CHAPTER 065: The Sis Code
My chest tightens, and for a moment, I can’t breathe. I feel their eyes on me, waiting for some kind of reaction, but I can’t find the right words. I can’t even move.
Carolina breaks the silence. “It was crazy. Before last year, he’d never done anything like that. Sure, he gets sad on the anniversary–we know that. It’s why November 12th is marked on our calendars. We usually just visit the grave, say a few words, drop some flowers. We did that last year as usual, and then we parted ways. But Lucas… he went back. We were lucky it didn’t get to the press.”
“Umm,” Sofia cuts in, “what if it did?”
“It would have been a mess, stupid. He’s an important man.”
“Who deserves to grieve,” I whisper, my voice so quiet it’s almost drowned out by the hum of the TV.
“Did you say something?” Carolina asks.
I stand abruptly, the armchair creaking under the sudden shift. “Thank you for the wonderful little time we had together,” I say, forcing a tight smile. “But I’m going upstairs now. To see Luke.”
No
one argues. They just watch me as I walk toward the staircase. I can feel their eyes burning into my back, and halfway up. I can’t resist turning around. Sure enough, they all quickly look away, pretending to be engrossed in the TV
“TVI” Valeria yells, her tiny voice piercing through the tension.
I can’t help but smile, shaking my head as I continue up the stairs.
When I reach Luke’s room, the door is wide open. He’s lying in bed, propped up against a pillow, watching TV. The glow from the screen bathes his face in soft light, highlighting the lines of exhaustion etched into his features.
“I’m still alive, Caro,” he says without looking away from the screen.
“Well, that’s good to know,” I reply.
He freezes, his head whipping toward me. “Julie?”
I smile and step inside, shutting the door behind me and locking it for good measure. Luke doesn’t say anything as I walk over and slip under the sheets beside him. I wrap my arms around him, holding him close.
“I don’t think locking the door was a good idea,” he murmurs after a moment. “Caro’s a pest. She’s going to be here any minute, and I really don’t have the strength to keep standing.”
“Look at you” I say with a laugh. “Tough Luke. Scared of your little sister?”
“She’s a menace.
“I know, right? Your family’s quite the character. But don’t worry about Carolina. She won’t disturb us. Not while I’m here. Women have codes.”
“Right,” he says. The sis code. Second only to the bro code.”
The bro code is a farce. Guys secretly hate each other
CHAPTER 65. The Si Code
+25 BONUS
“And women don’t hate themselves? That’s the wildest thing I’ve heard all day, and believe me, I’ve heard quite a lot from Sofia and Isabel. I swear, those two were built to drive me insane.” I
“They’re eccentric,” I admit with a chuckle. “But they’re cool. They love you.”
“Oh, well. Hope they didn’t say anything creepy about me.”
“Actually,” I say, “they told me I’m too calm to be your girlfriend.”
He raises an eyebrow. “They said that?”
“That you date maniacs.”
“I’m going to kill them.”
I laugh, turning my attention to the TV. An animated movie is playing–a brightly colored scene full of talking animals and upbeat music. “You watch cartoons?” I ask.
“Mmhmm. They’re the best. Haven’t watched any?”
“Not really.”
“Well, buckle up. Zootopia is my second favorite.”
“What’s your first?” I say.
He stares at me, a small smile tugging at his lips. “A cartoon character called Julie. Mind–blowing.”
I laugh, resting my head against his chest as we both watch the movie. For a while, the room is quiet except for the sound of the TV. It’s peaceful, and I can feel myself starting to drift off when Luke’s voice pulls me back
“You can ask questions, you know,” he says. “I promise I’m not sensitive.”
I lift my head from his chest and look at him. The light from the TV casts soft shadows across his face, making his eyes darker, deeper. He’s trying to seem casual, but there’s a tightness around his mouth that betrays him.
I shake my head. “I’m going to wait. Whenever you’re ready to tell me.”
He huffs out a laugh, but it’s short. “I can see why my sisters think you’re different. You love etiquette, don’t you?”
“It’s not etiquette,” I counter. “It’s respect. We have to respect people’s feelings.”
“I’m begging you to disrespect mine, Julie.”
I smile, my mind racing. He seems calm, almost too calm, about whatever this is. Surely if it were as bad as I’m imagining, he wouldn’t be able to laugh. I reason with myself for a moment before giving in.
“How did he die?” I ask.
The laughter drains from Luke’s face. He looks away, his gaze fixed somewhere past me, staring into a void I can’t see.
“Car accident,” he says. “I keep thinking about how he’d be alive now if adults made saner decisions. We think we’re wiser and smarter than kids, but the second we’re inconvenienced, we do the dumbest things.”
+25 BONUS
CHAPTEROLS The Six Code
I swallow hard, sensing the weight of what’s coming
“You don’t put a three–year–old in the front seat of a car, he continues. “Especially not when you’re drunk. And if you’re stupid enough to do something like that, you at least lock them in with a seatbelt. Or put the car on child lock”
My stomach twists into a knot, but I don’t dare interrupt.
“He fell out of the car, Julie. A speeding car.”
“Jesus, Luke My voice is barely a whisper.
“Yeah,” he says. “Head trauma.”
I can’t breathe. The image is too vivid, too horrific. My hand reaches for his, gripping it as if I can somehow pull him out of this memory.
“Luke
“You know the weird thing?” he says, cutting me off. He’s staring at the ceiling now, his voice calm. “For the entire year, I don’t think about it. It’s like it never happened. And then, on this date, it all comes flooding back. My sister, the one studying to become a therapist, says it’s a psychological defense mechanism. Repressed memory, she calls it. My brain is living in denial.” He shrugs. “It is what it is, I guess. I’m getting better at coping.”
I don’t know what to say. I don’t know if I should cry for him, for his son, or if I should praise him for the strength it takes to live with that kind of pain. I’ve never had a child, but I know–I know–that it would destroy me to lose one.
A knock at the door startles us both.
Luke lets out a dry laugh. “What was that thing you said about a sis code?”
“Shut up,” I mutter, untangling myself from him and slipping out of bed. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”
I open the door to find Carolina, Sofía, and Isabel standing there. Wow, the entire crowd.
But something about their faces stops me cold.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Luke, Carolina says, stepping into the room. The other two follow, their usual chatter and sarcasm nowhere to be found. “We just got news from home.”
“What news?” Luke sits up in bed, his posture rigid, “Did something happen to Mom or Dad?”
“No,” Carolina says. “They’re the ones who called.”
“What is it, Caro?”
Carolina hesitates, her gaze darting to Sofia and Isabel, as if hoping one of them will speak instead. Finally, she takes a deep breath. “She’s out on parole.”
The room goes silent.
Luke doesn’t move, doesn’t speak. For a moment, I wonder if he’s even breathing.
CHAPTER 045 The Six Code
“Who?” I ask.
Carolina’s lips press into a thin line.
“Sara,” she says. “His ex–wife.” 1
