"He what?" Lucia exclaims flustered.
"Please try to understand, he wants to start anew with his wife, you can't blame him for that," Sophia explains trying to calm her down. Their mother sits on Lucia's bed not saying a single word.
"Why did he speak to you and not me? What kind of a man is he?" Lucia snarls angrily.
"I don't know, maybe he was nervous. He wanted me to prepare you."
"Coward," she scoffs. "A big coward. He might look like an intimidating man but he's a five year old child."
"Lucia, please try to understand him."
Lucia paces from one end of her room to another. "Understand him? He left me. Me. And I have to understand him? Why can't he understand how lonely I was, huh? Why can't he understand how much I suffered being known as the woman who was left behind? That's the mere reason why I told everyone he died."
"Lonely? Suffered?" their mother shouts. "You suffered so much that you got married again? You were so lonely that you forced that husband to leave you for your promiscuity?" She stands firmly and walks up to Lucia decisively, Lucia doesn't dare to move. "Listen to me now Lucia. This man wants to do the correct thing and take you with him because you are his wife. You hear me, his wife. You can be angry all you want but you and I know that you have to go with him now before you start that long journey into a miserable life. This little game of sleeping with every man that crosses your path is getting old, so you better grow up and start living a decent life."
Lucia's eyes start watering as she stares at her mother astounded. In all her life she had never been yelled at like this before. Sophia sits agog at her mother's outburst.
"You want me away from here, don't you?"
"Lucia don't..." Sophia tries to stop her before she says anything hurtful but Lucia interrupts her.
"You just want me as far away from here as possible because I'm not your perfect daughter. I'm not what you wanted me to be, well you know what? I am sorry for not being a hypocrite. I am sorry for trying to enjoy this hell hole you call home. I am sorry I can't be more like Sophia the immaculate fool that has no mind of her own."
Sophia looks down at her hands trying to avoid her own emotions.
"I am so glad you are apologizing," Mrs. Willis replies. "Because you don't know how many nights I spent asking myself why you couldn't be like Sophia. Sophia never gave us any of this nonsense. Your father and I have been put through enough because of you. You are nothing but a selfish, spoiled, shameless little girl that I have sheltered for way too long. I am done. I finished covering your immorality, I am exhausted pretending that all that you have done does not make me want to slap you."
Lucia starts crying quietly and Sophia watches her. She couldn't remember the last time she saw her sister cry.
"How can you say that?" says Lucia miserably. "I'm your daughter."
Mrs. Willis doesn't react. "You are. That is why I am telling you everything that I should have told you years ago."
Sophia moves uncomfortably as their mother leaves the room leaving a gloomy feeling behind. Lucia sits on her bed beside Sophia defeated.
Sophia considers leaving Lucia alone with her thoughts but her soft voice stops her.
"I deserve this, don't I?" Sophia doesn't answer. "Everyone hates me. Mother hates me, father hates me, Gilda hates me, and you hate me, what else is there for me to do here?"
"We don't hate you, Lucia."
"You do," she replies harshly. "I slept with your man, remember?"
Sophia's eyes soften. "Years ago."
Lucia looks at her in disbelief, but as she sees her younger sister's eyes, her opinion changes. "I loved him you know?"
Sophia nods. "I know."
"I really loved him," she says again. "But of course I don't have to tell you why. I hope you know what you have."
"I do know."
Lucia stands slowly and runs her hands down her dress. "There's only one thing for me to do then."
Sophia stands with her. "You mean you'll. . .?" she doesn't finish, Lucia is already in front of the mirror taming her hair. "I will leave you then. Adrian should be here any minute now."
"Sophia," she turns but doesn't seem to be able to speak. "I... what I want to say is...I'm sorry."
Sophia smiles. Lucia turns back to the mirror and Sophia decides to leave her to pack her things.
Ò Ò Ò
"So she'll come with me then?" Mr. Gibbs asks excitedly.
"Apparently so," Sophia replies quietly.
Adam and Mr. Gibbs give each other a look of relief. Mr. Willis stands satisfied with the answer and decides to continue with his plans for the day. Mrs. Willis smiles at herself knowing that her daughter will finally be led to the correct path.
"How'd she take it?" asks Adam.
Sophia shrugs not wanting to give too many details. "Baffled at first, but she has come to terms with it."
