The plot

******

The server this time placed two more shots for Phoebe and Ana while Sonia was staring at them from the far end of the bar.

"Forgive me! I have to do this if I want Mom and Dad to be safe and alive," Sonia muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible over the noise of the bar. Her eyes were fixed on the two friends laughing and clinking their glasses together.

Phoebe felt a wave of relief wash over her when she learned Ana was not going to hate her, something she had feared the most.

"I was so scared you were going to hate me, just like Jackson did," Phoebe said, her voice trembling slightly. She took a deep breath and looked Ana in the eyes, searching for any hint of lingering resentment. "I know what I did was terrible, and I’ve been beating myself up over it ever since. Jackson’s reaction was so harsh, and it broke me. The thought of losing you the same way... it’s been eating me alive."

"Because I don't like Jackson or think of him in a romantic way, it's not a bi