There was a time in Rio's life when he couldn't get enough of the beach. The soft grains of the sand used to feel like velvet, the sound of lapping waves used to feel like music. Taking a dip in the water used to feel like a luxury. But now, all he could feel when he looked at the ocean was misery.

He spent two years in paradise with the love of his life and now she wasn't there to share all these moments with him.

So, he focused his attention on the flock of squawking seagulls that were currently fed by an old fisherman, sitting on the edge of the fence wall that surrounded the professor's house. The cacophony of the seagull's squawks didn't threaten to unravel his emotions. They grounded him. He was grateful for that small thing.

He looked at his watch - 11.50 AM.

Paula was going to be late for school. He thought. He swung his legs off the wall and jumped, ready to look for her when he saw her stepping out from the main door. She spotted him and trotted towards him hurriedly.

"I was about to gather a search party for you ninita!" Rio admonished her, "what took you so long?"

"Don't call me ninita, I'm 10-year-old, okay?" Paula was slightly breathless, "and save your lecture, because I'm not having a good day!" she huffed.

Rio smiled at that. Lisbon's girl had the same fire that she had. Paula wouldn't stand quietly and let anyone lecture her. Rio admired that about her.

"Okay, okay! No need to take it out on me…" he let out a chuckle and gestured towards her school bag, "Let me share some of your worries, like your heavy school bag."

"Thank you!" Paula grumbled while handing her bag to him and they both started walking towards her school.

Rio looked at her from the corner of his eyes. Her eyebrows were scrunched up and she kept fidgeting with her school Id card. The one which identified her as 'Lucia Garcia'. Rio knew this without looking. He had been the one to forge her birth certificate to give her a new identity, a chance to experience normal school with kids that weren't on the run.

Paula had been so happy to know that she would attend normal school.

"Just like in Spain, mama?" she had asked Lisbon, with so much anticipation.

"Yes, just like in Spain, Bonita!" Paula had jumped up and down at Lisbon's confirmation.

Rio was barely functioning in a dilapidated cottage in one of the coastal villages of Malaysia, when one day, around 2 months after the second heist was over, he got a call on his burner phone. It was the professor, asking him to visit Bulgaria. He said he wanted to set up a security system for his house, and also create a secure communication channel for the rest of the gang to contact each other. When Rio actually reached the professor's house, he realised that it wasn't really a big task. The professor could have easily hired someone to do this, even one of the technicians from Pakistan could do it. Then both Lisbon and the Professor insisted that he live with them that day onwards. That's when he realised that his handler must've told them about Rio's mental state. This was their way of taking care of him.

He felt such a strong surge of gratitude towards them that he hugged them both tightly, much to the professor's unease.

To be honest it took time for him to settle in the Murillo-Marquina household. The first person who made him at ease was Abuela Marivi. She was such a soft, sweet person. A bit whimsical at times, but that was just her fading memory. But she was always so free with him that it made him at home. Then there was the lovely couple. It was awkward first, even funny, to see Professor and Lisbon's dynamics as a couple. She always kept him on toes, always challenging him. But he had stumbled upon some tender moments too. When they thought nobody looked, the soft gazes, the brushes of hands. It was good to see them together. Rio thought of the mastermind as a cold, calculating machine but living with him and his family under one roof gave him a different perspective of the professor. He cared very deeply and could go to any length to protect his own.

But his most favourite person in the house was Paula! She was like a sister he never had. He remembered how hesitant she was to talk to her initially. But one day, while she was playing an online game and ads kept popping on her device, Rio had approached her from behind and told her he could make the ads go away. She had given him a sceptical look while handing over her tab, and a few minutes later, when he kept his promise to her, He had become her Hero. Initially she kept coming to him for technical assistance. Then she started calling him for a walk on the beach with Abuela. Gradually they had warmed up to each other and Rio became her confidant. From all the silly jokes, to any trouble she found herself in, she used to share everything with him.

And when the Local school started with the new term, she had confided to him how she hated home-schooling and longed to go back to a school with lots of kids.

It was Rio who convinced Lisbon and the Professor, and with great reluctance they had agreed to it. They had to change Paula's identity, and it was an effort to get her backstory straight. But Paula was a smart kid.

Rio thought back to her first day of school. He had been the one insisting to drop her off. She had been so excited and chatted all the way to the school.

She wasn't so chatty today. So, he decided to break the silence.

"So, how's your self-defence class going?" he asked casually.

"Okay-ish" she answered listlessly.

"And is your maths teacher still causing trouble for you?" He saw a frown forming on her face at that.

"I don't think she will ever stop. I don't like maths!"

The fidgeting with the id card had increased by now and Rio looked at her eyes. She seemed troubled, and this had nothing to do with her maths teacher. He turned abruptly and stood in front of her, grabbing her arm to steady her as she lost her footing at his sudden halt.

