♡ Nia's POV ♡
I'm off to the station," Isabel informed me.
"I'll come with you," I responded immediately without a second thought .
"Oh no, Nia, you need to rest. I'll be back with Juan in a while. Please promise me you won't let him know I told you about the journal or do anything funny," she urged, concern etched on her face. I nodded, assuring her of my cooperation.
As she left, Diego ran to me. "I don't like it in here, Carmen," he confided.
"Why, Diego? Is there anything wrong?" I asked, my worry deepening.
"It's so boring. I'm not allowed to go visit my friends, and I feel alone, no Sofia, no abuela," he explained.
"I really miss Sofia. Will she end up like Abuela?" he questioned, squeezing my hands. I tried to comfort him, "Why would you think so, Diego? Sofia will be fine."
"This is the second time Sofia left me alone," he shared, expressing his concern.
"Why? When did she ever leave you?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"The woman with the vintage scarf came over to visit and took Sofia with her; she's so creepy," he said.
"What woman?" My body tensed.
"Sofia didn't tell you?" He looked surprised.
"No, she didn't." I needed the full details .
"She wears a vintage scarf and she's always staring. Even the night you came from LA, I saw her staring from the window," Diego shared, leading to clues to finding Sofia.
My shock was palpable. "What do you mean by that, Diego?"
"That creepy woman with a vintage scarf and hat came over to the house few months ago and took Sofia with her for days," he revealed. "That's why Sofia wanted us to go back to LA with you after her contest," he confessed.
"Did you also notice anything strange apart from the creepy woman? Anything that would lead us to finding Sofia?"
"There was a time Sofia started getting so scared whenever she saw a message pop up on the laptop," Diego began. "I secretly checked, and it was life-threatening messages."Will they harm Sofia?" he questioned. "I'm so scared, Carmen; it's all becoming real. It's almost a month. I need my sister."
He started hitting his feet on the ground ,i hugged him trying to calm him down. He said on the floor beside me, his head on my lap. I stroked his thin sleek hair and patted his back.
A tear rolled down my face as I realized the burden he carried, wrapped up in this dangerous game.
Diego gently wiped away the tear that escaped my eye. "I don't understand whatever is going on, but I know everything will be fine,"his comforting words soothing my troubled mind.
He's so little and yet so mature at the same time. "Nothing's going to happen to Sofia, little man," I reassured him pulling him into a hug.
"But what if everything is connected? With the journal and Sofia's kidnap. This is the right time to know the truth about my father's death and my mom passing away from a random heart attack.What if my parents were murdered? All for a journal? What does this journal have to offer?"
I made up my mind to get that journal and destroy it since it's worth something that would put my loved ones in danger. SanCasas is a terrible place; it's all about games of thrones. Everyone wants to show how powerful they are. Even Juan is part of them; he always has been.
Since Juan doesn't want to help me, I'll find Sofia and the journal myself. I'm strong enough to protect myself; at least, I did survive twice and I'll survive again.
"Hey, little man, you stay with Omar. I'll be back soon, okay?" I patted his hair.
"No, please don't go, Carmen. I have a feeling something might happen to you too." He clung to me, his fear evident.
I attempted to convey that I would be fine and urgently needed to get Sofia's laptop. Despite his reluctance, I walked out, only to find over six armed men surrounding the building. "Please go back in, ma'am. We were informed not to let you leave the premises," one of them instructed.
I needed a plan to convince them. "Uhmm, I need to go get something from the store. I won't be long," I explained.
"We'll get it for you, ma'am," he replied.
Thinking on my feet, I whispered, "Oh, it's girl's stuff," pretending to hold my stomach. "I'll be back in 30. Could you help me with some money, please?"
He nodded, handing me more money than I expected. "Gracias," I said, surprised.
With the clock ticking, I needed to leave before Isabel and Juan came back. I hailed a cab and headed straight to Sofia's apartment.
The ride stretched over an hour as Juan's secret apartment was situated at the outskirts of SanCasas.
Arriving at the front of Sofia's apartment, nostalgia gripped me. The memories of the night Sofia and I decided to party flooded my mind—the fun that led to fear, the fun that ruined our lives.
Upon reaching the door, I noticed the lock was broken. Anxious, I rushed inside to check for theft, but everything was arranged neatly. Confused, I headed to Sofia's room to find her laptop, but it was nowhere to be found. Panic set in, and I started tearing through every room, including Diego's. The laptop was gone, my only clue to finding Sofia.
Helplessness overwhelmed me, and tears streamed down my face. It had been almost a month since Sofia went missing. Doubt crept in, but a lingering feeling insisted she was still alive. As panic consumed me, I heard creaking sounds, indicating someone else's presence. I grabbed a frypan from the kitchen, preparing to defend myself.
Hiding behind the kitchen door, I waited for the approaching figure. The silent footsteps grew closer, and I steeled myself, convinced I was being followed again. Determined not to be taken again, I braced for confrontation.
As the person drew near, a familiar cologne wafted through the air. A voice greeted me, "Hello, Nia." Reacting on instinct, I swung the frypan, connecting with the intruder's head.
In the ominous silence that followed, the last thing echoing in the room was the loud, pitchy sound of the pan striking his head, sending him into unconsciousness.
"Fuck, Matthew!" I gasped, dropping the pan in shock and covering my mouth. The air thickened with suspense as the gravity of my actions sank in.