“But is he safer with me?”
Gladys’s deep sigh says it all.
“I need to get away from him.”
“That’s not happening.” His deep voice from above startles me. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“I, uh, Gladys, I need to go. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Don’t worry about a thing here. Mateo and I are fine.”
“Thank you for that. It means the world.”
“Love you, chica. Stay strong.”
“Love you, too.”
Nico sits next to me. “You’re not leaving me. Unless you don’t care about me anymore, and then, of course, you’re free to do whatever you want. But if you do still care, please don’t leave me.”
“Of course I still care about you, but this is my fault, Nico,” I say in a whisper. “Your brother is fighting for his life because of me and us.”
“That isn’t why. It’s because of people who can’t take no for an answer and who think they can do something like this to an innocent person who has nothing to do with anything.” His voice catches on a sob. “If anything, it’s my fault. I knew they were coming for me, and I let him take my rides. I never should’ve done that.”
I reach for him, put my arms around him and cradle his head on my chest as he breaks down.
“I’m so sorry I brought this hell into your life.”
“No one blames you, Sofia.”
“They will if he’s paralyzed or… God forbid…”
“Don’t say it. He can’t die. And we all know this isn’t your fault. If anything, we’re more thankful than ever that you left him if this is what he’s capable of.”
I use my sleeve to wipe tears from my face. “It’s because I sent back the flowers. I shouldn’t have done that. It made him mad.”
“Him being mad or jealous doesn’t give him the right to shoot at me or my brother. That’s on him, not you. Please tell me you can see that.”
“What I see, once again, is the incredible grace and generosity of a family that took me in and is now paying for that in the worst possible way.”
“I thought I might find you two out here blaming yourselves for things you had nothing to do with,” Livia says.
We look up at her, staring down at us, hands on hips and her expression conveying devastation and determination.
“Don’t do that,” she says. “You can’t change what’s happened. We know who did it, and they’re going to pay. Milo is young and strong and has the best neurosurgeon in Florida operating on him. We must believe he’s going to be all right. And if he isn’t… We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, but you two sitting out here gnashing your teeth over blame isn’t helping anyone. Especially you.”
“How can you be so kind to me when this is tied to me?” I ask her.
“It’s tied to your ex-husband. Not you. You, my darling girl, had every right to leave him, to divorce him, to make a new life for yourself that includes a new love if you so choose. You’ve done nothing wrong and certainly nothing to warrant what he’s done to you and others.” Her glance shifts to Nico. “And it’s not your fault for letting your brother take your rides tonight. You were doing what you thought was best by keeping an eye on Sofia.”
“He’s my little brother,” Nico says softly as tears slide down his face. “My best friend.”
“Which is why he stepped up to help when you needed him, the same way you would’ve done for him if the situation was reversed. Taking the blame for someone else’s violent behavior is pointless. No one in there blames you for this, Sofia. They know exactly who is responsible for putting Milo in this hospital, and it is not you.”
Livia’s grace toward me at a time like this amazes me. Though I can see she’s completely wrecked by what’s happened to Milo, her voice never wavers as she exonerates us from responsibility. I want to be her when I grow up. I want to always do the right thing and be there for people when they need me and shine light on darkness the way she does.
A man comes rushing up to us, someone I don’t recognize. “Livia! I got here as soon as I could. How’s your grandson?” He’s ruggedly handsome, with brown eyes and wavy dark hair shot through with hints of silver. He’s deeply tanned in the way of someone who spends most of his time outdoors.
She seems stunned to see him, whoever he is. “Uh, Chris… You didn’t have to come.”