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“What did he look like?” I asked as Sofia paled.
“Tall, clean-cut,” she replied. “Older. Like maybe in his sixties. He was wearing a hoodie and sunglasses, even though it was night time.”
Sofia looked like she was going to throw up. “You can’t do this,” she said. “You can’t make me want to believe that this is my dad.”
Miranda looked confused. “I don’t know anything about that.”
All color drained from Sofia’s face as she quickly stood up. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I have to…”
And then she left the room before I could ask her any questions.
Chapter Nineteen: Sofia
Icouldn’ttakeitanymore. The walls of my bedroom, which were once comforting, closed in on me as the weight of the revelations bore down on my chest. I needed to escape, even if just for a moment, to breathe and process everything that Miranda had told us.
My heart hammered in my chest as I told myself to get a grip.
“Excuse me,” I muttered to Jace, barely able to make eye contact. My legs felt weak, but they carried me across the room and through the cheap wooden front doors. It was late, but somehow, it had gotten warm. The night air greeted me like an old friend, wrapping around me and offering a small reprieve, but the humidity was still suffocating. I still felt like I couldn’t take a deep breath.
I leaned against the cold concrete wall, my breaths coming out in shaky puffs. A million thoughts swirled around in my head, each one darker and more painful than the last. As I tried to make sense of it all, tears began welling up in my eyes, blurring my vision.
“Hey,” Victor said. I hadn’t realized he had followed me outside. I hadn’t even considered that he might be paying attention to me storming out. “Are you alright?”
His brow was furrowed with concern as he looked at me.
“Of course not,” I snapped before I could stop myself, my emotions bubbling over. I immediately regretted my tone. “Sorry.”
“Stupid question,” Victor replied.
“It’s okay,” I said, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand as I tried to hold back tears. “This is all just too much.”
Victor stepped closer, his brown eyes searching mine for answers. “Talk to me, Sofia,” he said, his voice low, soothing. “What’s going on? Maybe I can help.”
I really didn’t like how concerned Victor seemed about me. It couldn’t be a good sign. And I had no idea how to explain to him what had just happened…
Still reeling from the revelation that someone who wanted me dead was masquerading as my mother, Miranda hinted that their secret identity might be my father. I didn’t just have a bounty on my head, someone was cruelly manipulating me by using my dead parents against me.
A gust of wind whipped at my hair, goosebumps spreading across my skin as I hugged myself tightly. I felt helpless for a second, then angry. It was one thing to threaten my life, but this? This was low.
Victor’s concerned gaze remained fixed on me, and I knew I couldn’t keep the truth from him any longer.
“Miranda,” I choked out, my voice barely more than a whisper. “I think she’s taunting me by implying that the person pretending to be Sara Garcia is...my father.”
Victor’s eyes widened in shock, but before he could respond, Jace appeared beside him, his blue eyes filled with worry. I wasn’t being quiet and I didn’t know how much time had passed, so it made sense that he was looking for me.
“Where’s Miranda?”
“Locked into your bedroom, Sof,” Jace said. “Don’t worry. She’s not going anywhere.”
I looked away from him.
“What’s going on? You okay?” Jace asked, his gaze flicking between Victor and me.
“Tell him, Sofia,” Victor said, his jaw tense.
Taking a deep breath, I repeated my fears to Jace, letting the words tumble out of me. His face contorted with anger, but it was clear he was trying to remain calm for my sake.
Neither one of them said anything for what felt like the longest time. I settled on looking at the space between them. I was pretty sure I was going to burst into sobs if I looked into anyone’s eyes and they expressed a modicum of concern for me. “I don’t know what to do, guys,” I said. “If this is true, I can’t even begin to understand the implications.”
