LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 23
(Third person)
Isabella's eyes were filled with suspicion at what her sister had said. Memories of those few days immediately flashed through her mind.
After returning home from work that day, she wanted to collapse into bed and fall asleep. But as soon as she opened the door, the smell of cigarette smoke hit her nostrils.
Unconsciously, she pondered about something at that moment, but she didn't want to wake her sister, knowing she was already asleep.
But the smell of smoke lingered, and her thoughts kept swirling, preventing her from sleeping properly. She was already 16 years old and would turn 17 in a few months; she wasn't a little girl who couldn't understand certain things.
She knew about her sister's mental state, so she went all out to take care of both of them. Unlike her, her sister didn't go out often for walks. But they still needed money for sustenance.
The loss of their parents had also affected her greatly, but realizing that she was the only one who could think clearly, she decided to take care of everything. At first, it was fine. But due to immense pressure, she sometimes unintentionally lost control.
Finally, on this day, the smell of cigarettes made her feel unwell. Even though she thought it could be her sister smoking due to stress, she realized she could have done it earlier.
For some reason, Isabella thought that there was another person in their house. And possibly a man.
Such thoughts flew through her head, even though lately she often felt resentful towards her sister. Because unlike them, she could see how others spent their time, experiencing love in school, romance, making plans, simply going on trips and strolls. But she was isolated from all of that.
Sometimes thoughts would occur to her, questioning why she had to do all this, or why her sister couldn't recover in such a long time.
Blaming her sister in her thoughts, she briefly considered that it might be good if she lived alone. But today, upon learning about the cigarette and considering the possibility of her sister being with someone else, it was very difficult for her.
The next morning, when she saw her sister Eleanor returning sweaty from the street, Isabella barely closed her eyes and didn't hear her sister leave the house. But seeing her like that, for some reason, her doubts intensified. She couldn't hold back any longer and asked about the smell of cigarettes.
But after she spoke, she turned her head to the other side. She also noticed a bruise a black eye, which saddened Isabella's heart.
However, she managed to restrain herself and still asked why it smelled like cigarettes. She didn't receive an answer, which made her feel even worse. The mention of work puzzled her even more.
As a result, she often found herself in a state of confusion, sometimes becoming irritated due to tangled thoughts. Her irritation reached its peak when Eleanor intervened in the conversation with Eldrick for no apparent reason.
Due to her unstable emotions, she didn't behave as patiently as before.
The next day, Eldrick was beaten up, and seeing his condition in the hospital further unsettled her mood.
Finally, when she returned home, she was furious to learn that her sister had beaten Eldrick. She had never witnessed such an act from Eleanor before, and it came as a sudden shock.
During those few days, she acted very strangely, as confirmed time and time again.
But somehow, she managed to control her emotions. The words spoken by her sister about leaving didn't let her rest.
When her sister mentioned leaving, it seemed like her worst nightmare had come true. For a brief moment, she was in a state of shock, although it wasn't visible on the outside.
After calming herself down a bit, she left the room to find out what her sister wanted to tell her. It was evident from her face that she wasn't joking.
Seeing Eldrick's phone, she wasn't overly worried because she had come to understand his character over the week.
As she glanced doubtfully at her sister while receiving the phone, she saw numerous inappropriate photos, perversions, and disturbing discussions in the chat. They openly spoke about girls as targets.
There was even a photo of a girl initially sent just for evaluation. Within three days, a few people had already objectified her, as indicated by the dates.
Their actions were clearly visible, followed by bragging about it.
Even the person named Eldrik, whom she considered very kind and polite, revealed and did disgusting things upon seeing what his hand was engaged in, in one photo.
Subconsciously, she recalled how he used those same hands to caress her face in the hospital. Immediately, she felt dirty and a sense of nausea arose.
Finally, when she was weak and unable to support herself, her sister helped clean her face and lay her on the bed.
Some of her fantasies collapsed in an instant; in her opinion, she had formed a good impression of Eldrik. For a week, she had also entertained thoughts of them becoming a couple.
Right after that, she remembered what her sister had said, and a clear feeling of fear engulfed her. She was devoid of energy and depleted, subconsciously wanting to cry but holding back.
When her emotions nearly burst forth, Isabella mustered up her strength and turned her head towards her sister, asking,
"What... did you say... about leaving?"
