The Coffee Spill |Demi Lovato|

Chapter 20

Written 2015
Revised March 2021

*Demi's POV*
Just like all great things, this too had to come to an end. Ellie informed me on the deal she made with Marissa in order for our getaway to happen. Marissa and Ellie swapped shifts. Marissa worked Ellie's evening shift yesterday and today in exchange for Ellie working Marissa's morning shift tomorrow. As long as I've known Marissa, she has never a morning person. The few times she went on tour with me, she would wake up as my sound check was starting. But then again, we were partying almost every night on tour after the show.

The rest of our evening was relaxing. We spent most of it outside swimming and tanning. Ellie had planned for us to roast marshmallows and watch the sunset last night, but with everything going on last night, we didn't get to. I told her it was not a big deal, but she insisted we make s'mores today before we left. So we did. At 11:00am. But I had no objection. We headed back for Los Angeles after lunch. I didn't want to leave. I enjoyed the privacy. No paparazzi. No neighbors. No anything. Just Ellie and I.

Ellie dropped me off at my apartment when we returned to LA. I made sure she was okay to be home alone. I hated that we opened up wounds from her past that she was trying so hard to heal. She promised she would call me if she felt the need to. Trusting her, I knew she would call me if she needed me. She gave me a long hug goodbye and a kiss before backing out of my driveway. I unlock my front door, setting my purse down on my entryway table, placing my luggage bag under it. I walk to my studio, sitting down in front of my computer. I open my search browser. I sit in front of it, starring at the neon letters, contemplating what I should do. Against my better judgement, I search Isabella and her adoptive parents. Search results after search results yielded nothing I was looking for. I lean back in my chair, frustrated. There is no record of these people on the internet. It's like they dropped off the face of the earth. A knock at my door breaks me out of my thoughts.

"Hey." I greet Marissa while opening the door.

"Hey." She says, walking in.

"How was your trip?" She asks with a smirk.

"It was nice. Good to get away from the chaos of LA." I say, closing the door behind her. I follow her to the family room, taking a seat on the couch across from her.

"I bet the sex was great. Be as loud as you want, not having to worry about neighbors hearing you for acres." She says devilishly.

I look down, laughing nervously. "Y-yeah, it was great." I answer, hoping she won't continue the conversation further.

"Uh-oh. Have you guys still not had sex?" She asks, just above a whisper.

I'm an expert at lying. I hid my addiction for years, showed up to set high, even snuck a water bottle full of vodka on a plane. But Marissa, she is the one person I always struggle to lie to. Whatever it is, she can always see right through me.
I shake my head no. Sex isn't the only thing about a relationship. There is so much more to loving someone. Wait, did I just say love? "No. We haven't yet." I answer.

"I had a feeling something was off. I just saw Ellie and she did not look-" I cut Marissa off.

"You saw Ellie?" She nods. "How was she?" I ask. "Truthfully, she looked a little down." Marissa admits. I sink into my seat. I had a feeling Ellie was still uneasy about the conversation. I take a deep breath. I hope Ellie doesn't kill me. I tell Marissa about Isabella. I leave out the rape, only telling her that Ellie gave her up for adoption. And that I'm trying to locate her.

"You're what?" She asks, shocked. Okay, I might be a little out of my mind. I'm trying to track down the daughter of my girlfriend who I've only been dating for just under a month. I definitely take the stereotype 'U-haul lesbian' to the next level. "Have you had any luck tracking her?" She asks. I shake my head no. "Why don't you call my brother?" She asks. I completely forgot her brother is a private investigator. She pulls out her phone. On the second ring her brother, Andrew picks up.

-1 week later-

*Demi's POV*
Marissa's brother Andrew flew in from Texas today to help us locate Isabella. I have yet to tell Ellie. Just in case we don't find anything. Marissa agrees to keep the secret. Without pushing too hard, Ellie was able to give me a little more information about who the Rodriguez' family is, and their last known address. It wasn't much, but hopefully Andrew can work with it. He is sitting at the kitchen island, typing away on his laptop. Marissa and I are standing next to him, trying to follow along.

"Alright, I found some information. But it doesn't look good." He informs us. What does he mean it doesn't look good? He turns the brightness up on his computer screen. "Okay, here we go. Isabella Rodriguez. Age 3. Born in Los Angeles, California. Birth mom, Eleanor Welch. Father Dean Carter." He reads off the screen. A smile creeps upon my lips. We found her. We actually found her. "According to this paperwork, Maria lives in Florida, but Isabella was sent to a foster home after she turned 22 months old." He says, scrolling down. That must be why Ellie stopped hearing from them. She received one final photo before Isabella was taken from their custody.

"So who has her? Are they taking good care of her?" I ask, curiously.

"I can look into it, but if she was adopted after being sent to foster care, I don't think I can access those records." He informs us. I sigh, trying to mentally prepare myself for the worst. I might have just gotten my hopes up. We decide to call it a night. Andrew agreed to let me know if he finds out anything new. Stressed about the unwelcoming news about Isabella, I decide to take a bath. I fill the tub with lavender bath salts, letting the warm water fill the tub. I dim the lights and light a few candles. When the tub is full enough, I turn the water off. I take my bathroom off, hanging it on the wall hook before getting in the tub, sinking down in bliss.