked it, she checked her phone to find Ilias’ message.
Just landed.
Taking a taxi to be there for your conference.
Good luck ??
I’ll be there once you are done.
She shook her head slightly when she realized she was smiling at the message. Somehow, Ilias’ presence was starting to not be annoying.
“Doctor Moretti Gómez, are you ready?” Lidia smiled brightly as she waited for her at the entrance of the building. She was a quirky twenty-something who clearly loved the ocean as much as Sofia did, and Sofia saw herself in her. The same eagerness, her desire to do the right thing.
Just don’t fall in love with someone who’s going to steal all your work from you.
“Sure. Let’s do this.”
Speaking in front of people had always caused her nerves to flare. She had gone to the bathroom three times since she’d arrived, and as she stepped on stage, she felt like she needed to run for a fourth.
Taking a deep breath, she plastered on a smile and, with her back straight and a faked sense of security, she seated herself in front of the interviewer, Amélie, another young woman who showered her with compliments for most of the panel.
As much as Sofia wasn’t someone who loved being thrown compliments, after such a shitty period, it felt extremely good to feel seen. And not judged.
“Any new research? I read your last one with Neptune and found it extremely insightful. Is there something new you can share with us?”
Amélie looked at her expectantly.
The mention of Neptune made her skin crawl, but at least Amélie seemed to recognize that the fucking research was hers, not Thomas’.
“It’s a wellness-oriented research, something different from what I’m used to research,” Sofia said, slightly worried about voicing her new project.
“My father is battling colon cancer, and in my desire to help him, I found out about the Blue Mind theory and the calming properties of ocean sounds, specifically, whales. I’m just at the beginning; it’s self-funded, so it’s going to take time. But I know it can do good.”
Amélie looked at her with a sympathetic smile.
“I hope your father gets well soon.”
“I hope so too,” she replied, voice cracking slightly. She cleared her throat. No need to start crying in front of strangers with phones and cameras that could send her viral for sobbing.
Gosh, sometimes she hated social media.
“Now, on a lighter note, since we are talking about social media, and since you made it public not so long ago, how’s your relationship with a certain surfer?” Amélie grinned. “From the pictures on Instagram, you two look extremely happy together.”
Her cheeks flushed before she could stop it.
“Yes, we are… extremely happy.” She should’ve prepared something for that. Obviously, at a panel about social media, they were going to ask about her and Ilias. “He just landed in Biarritz. We’ll spend a few days here before heading back to Ericeira.”
“And what do you think about his suspension from the USL?”
“I think he had his reasons,” Sofia said with a shrug. “But we should never resort to violence. The USL had to follow its guidelines, and I think they made the best decision. He’ll come back stronger.”
“I’m a huge surf gal, so I’m excited to see him back.”
“Me too.”
“Thank you so much for being here. Your insights on how social media can help the ocean are incredibly valuable. Thanks to you, many people are now closer to it, and I think more aware of how their decisions can impact it.” Amélie smiled warmly.
“A big round of applause for Doctor Sofia Moretti Gómez!”
As the people applauded, Sofia’s heart swelled. Just a little at first. Then a little more.
Maybe she could do it. By herself. Without Neptune. Without Thomas. Without the shadow of someone else’s influence over her work.
For the first time in what felt like years, she wasn’t standing in anyone’s shadow.
The applause wasn’t for the institute she’d represented or the man who had opened doors in her name.
It was for her. For Sofia. For the woman who had rebuilt everything from the ground up, who had learned to trust her instincts again, who had turned salt water and heartbreak into purpose.
And that realization hit her harder than the sound of waves breaking after a storm, steady, powerful, cleansing. It was almost sacred, like watching a whale breach for the first time: something so immense and beautiful that it made you feel small but infinite all at once.
Maybe she didn’t need validation or a safety net. Maybe this, her voice, her work, her passion, were enough.
And for the first time, she believed it.