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The silence after Daniel left felt heavier than before.
Alina sat in the chair with her body still rigid–every muscle tense with the fear that had just been triggered by Daniel’s brief
presence.
Her hands trembled more violently now.
Her breathing was short and rapid–almost like someone on the verge of a panic attack.
Ms. Fontaine sat back down slowly, but her eyes never left Alina.
She had seen that reaction countless times in her career.
The way domestic violence victims responded when the perpetrator entered the room.
Instant tension. Visceral fear. The inability to breathe normally.
This wasn’t a reaction to a “caring husband.”
This was a reaction to a threat.
“Alina,” Dr. Halvorsen said gently while sitting back down beside the chair. “Are you alright?”
Alina nodded automatically–a trained reflex movement.
But her hands still trembled. Her breathing was still too fast.
Dr. Halvorsen took Alina’s hand gently.
“Take a deep breath for me,” she said in a calming voice. “Slowly. Count to four as you breathe in. Hold it. Then exhale slowly.”
Alina tried to follow the instructions–struggling to control her gasping breath.
One. Two. Three. Four.
Hold.
Exhale.
Slowly, her heartbeat began to slow.
The tension in her shoulders decreased slightly.
But the fear in her eyes didn’t disappear.
Ms. Fontaine and Dr. Halvorsen exchanged another look–this one longer, more meaningful.
They had both seen enough.
More than enough.
Ms. Fontaine stood slowly and looked at Alina with a gentle expression.
“Alina, would it be alright if I leave you with Dr. Halvorsen for a moment?” she asked softly. “I need to use the restroom.”
Alina nodded with a small movement.
Ms. Fontaine walked to the door and opened it.
Mrs. Helen was still standing in the corridor–right beside the door as she had promised.
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Her face was pale and full of worry.
“Mrs. Helen,” Ms. Fontaine said in a low voice. “Could you show me where the restroom is?”
Mrs. Helen nodded quickly–her eyes flashing with understanding.
She knew this wasn’t just about the restroom.
“Of course, please follow me,” she said with a controlled voice but urgency behind it.
They walked down the corridor with measured steps–not too fast to draw attention, but not slow either.
Mrs. Helen led Ms. Fontaine past the restroom at the end of the corridor. There was a linen room filled with shelves of neatly folded sheets and towels. Rarely were servants there except to retrieve items.
“Mrs. Helen, is this place safe for us to talk?”
Ms. Fontaine spoke immediately when the room door was closed.
Mrs. Helen nodded. “There are no cameras in here. And the servants don’t come here except in the morning to get supplies.”
Ms. Fontaine smiled gently. She took out her notepad and looked at Mrs. Helen with a serious expression.
“Mrs. Helen, I need you to tell me what you’ve seen,” she said gently but firmly. “Everything. About Mrs. Alina’s condition. About what’s happening in this house.”
Mrs. Helen’s eyes immediately filled with tears.
“Please save her,” she whispered with a broken voice. “Please. She’s dying. She’s really dying and we can’t do anything to stop
it.”
Tears began flowing down Mrs. Helen’s cheeks–uncontrolled, desperate.
“She wasn’t like this before,” she continued with a trembling voice. “Mrs. Alina used to be beautiful and smiling and so kind to everyone. But since Junior’s accident–since the isolation began–she’s been slowly disappearing. Day by day. Little by little.”
Ms. Fontaine wrote quickly.
“Mrs. Helen, I need details,” she said gently. “How long has Mrs. Alina been locked in that room?”
“Months,” Mrs. Helen answered while wiping her eyes. “Since about three months ago. She’s not allowed to leave without permission. Not allowed to meet anyone. Not allowed to make phone calls. All her communications are monitored by Mr. Daniel.
“And her physical condition?” Ms. Fontaine asked. “When did it start getting worse?”
“About six weeks ago she stopped being able to eat,” Mrs. Helen said while wiping the tears that kept flowing. “At first it was just normal morning sickness. But then it got worse and worse. Now she can’t eat anything without vomiting. Even smelling food makes her sick.”
She drew a shaking breath.
“And a week ago…” her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. “A week ago I found her trying to… hurt herself with a small knife. I came just in time to stop her.”
Ms. Fontaine’s expression hardened with determination.
“Mrs. Helen,” she said carefully. “Do you have evidence? Photos, messages, recordings–anything that could document what you’ve seen?”
Mrs. Helen’s face crumpled with deep disappointment.
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She shook her head slowly, defeated.
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“No,” she whispered with a voice full of regret. “I tried to take photos with my phone once. Just in case. But Mr. Daniel found that phone and took it. He destroyed all the evidence. And since then, I haven’t been allowed to have a personal phone anymore.
She looked at Ms. Fontaine with desperate eyes.
“All I have are my words,” she said with a broken voice. “And I know that might not be enough. But I swear–I swear to God- everything I’m saying is the truth.”
Ms. Fontaine closed her notepad with a slow movement.
Her face showed barely concealed frustration.
“Without physical evidence, it will be very difficult to act,” she said carefully–not wanting to crush Mrs. Helen but also needing to be honest about the reality of the situation. “Your testimony is very important and will be recorded in our report. But for emergency intervention–especially against someone with resources and connections like Mr. Blackwood–we need solid documentation.”
Mrs. Helen stepped back, her face pale with shock and disappointment.
“So… so you can’t take Mrs. Alina out?” she asked with a voice barely above a whisper. “You can’t save her?”
“I’m not saying that,” Ms. Fontaine said firmly. “We have a medical assessment from Dr. Halvorsen documenting severe malnutrition and a life–threatening condition. We have behavioral observations from our interview. And we have your testimony.”
She paused.
“But the more evidence we have, the stronger our case. And the harder it will be for Mr. Blackwood to fight back.”
Mrs. Helen was silent for a long moment.
Then something changed in her face.
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