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“Anyway,” Sabrina drawls, pouring the vodka into two glasses. She hands me one and settles down into the couch. “Since we’re having a pity party, I might as well let you know that I lost the patient.”
I gasp softly. “Oh no.”
She nods, downing her glass in one shot. “She fought valiantly and died with honor.”
“You’ve definitely been watching too much of Game of Thrones,” I mutter, shaking my head. “But seriously though, the dog died?”
Sabrina’s a vet. In addition to her love of flowers and anything to do with nature, she also loves animals. So much so, that she ventured into a career solely dedicated to taking care of them.
“Yeah. Katie has breathed her last.”
Despite the way she’s trying to pass it off as a joke, I know she’s bothered by the dog’s death. She told me a couple of days ago that it came in with some sort of virus that had completely weakened it. I know she tried her best to save it.
“I’m sorry, Sab,” I say softly.
“I’m okay,” she mumbles, pouring another glass of vodka.
She stares pointedly at the glass in my hand, which I still haven’t emptied. I laugh softly before downing it and requesting she pour me another. I’ll have a raging headache tomorrow morning and will feel awful. But at least for now, the voices in my head are quiet.
At least now I’m not thinking about him anymore.
As soon as I wake up the next morning, I call my sister.
“He’s dying?” she asks softly.
I’ve only just finished telling her about Nico’s visit and the news he had to share. A part of me considered not telling her because I didn’t want her to worry. But that wouldn’t be fair. He’s her father, too. She deserves to know.
“Yes. According to Nico, he had a heart attack. I don’t know the full details of his sickness,” I tell her.
“And you don’t care,” my sister states. I stay silent, confirming that without words. She knows how I feel on matters concerning Valerio. “It just feels so surreal. That he’ll be gone. Once he dies, we won’t have any parents anymore. We’ll have no one.”
“Lucia, we haven’t had anyone in years,” I say gently. “But it’s fine if you care. I’d understand. You could even come back to Chicago, see him one last time.”
I’m offering her the same choice Nico offered me. Despite the fact that I would prefer it if she didn’t step foot in the country for the foreseeable future. Her relationship with Valerio is slightly different from mine. Sure, she walked away from him, the same as I did. She renounced her last name and took a new one. She hasn’t spoken to him in years. But when they parted, they did so amicably.
Valerio never really saw us as his daughters. We were more of a responsibility he had no choice in. Lucia has always been okay with that. She’s never really cared about his feelings toward us. To her, she’d never had a father in the first place.
She doesn’t really remember how it was before our mother died. But I do. And thinking about that time and the father I knew makes me ill. Because he could have been so much more, but he refused to do so.
I let out a breath of relief when Lucia agrees with me that coming back might not be a good idea.
“It’ll be too dangerous for me to return. Plus, now that Valerio’s dying, who’s going to protect us? What are the outfit’s plans concerning us?” she says, which is an excellent question.
It’s one I’ve been wondering since Nico’s visit. What happens to us now?
“Are you sure, though? It’s okay to want to say goodbye, sorella,” I press.
“I’m fine. I said goodbye already ten years ago. And I’ve made my peace with him.”
Good for you, Lucia.
“All right. Like you said, I need to find out what plans have been put in place for us,” I state. “I’ll gather information, see if laying low and staying off the playing field is still on the cards.”
“And if it isn’t?” Lucia asks.
I shrug, hating my answer but knowing I have to provide it anyway. So she doesn’t worry too much.
“Then I’ll leave. I’ll come and meet you in Brazil.”
