?You can?t defend Helen against your own family?not to the
death. I?m the only one who can protect her now,? Daphne
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continued, her tone suggesting that she was genuinely sorry for
him. ?And the best way for me to do that is to get her away from
Creon.?
?I won?t let him near her. I don?t care what I have to become,?
Lucas said, preoccupied with Helen and troubled by the way she
seemed to be avoiding him. He took her hands.
?Lucas. Let me go,? Helen said quietly, pulling her hands out of
his. He went silent, sensing something very wrong was about to
happen. Again. ?If you love me, you?ll let me go. Do you love me??
Her voice was so thin and papery it crackled.
?You know I do,? he replied, confused. ?If you?re frightened, run
away with me, like we planned. You know we?re meant to be together,
I know you can feel that, just like I do.?
?I want you to let me go,? she said simply as she finally met his
eyes and held them.
Instead of thinking about the way Lucas?s face fell under the
weight of his surprise and sadness, Helen imagined her heart as a
giant tub full of water. Everything she had ever felt in her life, all
the good and all bad, were just ribbons of food coloring in that water,
and the whole beautiful mess was swirling down the drain. The
only thing she needed to do was wait a few more seconds and the
basin would be empty.
?You can hear the truth in what I say, can?t you?? she continued
mercilessly. ?I want you to let me go.?
Lucas caught his breath and held it for a long moment as he registered
that Helen wasn?t lying to him. Then he nodded and
breathed again, his face impassive.