Episode 63| Tensions Are Rising

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Sophia's P.O.V

"¿Que?" My mother glowered, hands on hips. She stabbed an intense gander at my father, asking him if he knew about this already. "¿Sabías que, George?"

"No, he didn't know." I answered for him. I unzipped my purse and slipped my ring on to my finger, showing it to them. "I didn't tell many people."

Quivering like a leaf in a wind storm, my mother took my hand rapidly and inspected the ring with judgement sweeping over her.

As though I was nothing but trash, she threw my hand down and hissed in revolution, swearing with her palms in her face. "You." She pointed at me, trembling and on the brink of rage. "You didn't come to me—to us. Why didn't you consider coming to us for permission? I thought I raised you better than that."

"She's an adult." Dad contended. "I would've liked for her to come to us, yes, but that doesn't erase what has been done. She's marrying him."

"You say that as if I'd let that happen." She scoffed.

"I'm marrying him, mom. I don't care if you like it. I'm marrying Bryce." I shouted and we came toe to toe, sizing me up with a hiss under her tone. I had never spoke to her like this. Half of me was stunned at my attitude, but the other half didn't want to stop in the hopes of her accepting Bryce. "He's going to be a part of this family if you like it or not."

"He will never be a part of this familia." She cringed. "Julio is the only person I'd ever expect you to be with. He's perfect for you."

"If you like Julio so much, then maybe you should marry him."

That was it. I had hammered the last nail into the coffin. Mother's unclenched her fist, striking me across the cheek with fury. I cried out from the impact.

"Valerie." Dad jumped ahead of me, stopping her from slapping me for a second time. He whispered a string of words to her, too quiet for me to hear and she exited the den.

"Mom." I called out, covering my hand on the spot she had hit. I wasn't done speaking with her. This discussion was far from reaching a conclusion. "We have to talk. If you walk out that door, you're not going to my wedding."

She fell over, slapping her knee in the midst of laughing at my remark.

"I wasn't going to go to begin with." She snarled, throwing the door open and heading down the stairs.

"She'll come around. Eventually." Dad's rested his hands on my shoulders, drawing me into a hug. "I'll be there at your wedding. And I'll do my best to get her to come along with me, too."

"She's too stubborn." I groaned, heaving a sorrowful sigh.

"You're just as stubborn as her." He released me from the embrace. "I know how to talk to her though. I'll get her to change her mind."

"You will?"

"Of course. My little princesa is getting married." He cupped my face and kissed the top of my head. "I'll do everything in my power to assure that your day isn't ruined."

When I came here this afternoon, I thought my mother would be more on my side than my father. Both of them had a protective personality, but it was always my mom who had my back. The roles were reversed and I couldn't be more pleased at the support my father was giving me.

A wave of shame simmered into my bones. I couldn't believe how dumb I must've seemed to disrespect him this year - not even aware of how much love he had for me. I could see it now, visible only because my distrust in him had faded.

"I'm sorry." I went for another hug. "I'm so sorry."

Dad chuckled. "What for?"

"For being unreasonable the last few months." I mumbled into the soft fabric of his shirt that smelled of cigarettes and aftershave. "That's why I'm sorry."

"Oh, mi hija. I never needed an apology." He said with pure contentment. "I was wrong for not helping that night. And Rio knows that. I had a conversation with on numerous occasions about this. I was completely in the wrong and your mother had every right to be mad at me. I am glad though that you're finally seeing that I'm no longer the person I was then. I would do anything for my children's safety."

"Anything?" I chimed.

"Anything." He repeated. "I'd go to jail for any of you. I'd take a bullet for all of you."

"Hopefully it never gets to that point," I mused. "I don't want you to have to go to jail or die for anyone. You're not going anywhere, papá." I hugged him tighter.

••••

Using the landline, I called Bryce from inside the kitchen. There was a green wall-phone near the cabinets and light switch. Bryce answered after the first ring, skipping a greeting and going right into a statement that displayed his hysteria very clearly.

"You were supposed to be back an hour ago. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I lost track of time." I informed. "My dad and I have been catching up in his den. Oh, and I told my parents about our engagement."

"What did they say? Are they mad?"

"Well, my mom slapped me. So that's not a good thing."

"What? Are you serious?" He yelped.

"As serious as a heart attack." I grumbled, propping myself on the clean marble countertop. "My dad promised to talk her for me about the wedding. She's certain she's not attending."

"She hates me that much? That's fantastic news. I'm bubbling up with joy." He said in a monotoned voice.

"You don't have to be sarcastic. She doesn't really hate you. She just hates the fact that you're not Julio."

He coughed. "Who?"

As though he heard his name being said, Julio emerged at the doorway. "I'm just here to get a cup of water. Don't mind me." He smiled, going to the sink with his empty glass.

I had forgotten that my mother invited him. In her deranged imagination, she pictured us having lunch together. I'd much rather squeeze lemon juice in my eyes than feed into her delusion fantasy.

Julio wasn't some ugly slob of guy. He was cute. I had a crush on him when I was seven, and for obvious reasons. His sun kissed olive complexion was a warmer shade than my own and he bared stunning gray eyes that I envied since grade school.

My mother's match-making scheme was a little too late. I wasn't seven anymore and neither was he. I had Bryce and an engagement ring proudly on my finger. We weren't those same kids, chasing after each other on the playground.

