The Last We Fell

18. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔏𝔞𝔰𝔱 𝔏𝔦𝔢

"Ah, look who's visiting us outside of her shift." Leo greeted as I walked into the café. He was sitting in his usual corner table, reading a book. "Finally remember your old man?"

"Don't be melodramatic." I hugged him and sat down, looking to see if Em was here yet. 

"Waiting for someone?" He folded the corner of the page, putting away the book.

"Yep." I picked it up to see what's tickling his fancy lately. "How have you been? You're taking good care of your health aren't you?"

He waved away my concerns. "You worry too much, kid. What's going on with you?"

I looked around for Sam to come rescue me from getting interrogated but he wasn't around. I sighed and turned to Leo. "Everything's fine. I'm just going to have a little chat with my dear old sister."

He frowned immediately. Knowing the kind of rocky relationship I had with my family, he must sense that there's something else at the bottom of it. Thankfully Em walked in just then and spotted me. I squeezed his hand reassuringly and led her to one of the secluded tables at the corner of the shop. Emilia sat opposite me and put aside her purse. We ordered and waited in silence: me, trying to refresh my mind and take into account all I knew and all I'd like to ask, and her, only God knows what she might be thinking, but I can tell it isn't good.

"Thank you, Sam." I smiled at him. He set our drinks and squeezed my shoulder in support. My chamomile latte had better work miracles because I'll be needing all the calm in the world for this.

"You went into my bedroom and through my stuff." I don't know if it was meant to be a question or a simple statement of fact. At least she didn't waste any time to get to it. Her face and voice were hard to read beyond the obvious stress and anger coming off her in waves. "You had no right to do that!"

"You are right." There is no point in denying what I did. I had no right to go through her stuff but I believed I had a good reason. The documents I happened upon were enough proof that I was justified in my suspicion, and it would be dumb to let her bully me into submission like a child. "We can't change the fact that it happened, but we can change what it could imply."

Her grip tightened on her mug. Emilia had always had things go her way and now that she can hardly turn this around, she was scrambling for ideas to diminish the importance of the matter, or better yet, sweep it under the rug. "Return what you have taken and stay out of my business Lilianne."

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she did not come here to admit, explain, or even show a hint of remorse. Perhaps my downfall has always been believing the best in the good of people, especially those closest to me. "You know, for someone in the wrong, I thought you asked me here to redeem yourself. Hell, even to make up excuses and tell me that it's not as it seems."

She scoffed. "I like you better when meekly minding your own affairs and not sticking your nose into matters much bigger than you. You were very intentional, knowing exactly what you were looking for. Who sent you?"

Ignoring her ridiculous provocations had always served me well. "As for who, that's for me to know. And why? You can say I'm still a bit of a fool at heart. I believed that however horrible you may be, you'd at least never do something so criminal."

Her irritation rose the more we dragged this out. "Don't play games with me, Lilianne! Do you know how serious this is? Do you have any idea what it means for me, for-

"Oh I know." I cut her off. "I know it alright and I had hope you'd come here today to tell me otherwise. To explain why on earth you'd risk your career, your record and reputation, your very person to fake that report. Were you bribed to do it? Blackmailed?"