The dim light of Helena's room cast long shadows on the walls as Helena sat at the edge of her bed, staring out into the quiet night. Her hands trembled slightly, the adrenaline from the earlier attack still lingering beneath her skin.
She had thought their life couldn't get any worse after their father's downfall, but the truth Selena had been keeping from her all this time made her feel like she had been living in a dream—or worse, a lie.
Selena, who had been standing by the window, let out a long breath. She finally turned to face Helena, her expression weary but resolute. The silence between them had stretched out for what felt like hours, heavy with unspoken fears.
"We can't keep going like this," Helena said softly, her voice breaking the tension. "Hiding things from each other… doing this alone."
Selena looked down, guilt flickering in her eyes. "I know." She hesitated before continuing, "I didn't want you to get dragged into this mess, Helena. I thought I could protect you by keeping it all to myself."
Helena shook her head, the frustration she had been bottling up spilling over. "But I'm already in it, Selena. We're in it together, whether you like it or not. You can't do this alone, and neither can I."
Selena's shoulders sagged, the weight of her burdens suddenly more visible. "I thought I was doing the right thing… I wanted to find the truth, to understand what really happened to Father. I needed answers."
Helena stood up, walking over to her sister. "I get it. I want answers too. But you can't keep putting yourself in danger like this. You're not invincible, Selena."
Selena clenched her fists, her jaw tightening as the emotions she had buried for so long surfaced. "I'm not doing this just for me, Helena. I'm doing it for us, for our future. If I don't find out what really happened, if we don't fight back, we'll always be trapped in this shadow."
Helena placed a hand on Selena's arm, her touch gentle but firm. "I understand that. But you don't have to carry it all by yourself. We're a team, remember? We've always been. We'll face this together."
For a moment, Selena just stood there, the conflict playing out in her eyes. She had always been the strong one, the one who shielded Helena from the worst of their reality, but now the cracks in her armor were showing. Slowly, she nodded, her resolve wavering as she accepted Helena's words.
"You're right," Selena whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I can't do this alone anymore."
Helena exhaled, relief flooding her chest. "We'll figure this out together. Whatever it takes."
They sat down on the bed, the silence between them now more of an understanding than a burden. For the first time in weeks, maybe months, they were on the same page.
"Tell me everything," Helena said, turning to face Selena fully. "All of it. No more secrets."
Selena looked down, taking a deep breath before beginning to unravel the web of lies and half-truths she had woven to protect Helena.
She told her everything—the black market connections, the underground allies, the favors she had called in to stay one step ahead of the danger. Every risk, every near-miss, every piece of the puzzle she had uncovered about their father's downfall.
Helena listened intently, her heart racing as the full scope of what her sister had been dealing with came to light. She had known things were bad, but she hadn't realized just how far Selena had gone to protect her—and to find the truth.
When Selena finished, the room was silent once again, the weight of her revelations hanging in the air.
"That's why the Black Market is after you," Helena said slowly, piecing it all together. "You've been digging too deep into things they want buried."
Selena nodded, her eyes dark with determination. "I had to. I couldn't just let them win. Father's downfall… It wasn't just a business failure. There's something bigger at play, something they didn't want us to know."
Helena's heart ached at the thought of their father, the man who had always been their rock, now reduced to nothing but a memory wrapped in mystery and betrayal. She had trusted him, believed in him, and now everything felt like it was built on shifting sand.
But as she looked at Selena, she realized something. Her sister had never stopped fighting. While Helena had tried to keep their lives together, Selena had been battling in the shadows, fighting for their father's name and their future.
"We'll take them down," Helena said, her voice steady. "But we have to be smart about this. No more reckless moves, no more secrets. We plan this together."
Selena gave her a faint smile, a flicker of the old Selena—the one who had always been there to protect her. "Agreed."
For the first time in a long time, they felt united, bound by something deeper than blood. The world outside was full of threats and unknowns, but in that moment, they knew they had each other.
Whatever dangers lay ahead, whatever truths they uncovered, they would face them together.
"We've been through worse," Helena said, squeezing Selena's hand.
Selena nodded, her gaze fierce. "And we'll survive this too. But we'll do it on our terms."
As the night deepened, the bond between them solidified, stronger than ever. Their fears were still there, the dangers still looming, but together, they were ready to face whatever came next.
For the first time in what felt like ages, they weren't just surviving. They were preparing to fight back.