Ink Between Us

Is he D?

Sierra lost track of time, sinking deeper into the whirlwind of emotions brought on by the letters. Days blurred together as she read and reread those pages, searching for answers that seemed to be slipping through her fingers.

The inked words whispered stories of a love that felt as though it had been snatched away before it could flourish, and with each letter, the mystery around D—and her father—only deepened. 

How well did I really know him? The thought looped endlessly.

One night, surrounded by letters and fragments of old memories, Sierra decided she couldn't carry this weight alone. Maybe her siblings could help her piece things together.

"Hey, Nena, I found something... weird," Sierra began, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Serena barely looked up. "Weird how?"

"Our dad had these old love letters hidden in his office. There's this woman named Sophia—kind of funny, huh?"

Serena mumbled: "What, like old girlfriend letters or something?"

"I think so... but they're strange. There's this guy, D, and he was worried about her. She took this sketchy job, and then she kind of... disappeared."

Serena flicked her gaze toward Sierra, but it was brief. "Okay... and?"

"And it's... not just normal breakup stuff," Sierra insisted, feeling frustration bubble in her chest. "It's like something really bad happened. I thought you'd find it interesting."

Serena shrugged. "I mean, it's cool, but it's probably just some old drama, right? Maybe Dad just didn't want Mom to know about her."

Sierra chewed on her lip, unsatisfied with her sister's indifference. "What if there's more to it, though? What if it's—"

"If it's a big deal, you'll figure it out." Serena smiled briefly, then returned to her phone.

Sierra sighed and stood, her excitement fizzling.

Later, she tried her brother, Sam, hoping he'd be more interested. But he was knee-deep in a new game, headset on, fingers flying across the controller.

"Hey, Sammy," she started, leaning against his doorframe.

"Yeah?" He didn't look up.

"Do you have, like... a minute? I found something in Dad's office."

Sam hit pause, but only for a second. "Okay, and?"

"There's a woman named Sophia, and this guy, D. Dad kept their letters hidden. It's... I don't know, weird."

Sam half-turned toward her, raising an eyebrow. "So... what? Dad had a fling before Mom? Wow, I'm shocked - he said ironically. It's just old people stuff, doesn't sound like a conspiracy or anything."

Sierra shook her head, exasperated. "You two are no help."

"Just don't go crazy over it," Sam said with a smirk, before diving back into his game.

Annoyed, Sierra left her brother's room, feeling dismissed. She had thought her siblings might share her curiosity, but clearly, they didn't see the significance.

As a few days passed by, at dinner, she casually tested the waters again. 

"So... about the letters in Dad's office," she said, swirling her spoon in her soup. 

Serena raised an eyebrow. "Sis, what was Dad doing with love letters? That man could barely manage a grocery list." 

Sam, sitting across from Sierra with a lazy grin, chuckled.