“This room is filled with a strong scent. While most people wouldn’t be able to identify it at the get-go, I know what that is. It’s an ointment for bruises.”
Elspeth knew that the truth behind Tina being covered with countless bruises and that she was going out of her way to avoid exposure would be revealed soon enough.
“Miss Fowler, I’ll keep it a secret. I won’t tell anyone.” Elspeth promised in a gentle tone. “Believe me, Tina, alright?”
Tina’s eyes reddened upon hearing Elspeth’s reassurances, making her look like a porcelain doll close to shattering.
“Don’t cry. Tell me. I’ll help you.”
Tina took in a deep breath before slowly recounting her story, “My mom divorced my dad and remarried Alex Fowler a few years later when I was four.”
Elspeth listened attentively to Tina, but she could already guess what had happened in her mind.
“Unfortunately, Alex showed his true colors just a couple of years later and started abusing me. He would beat me up whenever my mom wasn’t around. My mom really liked him. So, despite all the violence he had hurled at me, I kept my silence. I kept it a secret and didn’t even tell Spencer. Alex’s abuse worsened because of my lack of reaction.”
Tears rolled off Tina’s cheeks as she told her tale. It was agonizing to bare her story to another after keeping it a secret for so many heartrending years.
“Then, the heliophobia…”
Pain flashed across Tina’s eyes as she muttered bitterly, “I don’t have heliophobia. I just didn’t want to see people. The beating was frequent, and I was constantly covered with bruises. I was afraid people might notice. So, I came up with an excuse to avoid ever leaving.”
Only Spencer, her childhood friend, didn’t distance himself from her and often came over to accompany her.
“Why didn’t you fight back?”
Elspeth couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Why would Tina be willing to suffer the beating for such a long time?
“I’ll tell you only because your eyes were… It was filled with such strength despite being gentle. You make me feel safe. But you’re also a young girl. You may be able to treat me, but it’s probably impossible for you to save me from this hell.”
Tina knew very well that her mother liked Alex. She didn’t have the heart to destroy her mother’s dream.
“My mom likes him. I don’t want to disappoint her.”
Elspeth listened to her, and her gaze turned sharp at that comment. “How do you know that your mom wouldn’t feel disappointed instead? You saw how she looked at you just now. Do you really think this is good for her? Her daughter suffering in silence for her happiness? Any mother would be miserable if they knew what you’ve hidden. You should talk to her about this. Maybe the happiness you thought was right for her was only a façade.”
Tina opened her mouth to defend herself, but no words came to mind. She couldn’t find the words to refute Elspeth’s remarks.
Elspeth gazed right into Tina’s frightened eyes, then turned to walk out of the room where she saw Spencer and Mrs. Fowler. Then, she asked Mrs. Fowler, “Mrs. Fowler, please come in.”
Just when she was about to leave, she glanced at Spencer. “You too.”
Spencer nodded and hastily followed her in.
“Mrs. Fowler, Tina isn’t sick.”
Mrs. Fowler was in disbelief, “How is that possible?”
“You’ll understand when you see the wounds on her body.”
Mrs. Fowler gingerly moved forward and lifted Tina’s long-sleeved shirt and long pants. Sure enough, all sorts of wounds covered her body. Some looked like knife cuts, whip lashes, and even pinch marks…
It was a scary sight to behold, and Mrs. Fowler immediately burst into tears when she saw all the wounds covering her baby daughter’s body.
“Your husband, Alex Fowler, abused her. That’s why she pretended to be sick because she didn’t want to see people.”
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