Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
SOFIA
The stairs creaked as Sofia carried the breakfast tray up to Luisa’s room.
She didn’t want to wake her sister in case she’d managed to get back to sleep.
Waking up with a hangover was never fun, made worse when you had to endure forty minutes of nebulisers, pill-popping, and being pummelled on the back to clear your lungs.
Was it any wonder Luisa had crawled back under the covers?
When she reached Luisa’s bedroom, she placed the tray on the floor and gently opened the door to peer inside. Luisa was hidden under a mound of duvet, silent and still.
Sofia was about to back away, when Luisa mumbled, ‘It’s okay, I’m awake.’
‘I thought you might like something sweet.’ Sofia picked up the tray and carried it inside. It was a constant battle to get enough calories inside Luisa, but luckily her sister’s sweet tooth made life slightly easier. ‘Danish pastry and a hot chocolate.’
It was enough to stir Luisa from her slumber. ‘I hope you brought Nutella?’
‘I even added mini marshmallows to your hot chocolate.’
‘I am being spoilt.’ Her sister shoved away pillows and propped herself against the headboard. ‘Not that I deserve it. I was a brat yesterday. Sorry.’
Sofia was minded to agree. Not that she’d ever say as much aloud, but Luisa certainly knew how to cause mayhem in the Romero household.
She waited until Luisa was settled before placing the tray in front of her.
‘Getting upset is understandable,’ she said, moving to open the curtains.
‘And we understand dealing with your health situation is awful for you. I even get the drinking. It’s not ideal, but I understand your need to blank things out for a while.
The bit I object to is barricading yourself inside a room.
’ She kicked off her heeled boots and climbed onto the bed next to her sister.
‘It’s not fair on us, Luisa. We were stressed beyond belief. ’
Luisa pushed her long hair away from her face. ‘I needed to be alone for a while.’
‘And we would’ve respected that, if you’d asked.
But when we physically can’t get to you, it scares us.
Supposing you’d become ill, or hit your head, or passed out from the alcohol?
You’d have been trapped inside that room, and who knows what might’ve happened.
Think what that would’ve been like for us? ’
Luisa let out a breath. ‘Sorry.’
‘Please don’t do that again.’ Lecture done, Sofia pointed to the tray. ‘Are you going to eat something?’
Luisa bit off a mouthful of pastry, sending flakes cascading down the front of her Dalmatian pyjamas. ‘Yummy.’
Sofia relaxed against the headboard. ‘Planning to share any with me?’
‘Unlikely.’ Luisa chewed on another mouthful.
Sofia smiled. ‘Just checking.’
‘You can have a marshmallow.’ Luisa lifted the mug of hot chocolate. ‘Just the one. Don’t get greedy.’
‘Generous.’ Sofia scooped up a pink marshmallow and popped it in her mouth. ‘I’m sorry about the transplant stuff. Do you want to talk about it?’
‘Not really.’ Luisa gulped a mouthful of hot chocolate.
‘I’d rather not think about it, to be honest. I know you think I’m in denial, but it’s tiring, and so bloody boring keep being reminded I’m on a short-term lease.
It’s like I’m never allowed to forget about it, as if someone’s following me around with a ticking clock, counting down the days until I expire.
Sometimes I just want to live a normal life and do regular stuff. ’
Sofia sighed. ‘I get that.’
‘Like painting the community centre, I’ve really enjoyed that.’
Sofia was relieved all the hard work had paid off.
If Luisa was happy and had enjoyed doing it, then great—even if her sister didn’t sound overly joyous about it.
‘I wished you’d been there the other day to see everyone admiring your mural and talking about how incredible it was. I was really proud of you.’
Luisa sipped her hot chocolate, her body language dejected. ‘That’s nice.’
‘And there’s loads more to do.’ Sofia tried to sound encouraging. ‘So hopefully that’ll help lift your spirits.’ She realised too late that her words only made Luisa slump more. ‘Luisa, what’s wrong? I thought you wanted to do more painting at the centre?’
‘Yeah, about that.’ Luisa’s face scrunched up, like it did when she was about to reveal the fallout from one of her mad escapades. ‘I’m not sure we’ll be going to the community centre much more, if ever.’
Sofia frowned, confused by her sister’s words. ‘Why would you say that? I thought you enjoyed it there, didn’t you just say as much?’
‘It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it.’ Luisa handed her the tray. ‘Take that for me, will you.’
Sofia climbed off of the bed and placed the tray on the floor. ‘Then what?’
