Chapter 64
Sofia Bliss
I couldn’t move.
I stood there, standing in the middle of the corridor, with my eyes fixed on that stretcher being pushed.
My father.
His body.
The man I had almost lost, they said he tried to kill himself.
The stretcher passed by me slowly --- or maybe it was my head that had slowed down. Everything seemed to be in slow motion.
The sound of wheels on the floor sounded uncomfortable.
With each step the nurses took, the stronger the feeling was that there was something very wrong there.
I tried to breathe, but my chest was heavy, tight.
"That’s not normal..." I thought. "This... doesn’t look like a suicide attempt."
When the nurses turned the corridor, taking my father to a room further down, I was still standing there, staring into the void.
The aching heart.
The head throbbing.
It was when I felt a hand land on my shoulder.
"'Sofia... " was the voice of Letícia, soft, kind of scared." Are you all right?"
I couldn’t even look at her. I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
My mouth opened, but no word came out.
And then, out of nowhere, I heard the rushing sound of heels hitting the floor.
I turned my face and saw my aunt Marta coming through the front door.
She came straight to me, her face tense, worried look.
" Oh, my God... " she murmured, pulling me into a hug. " Were you already here?"
I stood motionless in her arms.
My body seemed not to know if it wanted to collapse or stand firm.
She squeezed me a little more. "It’s going to be all right, Sofia. He’ll be well taken care of here, okay?"
I just shook my head.
But the tears burned behind the eyes, insisting on leaving.
I blinked fast, trying to contain.
I could not collapse there.
When I was able to breathe, I took a step back and looked at her.
"Auntie... " my voice came out husky, half trembling. " I just... I just want to understand."
Marta blinked, confused. "Understand what, dear?"
I clenched my fists.
"What happened to him?" I looked straight into her eyes. "That..." I pointed to the corridor, "This is not the body of someone who tried to hang himself."
She arched her eyebrows, surprised, the voice hesitant to speak.
"What are you talking about, Sofia?"
I tried to control myself, but anger and fear mixed in my voice.
"I’m talking about the bruises! Broken arm! Black eye!" I stepped forward, not realizing that I was already holding her arms. " Tell me, Auntie, what really happened to him?"
Letícia, who was a little behind, approached, trying to intervene.
"Sofia, calm down..." she muttered, placing her hand on my shoulder.
But all I wanted were answers.
My aunt blinked a few times, visibly uncomfortable.
" I... don’t understand. I already told you everything that had happened."
"Auntie... " I whispered, taking a deep breath, trying to contain myself." It just tells me the truth. Was it really a suicide attempt?"
The hall was quiet, and she just stared at me.
I saw in her face that something was wrong.
Or maybe it was just me who was getting carried away by emotions again.
Finally, she looked away and answered with a dry voice:
"Of course it was. I told you, Sofia. He was found by a neighbor, hanging... with the rope around his neck. Almost lifeless."
I kept looking at her, trying to find sincerity in that speech.
But in reality, I couldn't think of anything else; I didn't even know if those words were true or not.
But the way she turned her eyes, as she swallowed dry between one word and another, only reinforced more and more my suspicions.
" Lie."
This word echoed inside my head; it was as if someone whispered.
" It’s all a lie... Sofia." The problem was that I didn’t know if it was my thought, if I was going crazy, because that voice... didn’t seem to come from me.
I tried to calm down.
Maybe the story could have started like that... but something happened in the middle. Something she didn’t want to tell me.
I let go of her arms slowly.
It did not help to force.
I needed to see my father. I needed to hear from him what really happened.
I took a deep breath and murmured:
" Sorry, Auntie. I’m... very nervous, it was a lot for me today."
She changed her expression, relaxed a little, and touched my face with affection.
"I know, my love. It’s normal." And pulled me back into the embrace. "Seeing someone we love in that state... shakes anyone."
Letícia approached, wrapped my shoulders, and I left.
At least on the outside, I tried to look calm.
When I walked away, Marta put the bag on her shoulder and said:
"Let’s go to the bedroom, darlings. He should wake up soon."
I took the bag that I had prepared for him, the simple things, the book, the juice, and followed both through the corridor.
With each step, something inside me grew.
That presentiment.
That voice... that kept whispering.
I tried to ignore.
After all, it was natural to get out of balance a bit, right? I wanted to believe so.
We stop at the door of the room.
I faced the plate with my father’s name and felt my heart beat stronger.
" Dad..."
My aunt opened the door carefully, and a beam of light went through the floor.
His body was there, motionless, connected to some wires, breathing slowly, calm.
Letícia approached first, put the sheet over him.
Marta stood by the window, watching in silence.
And I...
I stood for a few seconds at the door, watching them both.
A part of me still wanted to believe that it was all just a coincidence. That the bruises could have been caused by the fall, or the rope, or anything that made sense.
But I did not.
Nothing made sense.
I took a deep breath, trying to contain the tremor in my hands, and walked towards him.
My father needed me.
I had to stay strong.
I sat in the chair next to the bed, leaned on the backrest, and stared at them, letting a thought slip away in silence:
"I don’t know what’s going on... but it seems like I can’t trust anyone anymore."
Nor in my aunt.
Not even in my cousin.
Nor in anyone.
If I wanted to find out anything, whether it was mine or my father's, I would have to do it... alone.