The air inside the small house felt heavy.
Dust floated in the thin ray of sunlight that slipped through the broken curtains. Lucy stood behind her mother, her small fingers gripping the edge of Clara's dress as if letting go would mean losing everything.
Clara's shoulders trembled. Her eyes were red, voice hoarse from crying.
"I ran away… because I was thinking of killing him," she confessed, staring at the floor. "And when I heard he was already dead… I thought it was my fault."
Silence swallowed the room.
Julian shifted uncomfortably, his expression darkening. Wendy lowered her gaze, her chest tightening at the woman's words.
Sebastian took a step forward, his voice steady.
"That's not your fault."
Clara slowly lifted her head, confusion flickering in her tear-filled eyes.
Sebastian continued, "But tell me… did he abuse you?"
For a moment, Clara said nothing. Then she nodded.
"He hit me… many times."Her voice cracked.
"And… he wanted to sell our daughter to a brothel."
Wendy gasped softly. Julian closed his eyes and exhaled, his jaw tightening.
"What kind of father would do that…" he muttered.
Lucy pressed her face into her mother's back, hiding from the strangers in the room.
Sebastian's expression hardened, a faint shadow crossing his eyes. He looked at the child, then back at Clara.
"No one is taking your daughter," he said quietly. "Not anymore."
Clara's lips trembled.
"But I still thought about killing him," she whispered. "Even before he died… I wished for it. Doesn't that make me a terrible person?"
Wendy stepped forward gently, her voice warm but firm.
"Thinking about something and actually doing it are two different things," she said. "You were desperate. You were trying to protect your child."
Clara's composure finally broke. Tears streamed down her face as she pulled Lucy into a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"
Lucy hugged her back without saying a word.
Julian watched the scene quietly. For once, he didn't make a joke. His usual carefree expression was gone, replaced by something softer, something almost pained.
Sebastian turned his gaze toward the window, eyes distant.
In a world like this, monsters didn't always look like monsters.
Sometimes, they were fathers.
And sometimes… justice arrived too late.