"Oh thank God," Mr. Gibbs exhales as if he could now breathe easily.
"She's a smart lady," her mother says. "I knew she would do the right thing."
Mr. Willis appears from upstairs with a confused look on his face, Sophia feels strange. "What's the matter father?"
He looks around him as he goes down the stairs searching for something. "You haven't seen my riffle, have you?"
Mrs. Willis shakes her head. "Gilda put it away after you went hunting days ago, why?"
Sophia feels nervous for an unknown reason.
"That's what I thought but I can't find it," her father replies.
Sophia feels obligated to go check up on her sister, she stands quietly. Adam, noticing her odd behavior, follows her.
"Must be in the drawing room," her mother is saying. "Sophia? Where are you going?"
Sophia's eyes are fixed upstairs. "I'm just going to go see if I can help Lucia with anything."
Her mother shrugs it off used to her daughter's kindness.
A shot is fired.
They all look up baffled by the sound coming from somewhere in the house. Sophia run's up the stairs fearing the worst, she screams her sister's name.
Mr. Willis, Adam and Mr. Gibbs rush behind her, Adam takes a hold of her arm as she's about to turn the knob of her sister's room.
"You better let your father go in first," he says.
But she doesn't hear him. She tries to get her arm free but Adam holds her back by the waist. "Lucia!" she screams in panic. "Lucia answer me!"
Her father tries opening the door but it's locked, in desperation he kicks it down.
"Lucia! Oh my God! Oh my God no!" Sophia fights Adam off and rushes behind his father, who freezes in place.
She lets out a loud fearful scream. Lucia Willis is on the floor, a puddle of blood surrounding her head, her eyes peacefully closed. Adam grabs Sophia and pulls her against his chest, Sophia cries desperately. "Why did I leave her? I should have stayed, I should have stayed!" she cries out.
Adam embraces her allowing her to vent.
Mrs. Willis kneels beside her daughter's body staining her elegant dress and caresses her cheek. "Why?" she whispers so lowly that only Sophia hears her. "Forgive me." She leans forward and gives her one last kiss on her forehead.
Ò Ò Ò
Sophia wakes up in the middle of the night, heart racing, drenched in sweat feeling nauseas.
Her sister's body was taken to the morgue hours after she was found, Sophia and Adam returned home, not a single word uttered between them. She has tried to sleep but the image of Lucia's expressionless face appears every time she closes her eyes.
She's kneeling on the floor holding a bucket tightly against her. Tears flow down her face, not wanting to wake Adam up, she cover's her face trying to muffle her cries. But Adam is already awake. In seconds he's by her side, his warm hand rubbing her back soothingly. He can't think of anything appropriate to say so he doesn't try.
"I'm sorry," Sophia whimpers.
"Hush, don't be sorry," he replies gently.
"I just can't believe she did this," she starts forcing herself to talk about it hoping that it will make the pain disappear. "I didn't know she was so unhappy. She was always so cheerful, in her own way but cheerful. She always did what she wanted and she didn't seem to care for other's opinions, was she giving us signs? Was her behavior her call for help and we just chided her instead of listening to her cries?"
"You did try to help her remember?" Adam tells her. "When she went to that nunnery, it was for her good, she simply rejected it."
"Yeah but maybe..." she lets go of the bucket and wipes the tears off her eyes. "Maybe that wasn't the way, maybe she needed something else."
"Maybe," is all Adam can reply.
"I shouldn't have left her," Sophia says again. "If I would have stayed, she wouldn't had the time to do anything. She would still be alive."
"Do not blame yourself," Adam says sternly. "She was planning it for days, how else did that rifle end up in her room? If it wasn't today, then it was going to be another day."
"But it would have been one more day for us to save her!" she shouts desperately. "Oh God, why did she do this? Why? She could've just gone with her husband and start a new life, why did she refuse to accept this second chance?"
"I don't know," Adam admits. Sophia's sobs become so intense that she could hardly breathe, Adam starts to worry. "I'll send for Dr. Harris," he says as he tries to stand.
"No, no stay with me, please," she begs as she holds his arm tightly. "I'm going to be alright..." she interrupts herself and reaches for the bucket. Adam holds her hair back as she vomits.
The image of her sister will haunt her for the rest of her life, and the feeling of failing to do more for her sister will gnaw at her for years to come, she knows it.