"Do you want to tell me what is reaaaaaaally bothering you?" He said gently with a searching gaze.

"I… I don't know whether I should tell this to you…" She hesitated, "You are Sergio's friends, no?" He narrowed his eyes and she backtracked, "I mean you are my friend too, but he's kind of your boss, right?" she asked hesitantly.

"More like a Mentor, yeah." He said with a shrug, "But I assure you that doesn't mean I think of our friendship as anything less." Sensing her apprehension, he added, "You can open up to me, Ninita! I'm here to help!"

"Ithinksergiohitmymom!" she spat out in one breath, leaving Rio stunned for a moment.

"What?" He asked incredulously, rubbing the two days old stubble on his chin.

"I – think – Sergio – hit - my - mom." She punctuated each word with a pause, like he was a pre-schooler.

"I heard you the first time." He said, "I just can't believe it!"

"I knew you wouldn't believe it! That's why I didn't want to tell you." She was upset now.

"No, no no no no no no… you are not getting it", Rio said hurriedly, "I'm not ...look. If you are telling the truth, I'll be the first one to punch him, followed by the rest of the gang. But, I – "he let out a frustrated sigh, "I just can't believe he would stoop so low."

"I know! I thought so too!" Cried Paula, "He's so nice, you know, always! And he lets me do everything, always, even if he has to argue with mama for me. And I didn't think he would do this. But the evidence is so clear…"

"What evidence?" Rio stopped Paula's rant. This very well might be a child's misperception. Oh god, let it be that only! Rio prayed furiously.

Paula gulped and took a deep breath, increasing Rio's anticipation, "Mama came to my room yesterday. It was very dark; I don't know what time it was. She came and slept beside me, hugging me. She thought I was sleeping and I initially was. But then she was making such strange noises you know- like not snoring, but more like sniffing... and choking – and I was about to tell her not to make those weird noises, that she's not letting me sleep as well – but then… Then I felt something wet on my neck." Paula paused a bit, looking for Rio's reaction, "Rio, I think she was crying."

Rio let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding and said, "Ok. That's good" And looking at Paula's displeasure immediately added, "I mean it's a bad thing that she cried, but it doesn't prove she was being hit, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but why was she crying in the middle of night?" Paula scrunched up her nose and pursed her lips, "This hasn't happened in years!"

"Meaning it used to happen before?" He asked carefully.

"Yes, all the time!" Paula exclaimed, "When mama and papa were together, she used to come to my bed almost every other day, making those strange noises and my neck used to be wet. I remember that much." Another deep breath. "Years later I told this to Abuela and she told me my papa used to hit her."

She looked so sad in that moment that Rio immediately pulled her in a bear hug.

"Hey, Paulita. Don't worry." He rubbed his chin on her little head, trying to soothe her. "Your mother is a strong woman. And the Professor is not a bad man. I'm sure you misunderstood the situation."

"How can you be so sure he didn't hurt her?" She asked testily.

"I'm 99.9 percent sure he didn't hit her. But I'm also 100 percent sure he hurt her." Said Rio, crouching down to come eye to eye with Paula.

"What does that mean?" she frowned in confusion.

How do you tell a 10-year-old that there are a lot of ways to hurt a person, the most effective one is emotional hurt? Betrayal of trust? Physical wounds are easy to deal with. But how to treat emotional damage?

Rio wasn't well versed with child psychology. Hell, he wasn't even a parent. But he didn't want to lie to her.

So, he simply said, "Love can sometimes hurt, Nina! It hurts more than physical beating!" He thought back to the time when he briefly broke up with Tokyo, in the bank of Spain. How much it had affected her.

"Well love sucks then!" She said fretfully and Rio let out a chuckle.

He took her hand in his and resolutely told her, "I promise to you Ninita, that I will do everything in my power to make it alright between them."

She peered at his face and asked hopefully, "Do you think they will be alright?" then, after a pause, added, "Because I love Sergio!"

Rio smiled at her, "I think they will be okay. But you need to be patient."

He started walking towards the school then, Paula fell back into his steps.

"I can be patient. But their fight should end before Friday."

"What's on Friday?"

"Nothing. Sergio promised to take me fishing on Saturday, and I soooo wanna go-" Paula started saying, but then noticed Rio's amusement, "Don't laugh at me! I'm still mad at him for hurting mama. And I'm learning self-defence too. I can take care of my mama-"

"Oooohhh. Nina's acting like a fighter?" Rio cooed and immediately got jabbed in the stomach.

"Stop calling me Nina! Or I'll practise my moves on you first" she said sternly but there was laughter in her eyes.

"Ninaaa…" Rio called out sweetly and ran out of her range as she chased after him.