Chapter 38

Laying in the dark,Sam stared up at the living room ceiling. Natalia had retreated to the bedroom. She hadn’t invited Sam to come with her, and Sam hadn’t asked.

She focused on the slashes of pale moonlight filtering in from the partially open blinds and tried to untangle the night’s events. Just having discussed Sofia was an emotional sucker punch, but Natalia unraveling in front of her had been nearly unbearable.

Until that conversation, she’d been assuming that Natalia was merely unyielding — used to getting her way without having to consider another person’s input. That she disliked the part of being in a relationship that required her to be on equal footing when she was so used to calling the shots.

Never could she have imagined the indomitable Natalia being mistreated. Sam’s stomach burned, sending a column of acrid bile straight up her throat. She hadn’t been powerhouse Natalia then — she was just a kid. Scared and alone.

Tears pricked the backs of Sam’s tired eyes. Her second-hand heartbreak wrestled for control of her emotions, but anger was putting up a fight. She couldn’t imagine what flavor of despicable human would take advantage of a kid in her position.

Sam closed her eyes. She couldn’t stop imagining Natalia being so young and vulnerable. So defenseless. Cycling through culprits, she wasn’t sure who she was angry at most. Was it Kate who clearly manipulated and took advantage of a vulnerable girl? Or Natalia’s parents, who were supposed to protect her but instead kicked her out when she needed them most?

She pushed aside her own feelings and sorted through Natalia’s barrage of information. She’d never seen someone turn vulnerable confessions into an act of war, but Natalia had wielded hers like a mace.

Trying to understand Natalia, or her motivations, was like trying to divine her future in cafecito dregs. Where someone else might see two kids and a white picket fence, Sam only saw amorphous blotches.

Sleep would help reset her racing thoughts and ease the ache in her belly. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

Her brain refused to comply with her demand. All she could do was think about Natalia. Hurt for her. She wanted to leap into the past and rescue her, the poor kid that just needed a safe place to exist.

Somewhere in the distance, she remembered having agreed to sign the production company’s contract. She should be freaking out. Should be second-guessing the decision.

But stretched out on the couch with her pulse hammering in her throat, it all seemed so small. Compared to a life nearly shattered, work was just… work.

Unable to keep her eyes closed or her thoughts from racing, Sam stood. Pain shot over her when her charred skin scraped against the material of the couch, but she didn’t let it stop her. Unsure of whether she was doing the right thing, not knowing what Natalia would say, she tiptoed toward the bedroom.

A faint glow under the closed door offered a hint that Natalia was awake. Sam held her breath, knocked, and then opened the door a crack.

In the dark room, Natalia was sitting on the bed, her bespectacled face lit up by the glow of the laptop she was working on. At the sound of the creaking door, Natalia looked up, expression intense and unwelcoming.

Sam was about to close the door again when Natalia pulled off her glasses.

“Loitering, Professor?” Her voice was hoarse and lacked its usual bite. Had she been crying? “If you’re going to skulk there, you might as well come in.”

It was a warmer invitation than Sam expected. She hadn’t wanted to read into the fact that Natalia hadn’t packed her things and left after the charged conversation. But she couldn’t ignore it either. She had stayed, and even now she was inviting her in, albeit in her own Natalia way.

“I just wanted to check on you.” Sam edged into the room, eyes adjusting to the low light.

“So glad you interrupted my work to confirm signs of life.” Natalia didn’t move her computer off her lap even as Sam sat at the foot of the bed.

“Work?” She looked at the clock on the nightstand. Even without her glasses, she could read the enormous numbers. “At this hour?”

“Yes, well. If you saw the size of my inbox, you’d know that at any given moment someone in the world is sending me an urgent email.”

Natalia’s energy was a breached alarm blaring. Warning intruders to keep out or pay the consequences. Sam took a deep breath and plunged in headfirst.

“I’m not sure how to talk about this?—”

“My work? Don’t worry, you don’t?—”

“Natalia,” Sam’s voice was small and pleading. “Don’t?—”

“Don’t what?” Natalia snapped, harsh and wild, the way a tiger caught in a trap might swipe and hiss. It was fear, not anger, Sam was almost sure. “I told you an unfortunate fact about my past. You don’t have to act like I’m suddenly fragile. I don’t need your concern.”

“And look at that. You have it anyway.” Sam inched closer. “Natalia?—”

“Don’t say my name like that,” Natalia snapped again, softer this time. “Don’t say my name like suddenly I make so much sense to you. Like I’m some pathetic?—”

“You could never be pathetic, Natalia.” Sam reached out and rested her hand above her knee, hitting the laptop she was using like a shield. “What you did?—”

“If you call me any variation of brave, resilient, or inspiring, Samantha Reyes, I’m going to walk out that door and never speak to you again.”

The threat made Sam want to smile. Decoding her intent, she guessed that Natalia was telling her that hope was not lost, but she better tread lightly. She didn’t want to be pushed, and Sam didn’t want her to bend so hard she’d break.

“I won’t call you any of those things,” Sam said gently. “But I hope you know that what happened to you doesn’t define you. It doesn’t change how I see you.”

Natalia’s jaw clenched, eyes drifting to her laptop screen. It didn’t surprise Sam that after their conversation, she’d bury herself in something she understood. Something staunchly in her domain. Work.

“And I won’t pretend to understand what you’ve been through, either.” She squeezed her leg before pulling away. “But I’m here for you. As a friend, a confidant, whatever you need.” She eased to her feet.

“I don’t need anything,” she replied, but her tone wavered and she didn’t meet Sam’s eyes.

“You once told me that people see what they want to see. But I see you, Natalia. Not some idealized version. All I want is for you to feel safe and cared for. However long it takes.”

Natalia’s expression remained inscrutable. But she gave a small nod, the closest to acquiescence Sam could hope for.

At the door, Sam whispered, “Good night,” and let herself out. A microscopic part of her hoped that Natalia would call out to her. Tell her not to leave. She didn’t.

Back on the couch, she was unsettled but hopeful. Natalia had opened up more than ever before. There were no guarantees, but it was progress.

As Sam drifted off, images of a young, vulnerable Natalia still haunted her. But she also pictured the strong woman reclaiming her power. If anyone could rewrite her story, Sam believed it was Natalia. A happy ending felt possible, if Natalia could trust again. Sam could only hope she’d be part of it.