It was the first time I had directly witnessed infidelity. Moreover, it was between my father and my friend’s mother.

“Ro, Roger.”

“…….”

Mrs. Bacchus called out Roger’s name. The hand of Roger, who had lost his strength, slipped from my grasp and fell down.

My legs wobbled along with Roger’s face, which had turned pale.

It was more frightening to see my father’s actions surpass my imagination than the feeling of betrayal. That man was no longer my father.

A demon in my father’s guise.

“Kids, kids. Don’t misunderstand. The wife and I just tripped… Yes, we tripped! That’s when you guys came in, so this is……”

“…….”

“…….”

Roger glared at my father in response to his excuses.

“Roger, Lise. You trust us, right? We would never do what you guys are thinking……!”

“Shut up!”

Roger’s voice turned icy at the offensive words. My father shifted his gaze to me.

“Lise, it looks like Roger is a bit agitated. You’re a wise child, so you’ll understand this is a misunderstanding, right? So, explain to Roger……”

“I heard both of you talking from outside. I heard everything, that’s why I checked inside.”

A heavy silence fell upon the room. As I sank down on the spot, overwhelmed, the previously motionless Mrs. Bacchus climbed down from the bed.

“Kids, kids.”

She too seemed to have lost her strength, swaying. When Mrs. Bacchus staggered once, Roger’s eyes opened wide.

Thankfully, Mrs. Bacchus did not fall. Instead, her gaze met Roger’s.

“Uh….”

Roger, who had been holding on until the end, finally broke down. A stifled groan painfully escaped from his sobbing lips. From his throat to his teeth, the sound that struggled to get out was both desperate and cruel.

“Uh… Uhaaa….”

Roger did not cry out loud. What was gripping him tightly could not be determined, but Roger was enduring.
Roger didn’t scream. He was holding back, though what restrained him was unclear.

Our shared anguish doubled. My vision blurred as I bit my lip. I wanted to expel the things that tormented me, but I was choked up inside.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry… You’re misunderstanding. Really! I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I’ll explain everything. So calm down for a moment, okay?”

My father bent his knees and took my hand. His desperate eyes cruelly followed mine.

When I avoided him, he came closer; when I closed my eyes, he pleaded with a sob. “Please open your eyes and listen to me,” he said.

As I blocked my ears, my father forcefully grabbed my cheeks. My face turned towards him without resistance.

“No, no, Lise! Why, why won’t you listen? Huh?”

“…I hate it, I hate it!”

My father’s face twisted. Denying reality, his eyes fluttered frighteningly as he looked for an escape.

“…Could this also be Isabel’s doing? Right? Did Isabel send you all here? I don’t know what you’ve heard from Isabel, but this is all a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!”

“…”

“You know too, right, Lise? She resents me. She’s plotting all this to take even the custody of the Marsen family! So say something… Wait, are you on her side too, Lise? Did you drag Roger in as a witness because you already know everything?”

My father’s tone grew louder as I only cried.

“This is all a scheme between you and Isabel! Damn it! Roger, you too, Lise. You’ve been deceived by this child! So…!”

Please, someone save me.

I lay face down, covering my ears, and looked at Roger.

My father’s voice rumbled like a vibration. He let go of my face, losing patience, and grabbed Roger’s cheek.

Mrs. Baccus seemed to try and hold back my father by pulling at his coat tail. Roger gave no reply either.

His eyes were dead. Sometimes, when he briefly regained his senses, Roger glanced at me, but I couldn’t save him either.

Nor could I deny my father’s words. Though the words climbed to the edge of my lips, they broke before I could utter them.

“…Damn it! Answer me! I told you to!”

Frustrated that his words fell on deaf ears, my father released Roger’s face. Taking a deep breath, he kicked an object on the floor. Yet his anger wasn’t quenched, and his gaze fixed on me.

“…”

Not wanting to meet that gaze, I put my head on the ground. I closed my eyes tightly and hugged my head.

I felt the tip of my father’s foot above my head.

“Stop it, Earl!”

“Let go, Madam! If she won’t listen, she has to be forced!”

“Earl! Please…!”

Whether my father tried to forcibly pull me up or not, Mrs. Baccus sobbed as she restrained him. While they were caught in a heated argument, I should’ve escaped.

But what about Roger? I couldn’t leave Roger alone here. I stood up quickly to grab Roger’s wrist but was caught by my father before I could take a step.

“Where are you going!”

“Earl!”

As my father raised his hand, Mrs. Baccus was startled. I’ll be hit!

“Lise!”

“…Isabel?”

“Isabel…”

Isabel appeared as my father said that.

“…”

Why is Isabel here?

She looked as if she’d run here; she was drenched in sweat and her hair was a mess. Beside her, Viti looked distressed too.

“I, Isabel.”