"Sophia. Sophia," Bryce's harsh voice yelled out to me.

I put my phone back to my ear, realizing that I had allowed it to slip to the counter. "Sorry. Julio walked in. What were you asking, Bryce?"

Julio's shoulders rose and he looked at me over his shoulder. "Bryce Matthews?"

"Yeah, that's him. You know him?" I grinned, resting the phone again. "What a small world! I'm engaged to him. You should come to our wedding."

"Noooo." The phone on the counter yelled. What the heck was up with Bryce?

Julio's glass fell, shattering into pieces on the floor. "Shit." he huffed, rushing to the dust pan and broom that was near the fridge. I leaped off the counter, but he quickly stopped me. "I can clean it up on my own."

"I'll hold the dust pan." I offered, taking it from him and kneeling low enough to set it on the tiled floor. "How do you know Bryce Matthews? He's not from around here."

"He's from New York." Julio said what I already knew as a fact. "For his own safety, he should've stayed there. But I guess if my dad was trying to kill my girlfriend, too, I'd run off like him."

He knows about Julia...But how?

"You guys are friends?"

"Hell no." Julio barked a laugh, setting down the broom to push the hair out of his face and showing me his nasty scar. "A friend wouldn't do this to you."

I stood upright. "Bryce wouldn't do that."

"You don't think he's capable of violence?" Julio sneered. "If that's the case, then you don't know your fiancé, Sophia. He's capable of so much more than a tiny scar."

Memories from Bryce's fight with Remy - or rather assaulting him - resurfaced, haunting me at the wrath that poured of him. You couldn't really call it a fair fight when Remy hardly lifted a finger to Bryce. He didn't stand a chance against him.

"How are your parents even okay with you being with him? I swear, if they knew half of what he's done they wouldn't want anything to do with him."

"You work for my father. You're not that much of a saint either." I snapped.

Inside my purse, my pager buzzed. I checked the number and it was Bryce's. "If you have nothing but negativity to say about Bryce, I'd like for you leave." I put my pager back into my purse. "Leave now."

"I was going to anyway." He threw his hands in the air. With his palm up against the door, he turned to say: "You don't know him, Sophia. Please think before you say your vows and get stuck to him."

"Get out of here." I shouted and he did just that, exiting from the swinging kitchen door and leaving me with my thoughts.

I called Bryce back and he said he was on his way, driving on the freeway to my dad's house. I waited for him outside. When he arrived, I didn't speak once I was inside the car. No greeting. Nothing.

Bryce broke the silence. "I got the marriage license application today."

"Yippee."

"You don't sound excited." He frowned and it practically split my heart in two.

"I am." I exhaled, reaching out to him and interlocked our fingers. "I had a shitty time at my dad's house. My mom's mad at me. Both her and Julio were trying to convince me that I'm idiotic for agreeing to marrying you. And what Julio said -"

"Sophia, don't listen to him." Bryce snickered. "I've had beef with him since I first arrived in California. It started when he was trying to sell to Julia. And when I knocked him out for it, he took that as a reason to start a feud with me."

"Trying to sell?" It took me a second to get what he meant. "He was selling drugs to a pregnant woman - or at least trying to."

My perception of Julio was altered, hearing that about his past. Should I trust him? Was he being honest when he told me that Bryce's had a horrid past that wasn't apparent to me? I couldn't think straight after that disheartening argument with my mother. Speaking to my dad helped, but only by a fraction.

"Where are we going?" I peered at my surrounds when he took the wrong exit, taking us right into Downtown Los Angeles. The route reminded me of the streets I had to use to get to Nicolas' loft. When Bryce's vehicle pulled up to Nicolas' street, I knew my assumptions were accurate.

"You haven't spoken to Nic for a week." Bryce put the car on park. "I've never seen you guys be this deattached from each other for this long."

"I tried to talk to him." I reminded. "He hasn't been answering my calls."

"I took the liberty of contacting him for you." He reached over to open my car door. "He agreed to talk to you. He's waiting for you in his loft. I'll pick you up whenever you're done."

"You didn't have to do that." I took my seatbelt off and embraced him. "Thank you though."

"I'm going to always want to fix things. Even if it isn't our relationship. I can see how unhappy you've been since your fight with Brooklyn. The last thing you want is to walk away from all of this in Los Angeles with a mind full of regret."

"You're absolutely right." I pecked his cheek and went out the door, slinging my purse strap over my shoulder. "I'll call you if things head south."

He appeared weary. "Do you want me to go up there with you?"

"No." I protested. "I can do this on my own."

Zeroing in on the front door, I entered the lobby of Nicolas' building with my heart in my hands. I had a shitty encounter with Julio and my mother. Scribbling Nicolas' name also on to that list would be the icing on this already crappy day, sealing my fate in having a wedding where none of old friends or family members would arrive.

How splendid.

Anxiety knotted my stomach, bringing me closer into a state of lightheadedness while I banged on Nicolas' door. I waited and waited for a response. The second the door unlocked, I flashed a smile. But that smile quickly vanished when I saw who answered it.

"Brooklyn?" I said in utter shock. "I didn't think...you'd be here. Is Nicolas around?"

"Nope." She opened the door even further. "I'm the only one here."

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A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates! I don't want to mess up the ending so I've been taking my time with the last few chapters.

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