Blind Love

Chapter 15

Sofia got a call from Gregorio as she was parking her car in the garage. She lived in a one storey duplex with a parking space across the house. It was already dark as she made her way towards her home. Her day out with Mikhail has been rich in emotions and she wouldn't have it any other way. She could still feel the soft kiss he planted on her lips when she dropped him. Smiling from ear to ear, she was going to answer the call when she heard someone whistling at her.

She turned to see Sarah and Paul; her two elderly neighbors. They were absolute sweethearts who considered her as their daughter. Paul was an ex marine with a bald round head, clear blue eyes and a white moustache. He was about 5'8 with a stocky build. He looked scary at first glance but he was a giant teddy bear. She lived in this duplex since she was 18. An elderly woman who was a regular at the café she worked at used to rent her this place at a ridiculous price because she made her laugh. She remembered the first day she moved in. She hadn't had much belongings as she came straight from the orphanage. She was trying to carry a heavy box inside the house as she heard a deep voice behind her.

It was Paul who asked if she needed help. She instantly knew that he was safe and she nodded. She was just a frail little thing, barely into adulthood. He cracked a joke, earning her smile. He helped her move in and Sarah called them inside their home to drink some lemonade. From now on, they had been very protective of her. But today, as she looked at their worried faces, her heart missed a beat. Sarah stood next to her husband, hands over her heart. She mentioned for her to come inside. Sarah was lean with pepper-like hair and brown eyes. She was bubbly with a joyous laugh. However, her anxious eyes told Sofia that there was some serious issues. She hugged them and sat down in their living room.

"What's wrong?"
"There was a man outside your house the all day. He kept pacing outside and looking at your windows. When I went to talk to him, he ran away. Around noon, I heard a crash outside and I saw a crack on your door and the man running away again", Paul said.
"We called the cops but they said that they couldn't do anything. Paul called his friend who came to patrol a bit later in the afternoon and he also saw a man in a black hoodie walking near the parking. When he questioned him, the man left."
"Did you see his face?" Sofia asked, visibly shaken. Her face was pale, all the blood drawn away.
Paul shook his head and took her head.
"Darling, why don't you stay here tonight? We'll sleep better knowing that you are with us."

Sarah looked at her with pleading eyes.
"You already have some clothes here. We haven't done a sleepover in a long time, honey. Please stay", she asked.
Sofia nodded. She didn't know who wanted to stalk or hurt her. Was it related to Mikhail? She bit her lip as she sat down later with Paul and Sarah to eat dinner. Flora and Mikhail had warned her that her life would not be easy if Emilio knew that she was working for them.
She looked at Paul and Sarah. They did not have children as Paul became infertile after being exposed to chemicals during a mission. They had a daughter before the accident who had died due to chicken pox. They had taken her under their wings as soon as they had met Sofia and she felt guilty as she did not want them to get hurt. She laid down in bed, heart heavy in her chest.

If she was the target of someone, sje did not want this lovely elderly couple to be the collaterals. Her vibrating phone broke her trail of thoughts. She answered the call, recognizing Gregorio's deep tone.
"Hey pretty lady. How are you?"
Sofia wanted to put on a fake joyful voice but she couldn't- images of Paul and Sarah in pain broke her play.
"Hey Greg..." she whispered, forcing herself to speak through the tears blocking her voice.
"Sofia, what is it? What's wrong?"
"I'm okay. I'm sorry, Gregorio..."
"Don't lie to me. You can speak to me. I'm coming."
"No, please don't..."
"I'm on my way. Don't say no. You'll tell me what's wrong."

Half an hour later, she stepped out of the house discreetly to meet Gregorio in the parking lot. He opened his arms to hug her and she gladly stepped into his embrace. He sighed, tightening his grip around her.
"Why did you come out of your neighbour's house? Tell me what's going on."
She shivered as a cool breeze blew past them. He removed his demin jacket and placed it over her shoulders. He mentioned for her to get into his car as he understood that she did not want to go inside her house.
"Someone's stalking me", she said gazing over at her friend.
His eyes narrowed slightly and he angled his body towards hers. His plain white shirt contrasted against his darker skin tone.
"What do you mean by someone's stalking you?"
She explained everything to him and she watched as his face contorted with anger.
"Fuck! Do you know who he is?"
She shook her head, visibly shaken.

"Hey, hey... It's okay. I'm here. I'll protect you. Why don't you live with me for a while?"
"He already knows where I live. I don't want him to hurt Paul and Sarah in anger. If anything happens to them, I'll never forgive me."
"Fine then. I'll live with you for some time", he said. He shook his head as she started to protest. "I'll never forgive me if anything happens to you."
Tears swelled in her eyes and she pulled him into a hug.
"Thank you, Gregorio. You are an angel."
They made plan for Gregorio to bring his stuff tomorrow morning. He even waited for her to get inside the house to leave.
She slept with an eye opened that night, listening for every sound and movement.

Sofia woked up the next morning with a pounding headache. She made her way towards her office, pulling at her black pencil skirt. She glimpsed her reflection in a window car and cringed; the dark circles under her eyes were omnipresent on her face. She sighed. She had the conviction that the man who tried to break in her house was related to the De Luca family. Maybe Emilio heard that she was treating his brother and he wanted her dead. Flora had told her that her brother-in-law was abroad but that didn't mean that he was not spying on them. From the information she had gathered about him so far, he was quite paranoid.

Her mind was running and she continued her walk mechanically. She nearly hit the glass door of her office and she heard someone chuckled behind her.
Aline wrapped her arms around her friend.
"Hi beautiful. Why are you so distracted?"
"Hey gorgeous. It's nothing. I haven't slept very well and you know how I am", Sofia said.
Her friend did not seem to believe her but she did not press her. The rest of the day would be quite hectic as she had several patients. She sighed; at least her mind would be busy with work.