With great effort, she uttered those words, but she also feared her sister's response even more. If her sister decided to leave, Isabella would be completely alone, and she didn't know if she could endure it.
On the verge of asking, she watched her sister's facial expression. However, the other side remained silent and didn't speak, causing her to gradually lose her last hope.
Suddenly, her sister leaned closer to her, and in that moment, she could clearly see her sister's silver pupils and beautiful face.
Although there was still a hint of bruising, it didn't make her any less beautiful.
While she waited for her sister's response, unexpectedly, Eleanor spoke up and asked in return,
"What if, by staying with me, you may experience much pain, suffering, and even death... Do you still want to stay with me?"
Those were words that would have been amusing and feigned at another time. But hearing them now and seeing her serious expression, Isabella realized it wasn't a joke.
Seeing that there was still a chance, Isabella wanted to agree immediately. However, Eleanor suddenly stood up from her seat, leaving a few words that she would return shortly, and exited her room.
She heard Eleanor open the door to her room and then enter it. After a while, she came out again and approached her. Gathering some strength, she lifted her body slightly and stared at Eleanor, who was hiding her hands behind her back. When she wanted to speak, Eleanor preempted her.
"First, listen, I'll tell you everything and show you the situation I got myself into. And after that, you can respond, but before that, promise me that you won't tell anyone about everything I'm going to tell you, okay?"
Still wondering what she was hiding behind her back, she suddenly remembered the materials in Eldrick's phone and thought. After seeing that, could she be even more shocked?
Calming herself down, she looked at Eleanor and said, "I promise, please tell me."
After her response, Eleanor fell silent for a few seconds and then began to speak. When she asked Isabella if she remembered the smell of cigarettes on that day, Isabella nodded, and a sense of unease grew. How could she have forgotten about it?
Finally, after her nod, Eleanor showed one hand holding a packet. And then she heard her sister recount what had happened at that time, how she had come home.
Starting from when she wanted to eat and went downstairs. Then three guys burst in after him, which resulted in a bruise on her face.
The more Isabella listened, the more scared she became. There was even a vague tremor in her hands. She didn't know what to do, tightly holding onto her hands.
Next, they registered on a dangerous website and were assigned a murder task.
As her sister continued speaking, she sat down on the floor next to her and looked at the ground, telling her all of this.
Upon hearing what was said, her eyes widened, and her mind stopped working. At first, she thought that those three had done something sexually explicit to her sister. But she couldn't even imagine that they had given her the task of killing someone.
Listening to the details of the website, she was still in shock.
But then, upon hearing that the deadline had changed from two weeks to three days, she froze in place.
Looking at her sister, something clicked in her brain, and she realized that the smell of cigarettes was stronger than it was three days ago.
Unintentionally, she opened her mouth.
"You..."
"Yes, I completed the task... But before that..."
Isabella saw him continue, and as she listened, she became even more worried as she picked up a knife and headed towards those monsters.
But then Elanore finally revealed her other hand, holding the gun sideways.
"After that... I killed them all there... I also completed the mission with the help of this..."
The words and the gun made Isabella react in some way. She felt dizzy, and her heart was pounding rapidly.
She didn't know what to say; she didn't know what to do.
"That's why, before answering my question, I wanted to tell you this... I didn't want to tell you... because it would have been better for you... now you know... I've already crossed the line... maybe things could have been done differently... but it's all already happened."
Isabella still watched as her sister released her head and spoke, unable to say anything herself. But somehow, she gathered her strength and stood up from her seat.
Approaching Eleanor, she slowly sat beside her. Without saying anything, she leaned towards her and abruptly embraced her.
She realized how absurd the situation was, and she couldn't say anything because she couldn't provide any comfort.
Isabella understood that Eleanor was her only family. And for Eleanor, she was the only one. Finding no words of solace, all she could do was hug her for consolation.
Eleanor didn't resist, and they just sat there in silence.
They didn't cry either.
Sitting in that silence for some time, their emotions finally began to calm down.
At that moment, Isabella heard her sister speak in a soft voice.
"Maybe it would be better if I left... I will give you the money from the missions, so you won't have to worry about finances... I will do something so you can live a fulfilling life..."
She didn't finish, as Isabella raised her hand and covered her sister's mouth.
"Who said I want that?"
