SANTI'S POV
At this moment we're parking in front of Jessica's parents' house. A while ago I had called them to ask them to all be home, that I had to explain something important to them and give them good news. Carla would go in with me so they wouldn't think I'm crazy while Jessica and the kids would stay outside waiting for us to tell her family everything.
During the ride, I noticed how Jessica didn't speak and is immersed in her thoughts. I could see she's nervous about seeing her family again after so long, so I ran my hand along her leg to try to calm her down. It seems I got her out of her thoughts and she started looking at me, smiling at me and intertwining our fingers.
Once we got to the house, Carla and the children got out of the car while I and Jessica stayed inside in silence. I noticed how the nerves increased in the last few minutes, and the only thing I wanted is for her not to be, after all, nothing is going to happen. "You're going to be okay Jess, I promise." I assured, "I know I'm going to be fine, but I don't know who they are, Santi. What if they get angry? I don't want anyone to get angry because of me."
"Hey, hey... No one will be angry. I'll explain to them what happened and they will understand you don't remember things. They will introduce themselves; I can do it for them if that puts your mind at ease. Now stop worrying, okay?" I said softly, "Thank you, Santi." My girlfriend thanked, a smile beginning to form on her face. "Why?"
"For all this you're doing." She responded "I still have a couple of things to do and we have to talk about the operation, don't think I'm forgetting." I said "Can it be another time? I don't want to ruin the moment." Jessica asked and I nodded. "We'll talk about it at night, okay?"
"Ok, but I want to ask you a favour." She said "What favour?" I asked curiously, "I don't want you to tell them about my tumour." She asked, "But they have to know, honey." I replied calmly "I know, but I don't want dramas today. Something tells me if you tell them, they will be sad and today I don't want that." She responded and I nodded, because that's the most likely thing that would happen when they found out. "Ok, I won't tell them."
"Thank you, I love you." She said a little calmer, "I love you honey" I replied. We kissed and got out of the car. We had left the car right on the corner so if they looked out the window, they wouldn't see her. Before, I had to make sure they wouldn't take things the wrong way and pester Jessica with questions she doesn't know how to answer.
"As soon as you can enter, I will come for you. In the meantime, stay here, okay?" They nodded and before leaving I gave Jess a small kiss on the lips. Carla and I started walking towards the entrance, and once we stopped in front of it and rang the doorbell, Sofia, Jessica's sister, opened the door for us. "Santi!!!! It seems Carla was right, leaving the city was good for you." Sofia said.
"Yeah, something like that." I responded, running my hand along the back of my neck. "But come on, we're intrigued by what you have to tell us." She said happily "Are you all there?" I asked, "Yeah, we're waiting for you to tell us that important thing you can't say over the phone."
"You look good, Santi." Camille said once we entered the living room. "Thanks, I guess." I responded "I'm glad to see you this happy, Jessica would have loved to see you well." said Rose, Jess's grandmother. "That's what I want to talk to you about." I said, trying to gather courage. "Of what?" Jess's father asked. "Jessica."
"What's wrong with her?" her mother asked with a frown. "I suppose you know we were in Los Angeles." I started and everyone nodded "Yes, we were impressed you agreed to go." Sofía said "I had no idea we were going, that's Carla who decided." I said honestly, "Oh, I thought you were getting over Jessica after all."
"I don't want to get over Jessica. You have to promise me one thing." I asked for "Whatever." They quickly responded, "I need you to keep an open mind." I said "What for?" Sofia asked, "I have to tell you something delicate, and I don't want you to go crazy or think I have gone crazy in these years."
"What's going on, Santi?" my sister-in-law asked with a frown, "While we were in Los Angeles... I got really angry and left. We ended up in a coffee shop and there I heard Jessica's voice." I said "That's because you miss her." Sofía quickly responded, "I thought the same thing, but I couldn't help but turn around and look…"
"And what happened?" my mother-in-law asked. "It was her; it really was Jessica." I said and the room was silent, looking at each other without understanding anything of what I had just said. I know it's a bit shocking at first, it happened to me, but I had to make them understand I'm telling the truth. "That's impossible." Sofia whispered and I denied, "That's what I thought, but it's true."
