"Our father... he was a drunk," Helene began, her voice cracking slightly under the weight of emotions pressing against her chest.
Caleb didn't need her to say more—after that first line, he could already guess it was the sa story as in his past life.
But he didn't interrupt. He knew better. She needed to let this out, and the best thing he could do was listen.
If there was one thing he'd learned after years of working as a custor service agent, it was this: when soone is emotional, they don't need advice right away—they need to vent. Letting them pour out their frustration always worked best.
And Caleb? He was good at listening. He could gather valuable information during monts like these... and maybe, just maybe, find the perfect solution to their problem.
It was a skill honed from his daily work in his previous tiline.
So he sat quietly, giving her the space to continue.
"It's always said that alcohol heals the heart..." Helene's lips trembled as she spoke, her gaze distant. "But Steve never got to confirm that—not until our mother died... And I guess that was when everything changed."
The mories ca rushing back as she continued.
For Steve Garcia, losing his wife was like losing the world itself.
After that day, everything about him shifted. He drowned himself in liquor night after night until the man they once knew ceased to exist.
He began leaving the house late, abandoning his two young daughters in a cold, empty ho.
Sophia, the older one, stepped up to take care of her little sister.
Their father had beco completely useless. Drinking was all he knew, living the sa cycle over and over.
Yet, despite everything, the two girls still loved him. They clung to the hope that soday, he'd return to the man he used to be before their mother's death.
But Steve never ca ho at night. The girls were left to fend for themselves. Sophia took up a side job, and even then, life was barely manageable—every day felt like survival, and everything they earned went from hand to mouth.
Without their father, reality hit hard.
"We still loved him despite everything... We believed all he needed was ti. But here's the thing: when soone dives into a life they aren't built for, disaster always follows," Helene said, her voice catching in her throat.
"One night, he ca back ho. We were happy—we thought he was beginning to recover. But when we saw how he staggered inside, reeking of alcohol so strong it clung to him like a long-lost friend... Sophia warned sothing was wrong."
Her voice dripped with bitterness as she spoke, her expression distant, as though reliving that mont.
"'Sophy, you said I shouldn't et Dad? But this is the first ti in a month he's co ho!' I rember pouting when my sister dragged back into our room so we could give him space."
"Helene… Dad's still drunk. We'll greet him in the morning," Sophia said gently, trying to calm my excitent.
She didn't argue anymore. She just laid my head on the pillow reluctantly, while Sophie held close until I drifted off.
But it didn't take long before my eyes snapped open.
She could hear Sophia's soft but steady snoring beside .
The poor girl must've been exhausted... Working multiple shifts at her age couldn't have been easy for anyone.
She was out the mont her head hit the pillow, lost in a deep, heavy sleep.
"Hehehe… I'll et Daddy! I'm sure he brought sothing back for us!" She whispered with a grin, carefully slipping out of Sophia's embrace.
This was how she always tricked whenever Dad ca ho with goodies.
Since he worked late, he'd usually co back around bedti. Sophia would tuck in and then wake up earlier than to snatch the surprise first!
"Your trick won't work this ti!" Little Helene giggled mischievously, tiptoeing toward the door like a tiny villain in the making.
She gently pulled it shut behind her, making sure not to wake Sophia.
And then—she ran. Bare feet padding softly against the cold floor as she darted straight to the door opposite theirs.
Her tiny hand reached for the knob, heart pounding with excitent.
It only took a twist of the knob, and the door creaked open.
"Daddy?" Her small voice was barely louder than a whisper, laced with excitent.
The room slled strange—sharp, bitter, and heavy. A stench that made her tiny nose wrinkle in discomfort.
The light from the hallway spilled in, landing on the man slumped at the edge of the bed.
"Daddy…" she called again, stepping closer.
His head lifted slowly, heavy and sluggish, like a puppet pulled by broken strings. His bloodshot eyes glimred faintly in the dark, unfocused yet eerily fixed on her.
"Sandra?…" His voice slurred, dripping with sothing that made her heart skip.
For a second, fear pricked at the edges of her mind—but she shoved it away. He was her father. This was Daddy. He would never hurt her.
"No dad! It's Helene" she replied with a pout, displeased that her father had forgotten her own face. But she didn't let it linger much.
"You ca back!" she said with an excited giggle as she ran towards the old man.
"Did you bring us—"
Her words shattered when his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
Helene froze.
"D-Daddy?" Her voice cracked, her small body stiff as his grip tightened like iron around her delicate wrist.
He pulled her closer—too close. The sll of liquor hit her full force, making her stomach churn.
"Sandra... Sandra, y-you left ?... You're back! Co let's have fun... next ti you won't leave I promise." he mumbled, his hot breath washing over her face. His other hand reached for her cheek, rough and trembling.
Helene's smile vanished. Terror spread like wildfire in her chest.
"Daddy… you're scarring ," she whimpered, trying to pull away.
But he didn't stop.
His fingers slid from her cheek to her neck, then lower—
He pushed her to the bed....
"You're trying to resist now?" Steve asked with a voice filled with anger and annoyance.
"NO!" Her scream pierced the silence, loud enough to shake the walls.
She thrashed, kicking and twisting with all the strength her tiny body could muster. Tears blurred her vision as panic clawed up her throat like fire.
The sound of rushing footsteps thundered down the hall.
"HELENE!" Sophia's voice, sharp and panicked.
Then—impact. Sophia slamd into him with a strength Helene never knew her sister had.
The world beca chaos—shouting, screaming, the crash of a bottle shattering against the floor.
"RUN, HELENE!"
Her legs moved before her mind could. She bolted, tears streaming down her face, heart hamring so hard it felt like it would break her ribs.
Behind her, she heard Sophia yelling, struggling, her voice cracking with rage and fear.
That night, everything shattered.
Their father… the man they loved… had turned into sothing else. Sothing monstrous.
Helene never forgot the feel of his hands on her, the weight of his body when he pulled her close.
From that day on, she swore she would never let any man touch her again.
Until Caleb.
Whenever she saw n, a sense of insecurity and fear clung to her like a plague.
She never showed it outright—yes, she interacted with n. She talked to plenty, in fact.
After all, they lived in the sa world as her; avoiding every man was impossible.
But deep down, that fear and unease were always there, tangled with a faint thread of disgust.
Caleb, however… was different.
There was sothing about him—a quiet charm that drew her in, breaking through the walls she thought were unshakable.
Around him, she felt… safe.
Almost as if she could tell him everything.
After pouring out her story, Helene wiped her tears with trembling hands, erasing every trace of them as if she had never cried in the first place.
Caleb sat there, silent. He didn't know what to say. He had already heard the sa story from Sophia once before, and it stirred sothing deep inside him—a mix of anger and pity.
'One trauma… two paths,' Caleb thought grimly. 'One beca timid and withdrawn. The other hardened herself into steel.'
"I'm really sorry about that…" he said softly.
"No, you shouldn't be," Helene interrupted, shaking her head quickly. "I shouldn't shove everyone away because of that… Uhm, I just… I think you're different."
Her voice faltered, and color rushed to her cheeks.
Then, as if realizing what she'd said, she quickly shifted the topic.
"So… what did you co here to ask ?" she asked, her tone a little too hurried.
"Well," Caleb leaned back slightly, his green eyes fixed on her, "I just wanted to know… did you and your sister have any other plans before eting and Naya? And why exactly did you both approach us?"
Helene's eyes widened. The question struck like lightning, freezing her in place.
The words caught in her throat.
'What do I tell him?'
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