I stared back at him blankly. Did he not know what they had done to me? He should have known. In the first year, I called him for help, telling him about the inhuman torture I was enduring. He didn’t say a word before hanging up. After that, I lost hope and never called him again.
“Why is your leg broken?” Lucas asked. “Who did this to you?”
I didn’t want to relive those memories, so I remained silent. He finally lost patience and yelled, “Helena, answer me!”
Startled by his outburst, I stammered, “The attending doctor said I was shameless. He sent me to the male patients’ ward on the third floor. They cornered me and bullied me. In desperation, I jumped from the third-floor window and... became crippled.”
Lucas's eyes widened with shock and anger. "What? They did that to you?" His voice shook with barely controlled rage and I could see the muscles in his jaw clenching tightly.
I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes as the memories of that horrific night resurfaced. "I had no choice, Lucas. They wouldn't stop. I was so scared and there was no one to help me."
His grip on my shoulders tightened, his knuckles turning white. "Helena, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you call for help?"