"Santi, don't even think about playing with that." Sofía repeated "Jessica is three meters underground, so it's impossible for you to see her walking through the streets of Los Angeles." said my sister-in-law, probably in a state of denial. "Sofia... He's not playing, that's true." Carla said kindly. "If it's true, how come she's not with you? How did she not show up in all this time to at least say she was okay? Jessica wouldn't do something like that to us."
"She's here... She's outside." I didn't have time to say anything else because Sofía runs out of the living room and out of the house, which makes both me and Carla get up to go after her and prevent her from doing something she shouldn't.
SOFIA'S POV
The moment Santi said Jessica is out, I didn't hesitate for a single second to leave and go meet my supposed sister. She's dead, if she had been alive, she would have said she was fine, and much better, she would have returned to us.
When I walk out the door, I look everywhere for my sister and I was going to calm down until I notice there's a woman with children next to her, and when I notice them, especially the woman, I discover something I didn't expect... Jessica.
I started to get angry with her, because in all this time she was alive and didn't say anything, at least one call saying she's fine. I started walking in her direction and ended up running and when I got in front of her the first thing, I did is slap her.
"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU LEAVE AND NOT TELL US ANYTHING? WE THOUGHT YOU WERE FUCKING DEAD, AND NOW YOU APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE?" It didn't take me long to notice arms around my waist and pulling me away from my supposed sister, because if there's one thing that's clear to me, it's that she's no longer my sister. She left us and made us believe she was dead, when that clearly didn't happen, because I have her alive and well in front of me at this moment. I wanted to give her one more slap, so she would at least feel a small part of the pain we had been feeling these years, especially the man she theoretically loved. I can't understand how Santi is so calm and in front of her to stop me from hitting her again, and it's not like I could, because Jack was grabbing me to stop me from doing it.
"Calm down, dear." asked my fiancé "HOW THE FUCK DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM WHEN I HAVE MY SISTER DEAD HERE, JACK?" I shouted angrily, "I'm sure there's an explanation for this." He said calmly "SHE DOESN'T HAVE IT. ALL THESE YEARS SHE'S ALIVE AND LET US BELIEVE SHE WAS DEAD."
"Sofia, this has an explanation." Carla said next to me since Santi is next to Jessica "The explanation I must assume she made you believe, but you can be clear I don't intend to believe it. "I don't have a sister, she died four years ago and that's how it will continue."
I could see my sister's look change to one of pain, but I'm almost sure she's faking it. The children looked for her, but it's too late because she started to leave, which is the best thing she could have done, because I never want to see her again in my life. This whole situation hurt me, I've been thinking my sister was dead for four years, and it turns out she wasn't, and it hurt almost like the day Carla told us she died.
"Jessica…wait." said Santi "I don't do anything here, I better go." She responded seriously, "Jessica, daughter, you really do." Mom said somewhere near me, "Well, she doesn't think the same as you, and I'm clear I'm not going to bother anyone, so I'm leaving."
She didn't say anything else, and she didn't listen to anything my mother, Santi and Carla were telling her. It didn't take long for Santi to follow her and Carla stayed next to us, Jack had already let go of me, but he hadn't separated from me, I guess he thought I was going to go after Jessica, but he couldn't be further from the truth.
"Come in, I'm going to explain to you right now what's happening with Jessica. You guys can go with Camille." Carla said kindly to the guys. "If you're going to talk about that, I'm not going to go in." I assured, "We want to go with Jessica." said the boy who was with her, "Don't worry about her, she will be with Santi and won't let anything happen to her. Now go with Camille, I'll be in in a little while, ok?"
"You can go in with them, because I'm leaving right now." I said, letting go of Jack. "You're not going anywhere. You're the first one who's going to enter and the one who's going to listen well to what I'm going to tell."
I don't think I had ever seen Carla so serious talking to me in my life, but if I thought this would stop me from thinking Jessica is a bitch, she's wrong. Both my parents, grandmother, and the children who were with Jessica until recently entered the house, leaving me, my fiancé, and Carla outside.
