"When he finally let me out," Jacqueline continued quietly, "I tried to tell Hélène what he had done to me."
Her voice trembled faintly as the memory resurfaced.
"But before I could say anything… Julien caught me."
She swallowed.
"That night he was ready to kill Mathieu and Hélène because I had tried to speak."
Her gaze lowered.
"After that… I stayed silent."
The words came out almost hollow.
"I stayed silent to protect them."
A bitter breath escaped her lips.
"He was so cruel he didn't even care about his own son."
She rubbed her trembling hands together.
"One time Hélène noticed a bruise on my arm. She started questioning Julien."
Jacqueline shook her head slowly.
"That tiny mistake nearly cost Hélène her life."
Her voice dropped further.
"So I had to become even more careful. More normal."
She gave a faint, humorless smile.
"I became so good at pretending that no one could ever tell what I was going through."
A pause followed.
