The air between them felt slightly heavier now, but not in a bad way.
It was more like the weight of sothing important, sothing that had been waiting to be said for a long ti.
Hugo could feel it in the way Loli’s fingers slightly tensed in his hand, the way her gaze flickered between his eyes and the ice beneath their feet.
He had been thinking about this for a while now, ever since she accidentally let slip that she had been in therapy.
It wasn’t sothing casual, not sothing people just ntioned without weight behind it. Hugo knew that much.
And while he didn’t want to push her, didn’t want to make her relive sothing painful, he also knew that if she had trusted him enough to let that piece of information slip, then maybe—just maybe—she wanted to tell him.
Maybe she just didn’t know how?
It certainly wasn’t that he was being nosy! It wasn’t that at all!
So, as they glided across the ice—well, more like Hugo effortlessly skated while Loli held onto him for dear life—he finally spoke.
His voice was softer than usual, no teasing, no playful arrogance.
"Loli… I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier." He kept his eyes on her, watching for any sign that she didn’t want to go there.
But she didn’t pull away, didn’t deflect. She just looked at him, waiting.
So he continued, "About the therapy. I won’t ask if you don’t want to tell , but I want to know. I want to understand you."
Loli sucked in a breath, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to say sothing, but no words ca out at first.
Instead, she just looked at him, really looked at him, as if deciding whether or not to take the leap. And then, finally, she spoke.
"It happened when I was fourteen." Her voice was steady, but there was a quiet storm beneath it. A storm of things she had buried, locked away.
"I was living with my stepfather and his sons at the ti. He had always been… kind to . Treated like I was really his daughter, you know? I trusted him."
Her grip on Hugo’s hand tightened just slightly. "But his sons… they weren’t like him."
Oh oh...
Hugo’s stomach twisted, and suddenly, he felt a rage bubbling deep inside him. He didn’t know where this story was going yet, but he already knew he wasn’t going to like it.
He had already seen the damn puzzle of secrets!
"They were older than . Two were eighteen, the other twenty. At first, it was just little things, things I tried to ignore. The way they looked at .
"The way they stood too close when no one else was around. The way they would joke about things that didn’t feel like jokes."
She let out a slow breath, as if she was steadying herself. "Then one night… they decided they didn’t want to joke anymore."
Hugo’s jaw clenched so hard it hurt. He didn’t say anything—didn’t dare to—because if he did, he knew his anger would spill out, and right now, this wasn’t about him.
This was about her.
Loli’s eyes darkened slightly, like she was no longer here but back in that night, reliving it.
"They cornered in my room. Told it was ti to ’welco’ into the family properly."
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Her voice was flat, but her fingers gripped Hugo like he was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.
"I fought. I kicked. I scread. But they were bigger, stronger. I thought… I thought that was it for ."
She swallowed hard, her throat bobbing. "And then, right when I thought it was over, the door slamd open."
Hugo exhaled, realizing he had been holding his breath.
"It was my stepfather." A humorless, almost bitter smile tugged at her lips.
"He lost it. I an really lost it. I’ve never seen him that angry before or after that night. He threw them off , beat them all within an inch of their lives.
"I think he would’ve actually killed them if I hadn’t scread at him to stop." She let out a dry chuckle, but it lacked any real humor.
Hugo’s hands curled into fists, his body trembling with the effort of keeping himself still.
She was only fourteen for God’s sake!
Those jerks!
The thought of anyone putting their hands on her like that, of her being terrified, helpless, it made sothing primal and furious rise inside of him.
"My stepfather threw them out that night. Sent them to their moms. Told them if they ever ca near again, he’d finish what he started."
Her eyes softened a little, as if rembering the man who had saved her. "But the damage was already done. I couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t eat. Every ti I closed my eyes, I felt them there.
"I started shutting down, avoiding everyone, flinching at every touch. That’s when my stepfather made go to therapy. He didn’t force , just… said he thought it would help. And it did. Eventually."
Silence settled between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was heavy, filled with everything she had just shared, everything she had survived.
And Hugo… Hugo had never admired anyone more in his life.
"You’re strong, Loli." His voice was firm, leaving no room for argunt. "Stronger than anyone I know."
Cough! Cough!
Loli let out a small, shaky laugh. "I don’t feel strong."
"Then you’re an idiot." Hugo’s tone was light, teasing, but there was an undeniable truth beneath his words.
"You went through hell and ca out standing. That’s strength."
Loli blinked at him, as if surprised by his certainty. Then, before he could say anything else, she grabbed his face and kissed him.
It wasn’t hurried, wasn’t desperate—it was soft, slow, filled with sothing deeper than just attraction.
It was gratitude, trust, maybe even sothing more. And Hugo… Hugo loved every second of it.
When she pulled back, her cheeks were tinged pink, but she didn’t look away. She held his gaze, her eyes searching his. "Thank you," she whispered.
Hugo smirked, ever the shaless flirt. "For what? Being devastatingly handso?"
Loli rolled her eyes but laughed anyway. And just like that, the heaviness in the air lifted.
Hugo finally knew what Loli’s secret was!
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Lesson: Therapy helps...
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