"You can't make me come into the house and listen to bullshit." I said, crossing my arms. "Of course, I can do it, and that's what I plan to do." She assured, "You're not my sister, much less my mother, to tell me what I should do or not." I pointed out, annoyed, "Inside... now." Carla said seriously "No."
"Listen to me, brat, you just made the biggest mistake of your life by saying what you told your sister…" she started, but I couldn't help but stop her. "Did you just call me a brat?" I asked, my anger rising again. "Because you are, so if you don't want me to get angry, come in the house." Because believe me, you don't want to see me angry."
"I told you I'm not going to do it," I insisted and she looked at my fiancé. "Jack, pick her up and put her in the house." She said and I turned in his direction. "Don't even think about doing it, Jack." I said seriously, "I'm sorry, but I think you have to listen to Jessica's version." And with that, my fiancé picks me up and takes me inside the house. At this moment I hated everyone, I really mean that.
SANTI'S POV
As soon as Jessica left, I followed her. At this moment she had to feel bad, and I don't want to leave her alone, so I followed her. When I'm finally able to reach her, the first thing I do is hug her, but it didn't take long for her to separate.
"Can you tell why she hates me?" She asked, annoyed, but I could hear pain in her voice. "She doesn't hate you…" I assured, because I'm almost convinced Sofia doesn't hate her sister. "Of course, she does. She made it very clear I'm dead to her." my girlfriend replied, "But it's not because she thinks so." I insisted, "Of course she thinks so, otherwise why would she say it?" Jessica asked, crossing his arms and waiting for my answer. "Because your sister has a strong character and she didn't even let me explain anything."
"You make it worse for me." She said "Sofía has the same character as you, that's why she reacted like that." I responded, "I wouldn't have reacted like that" My girlfriend protested and I nodded, because it could be true. "You may not have reacted that way, but you have the same character." I assured "Then how would you explain the slap she gave me?" Jess asked and I frowned, confused for a moment. "Did she slap you?" I questioned "Yes, but that's not what I asked you, Santi."
"It hurts? Do you want us to go get something cold to put on it?" I asked and Jess ended up pushing my hand away "Santi, I'm fine, focus on the question." She said "Okay, the question. What was the question?" I asked trying to remember what it was "Why does she hate me?" She questioned "Your sister doesn't…"
"Okay, so whatever she has against me, why?" Jess asked again "Because it was difficult for your sister to accept you died." I reported "It's not what it seems, honestly" She said, looking away, "It is, she adored you and had you whenever she needed you, you helped her and scared away anyone who wanted to hurt her, that's why she reacted like that. It's difficult for her to overcome your death."
"The man with her had to help her, I don't know why, I get the feeling that they are a couple." she said more to herself than to anyone else "And he has, he was always with her and it was partly what helped her get better, later when Jack asked her to marry him it helped too..."
"Wait, wait, wait… My sister is getting married?" She asked with wide eyes. "Yeah, why?" I questioned, a little confused by the change of topic. "I didn't see that coming. That man, is he good?" Jessica asked, "The best your sister could get."
"Should I trust?" She insisted, raising an eyebrow. "What am I saying?" I asked, "From the man, Santi." My girlfriend responded rolling her eyes "Oh, well yes. If he's still with your sister after you warned him, it will be for a reason." I revealed with a smile starting to form on my face "I warned him about what?"
"That if he hurt Sofía you would make him have a hard time." I responded "It wouldn't be bad to let him know again…" he started and I couldn't help but laugh "You won't. I promise you I'm telling you the truth and he loves her so much. Don't worry about them anymore."
"I'll believe you this time." I could see a small smile on Jessica's face, and obviously there's one on mine too. After everything that had happened, the protective sister instinct is still there, I have to assume she does the same with Miky and Madison, but she still does it with Sofia, and I know somehow, Sofia will be the same again and will listen to what Carla tells her. We have to say, I just hope Carla makes her see reason.