Arthur was taken aback, but he remained calm. He sensed that Helena had a story to tell and wanted her to open up.
"I don't want to keep it any longer," Helena said in a steady voice. "Israel's parents have been after me for a long time. They threatened to harm me if I didn't stay away from their son."
Suddenly, the picture became more evident for Arthur; why the two of them had felt so unsafe during their trip to the town.
He looked into Helena's eyes, wishing there was something he could do to take away her pain. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace.
"You don't have to go through this alone," Arthur said softly. "We'll figure this out together."
Helena let out a sigh, her body relaxing against Arthur's embrace. "Thank you," she murmured.
"How and when did it start? Can you tell me, if you don't mind?" Arthur asked.
"Sure."
Helena began to recount the events. "It would be better if I start with how I met Israel before meeting his family," she started. "When I first met Israel in a luxury cafe where I got a coffee to satisfy my cravings. It was an accident; I spilled coffee on his shoes as I walked out of the cafe. I thought he would be angry, but when I looked into his eyes, they were smiling at me. I smiled back at him for no reason. It was as though we connected instantly; the energy around him was magnetic," she said, smiling, remembering those beautiful memories with Israel.
"He asked me to stay and have coffee with him. It was like a joke of giving him a favor after spilling coffee on his shoes. I agreed, and we had a good conversation which was unlikely to me since I barely communicate with other people being an introvert. We exchanged numbers, met up a few times, and got closer. Even then, I didn't know that he was a CEO until Gabby told me."
Arthur listened intently as Helena spoke.
"I confronted him, and he told me everything about what he does and his family. I was so blind about his background; I thought I knew him by then, but I was barely touching the surface. As an introvert, my only life was writing, watching movies, and reading books, and I only went out to buy food and home supplies and occasionally go out with Gabby; I didn't know much about the business world."
"You didn't like him being CEO?" Arthur asked awkwardly like he was afraid of what Helena would say.
"It's not that I don't like him being CEO; I was afraid his family wouldn't like me."
"I see," Arthur said with a sad look.
"Israel said; it was surprising that I didn't know him as he and his family are prominent. But that's the thing he liked the most about me. I liked him for who he was, not for what he and his family have. Israel loved to be with me as it was the only time he could be ordinary and not think about being CEO, their companies, and his parents who used to control him."
"It seems Israel had a tough life, too," Arthur said.
"Yes. It was like living in hell, as Israel used to describe it. I wouldn't understand why parents would do that to their children. It's just not fair."
"I understand. I experienced it firsthand with my parents," Arthur said, looking at Helena's teary eyes.
"I am entangled to both men with the same parents." Helena's heart was heavy thinking about her past traumatic experience with Israel.
"What happened with you and Israel won't happen again with me. I promise," Arthur held Helena's hand tightly. Helena nodded in response.
"What exactly happened that led him to commit suicide?" Arthur asked gently, afraid it would scratch Helena's wound again.
"The first time I met his family, they were blatant of not liking me at all, especially his mom and dad, but they talked to me when Israel wasn't around. His siblings were cool around me, though. Not long after having dinner with them, Israel's mom called me, asking to break up with his son which I completely disagreed. From then, she started threatening me." Helena's voice trembles as she speaks.
Helena's voice trembled as she spoke. "She said they'll ruin me if I didn't stay away from their son. I wanted to do it to end all the pain, but Israel wouldn't let me."
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and Arthur wiped them away with his hands. He could feel Helena's fear and desperation. "It must have been so tough for you," he murmured softly, pulling her closer in his arms again.
"It was," she said, her voice barely a whisper now. "I've been trying to make them leave me alone and stop threatening me. Israel's dad tried to get rid of me so his son wouldn't be distracted from working with their companies, but Israel was adamant until his dad called my publisher, asking to reject the book I was about to publish. One incident after another that Israel had no choice but to end our relationship to protect me."
Her breaths come in ragged bursts as her body is wracked with quiet sobs. Her eyes are red, her cheeks stained wet with tears, and her lips quiver.
Arthur could feel a wave of anger coursing through him as he listened to Helena's story. He wanted nothing more than to protect her from these people that had caused her so much pain and suffering.
"After we broke up, Israel used to send me a message through a letter which would be delivered by his secretary. It was our safest communication as his secretary would deliver the letter during his day off. Israel told me about his depression and anxiety after we broke up. I tried my best to console him and tell him that he had to take care of himself even though we weren't together anymore, and I didn't want him to get sick. I write poems to cheer him up, and he was thankful for all my effort, although separating from me was killing him," she murmured in between sobs.
"One time, his secretary gave a compilation of photos we had when we were still together. I was so happy to relive our beautiful memories while seeing our photos. Along with it was a letter he wrote. I recalled everything we did from the first day we met at the cafe to the places we'd been to, watching the constellations, and everything in between. He thanked me for coming into his life and making him live like the ordinary guy he wished to be all his life."
"I wasn't expecting it would be the last letter I'd get from him. After 3 days, Gabby told me about the news. He knew it from Israel's secretary. Israel's parents never let the news spread throughout the media."
"His parents want me to pay for what happened to their son. They blamed me for his death when it was clearly their fault for being selfish parents."
"None of what happened was your fault. You both love each other," Arthur assured Helena.
Helena's face is wet with tears, and her eyes are red-rimmed from crying. Her voice is a low, broken whisper as she speaks between sniffles and sobs. She attempts to contain her pain, but it is evident in the sorrow in her expression and the tremor in her voice.
Arthur comforted her when she was done with her narrative, his heart filled with worry for his girlfriend. He held her for a little longer, feeling her warmth against him. He knew what he would say would be difficult, but it was the only way they could move forward.
"We can put an end to this," Arthur said firmly. "You don't have to put up with their threats any longer. We'll take legal action against them and ensure they leave you alone." He held her tighter in his embrace, giving her strength and courage.
Helena pulled away from him, her eyes widening in alarm. "No, we can't do that," she said, shaking her head. "Israel's parents are wealthy and powerful. We can't take them on alone."
Helena wasn't aware of what Arthur was capable of, but Arthur would wait to let her know. He feared history might repeat itself and wouldn't forgive himself if it did.