Luisa looked conflicted. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. ‘I wasn’t drinking yesterday just because of the hospital message. I mean, that was part of it. Most of it, I guess, but—’
‘Something else upset you?’ Sofia perched on the edge of the bed, careful not to crease her rust-coloured Ghost dress. She’d made an effort with her appearance this morning in anticipation of seeing Connor later.
Luisa nodded, and Sofia realised there was something seriously bothering her. ‘I found something out. Something bad … about Connor.’
‘Connor?’ Sofia jolted as if she been given a static shock. What could Luisa have possibly found out about Connor?
Luisa beckoned for Sofia to take her hand. ‘I didn’t mean to, but I was looking at the photos on the community centre website to plan out my next mural, and I kind of got distracted.’
Sofia’s mind had gone into turmoil. ‘Distracted how?’
Luisa’s guilty expression was a sure-fire indication she’d done something she shouldn’t have. ‘I googled Connor’s name.’
Sofia stood up, retracting her hand and sending a pillow toppling from the bed. ‘Why would you do that?’
Luisa shrugged. ‘Boredom, I guess. Nosiness. Intrigue.’
Sofia ran a hand over her blow-dry, another thing she’d done in her quest to shift her relationship with Connor from the friend-zone into romance. ‘You shouldn’t have done that, Luisa.’
‘I know.’ She pushed the duvet away and shuffled across the bed.
‘But we know so little about him, and it’s obvious you’re invested and you want things to work out.
I mean, look at you, you’re all done up, for heaven’s sake.
I’ve never seen you this interested in a guy before.
You’re even wearing a lace bra. So I figured there was no harm in doing a little digging. ’
Sofia’s hand lifted to her neckline, wondering how her sister knew about the bra. ‘Clearly there was some harm, as you found something,’ she said, securing the wrap-dress a little tighter.
‘I know, and part of me wishes I hadn’t done it, but you need to know what I discovered.’
‘Actually, I don’t.’ Sofia lifted her hands, blocking whatever Luisa was about to say. ‘If there’s something Connor needs to tell me, I’m sure he’ll do so himself. I’m not relying on gossip and misinformation from the internet. Who knows if this stuff is even true? Or factually correct?’
‘But what if it is true?’ Luisa sat back on her heels. ‘Wouldn’t it be better to confront him and get an explanation before things go any further?’
Sofia suddenly felt too warm and lifted her hair away from her neck.
‘You expect me to march in there and demand answers for something that’s none of my business?
Things are already fragile between us, especially after everything that’s happened this week.
He’s barely spoken to me since discovering I’m Elena’s sister, and he’s bound to feel conflicted over his brother being the opposing solicitor at the ET hearing.
Interrogating him about his past would be the nail in the coffin. I’m not doing it.’
‘He was charged with sexual assault, Sofia.’ Luisa’s words landed like a physical blow. Hard, fast, and sucking all the air from her lungs. ‘There was a criminal investigation.’
Sofia wrung her hands, unsure what to do with herself. ‘Which obviously resulted in a non-conviction, otherwise he’d be in prison, wouldn’t he? So he was clearly innocent of the charges.’
‘But still—’
‘But nothing,’ she snapped. Panic was making her edgy. ‘I can’t believe you overrode my wishes and told me what you’d found out, when I’d made it clear I didn’t want to know.’
Luisa knelt up on the bed. ‘This is serious stuff, Sofia.’
‘And I thought you of all people would understand how hurtful it can be when people discriminate.’
Luisa flinched. ‘Just ask him about it, please. Maybe there’s a reasonable explanation.’
‘And maybe the reason he’s been so miserable of late is because he was unfairly accused of something he didn’t do,’ she said, throwing her hands in the air. ‘Did you think of that?’
‘In which case, he can tell you that.’
Tears were threatening, Sofia blinked rapidly to stem the flow. ‘It’s none of my business, and it’s an invasion of his privacy.’
‘Not if you want to be with him, it’s not.’ Luisa clambered off the bed, her pyjamas hanging loose off of her thin frame. ‘It’s information you need to know to make an informed decision about whether he’s the right guy for you.’
‘He is the right guy for me.’ Sofia knew she sounded defensive, but she had to make Luisa see how unfair she was being.
‘Connor is the sweetest, most trustworthy, and kindest man I’ve ever met.
I don’t believe he’s capable of hurting anyone, and I refuse to rely on information from untrusted sources rather than believing in my own judgement. I know Connor. He didn’t do this.’
Luisa nodded slowly. ‘I hope you’re right.’
Sofia slid her feet into her boots and picked up the breakfast tray. ‘I’m going to the community centre to complete my shift. Do you need anything before I go?’
‘No … are you mad with me?’ Luisa looked frail and vulnerable standing there, and it clearly gave her no pleasure to be the bearer of bad news.