Helga, who had remained silent until now, glanced at Aron. Her eyes softened for a moment, a brief flicker of sympathy, but her posture remained firm. She was guarding Esme, protecting her from whatever might come next, but even she couldn't stop the pain that had already taken hold.
"We need to get her out of this," kai muttered, his voice raw with emotion. He reached for the straps, but Helga's hand shot out, stopping him mid-movement.
Kai's voice rose with barely-contained fury as he turned to Helga. "Are you crazy? Do you want to kill her?" His words cut through the heavy silence, but Helga didn't flinch. She remained still, gripping her ears as if trying to drown out the noise, her eyes focused ahead as if she was wrestling with some internal struggle. Her posture was rigid, locked in tension, but she made no move to defend herself against Kai's accusation.
