She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 982

Meeting Swain's shocked gaze, it is as if a bucket of ice water is dumped over her head. Helena snaps back to reality.

She looks down at her chest. The dark bruises overlap—some fading to a yellowish hue, others a fresh, angry reddish-purple.

She knows what she needs to say. If she is committed to this relationship, he is going to see her scars eventually.

His hand hovers stiffly over her, unmoving. He stares at the marks, his brows knitted together. After a few seconds of silence, he repeats, "Helena, what is this?"

She sits up and pulls her clothes together. Keeping her head down, her fingers grip the edges of her shirt tightly before she forces the words out. "I did it to myself."

He stares at her blankly. "What? Yourself?"

"I did it to myself," she repeats, finally meeting his eyes without an ounce of guilt or evasion. "When I'm under too much pressure, I do things like this. I have a severe sex addiction and moderate masochistic tendencies. When my brain feels like it's going to collapse, this is my only outlet."

Looking at her tense face, he knows she's telling the truth. But this completely shatters the image he has of her. He never could have guessed she harbored such dark, unconventional habits.

It's extreme. His mind can't immediately process it.

But she is his girlfriend. He can't mock or degrade her for a medical issue.

Taking a breath to steady himself, he asks, "The illness... how long has it been?"

"A long time," she answers. "Long before I met you. It started in college."

Swain exhales heavily. "Have you seen a doctor? Gotten treatment? This... this is a psychological issue, right?"

She nods. "Yeah. I see a therapist regularly and take medication, so I keep it under control. I don't let it get to a point where I can't function or face the world."

"Okay." He falls silent, completely at a loss for words.

Seeing his internal struggle, Helena completely understands. Not many men could easily swallow this kind of revelation.

She finishes buttoning her shirt. "It's fine. I understand." Standing up, she adds, "Let's just stop here for tonight. I'm going home."

"Wait." He jumps up, catching her by the door and grabbing her wrist. "Stay."

She turns to him, her tone firm. "If this bothers you, you don't have to force yourself."

"I'm not forcing myself. I'm just digesting it." Reaching out, he pulls her into a tight embrace. "I was just shocked. I had no idea you were under so much pressure, and I was even getting mad at you before. Did you leave these marks... when we were fighting?"

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