Later in the day, Elizabeth decided to return home. Although Alex was against it, he had no choice but to let her do her thing — That way, he would also have time to sort himself out.
He was worried, not because Elizabeth could be deceiving him, but because he feared that her life may be in danger because of him.
He feared losing her, not after the bond the two of them had shared. He'd prefer if they cut ties— her life was more important than anything at the moment.
"There is every possibility that your father will put you in a difficult situation because of me," Alex told her when she had prepared to leave. "You must be careful, especially with your words. If things come down to taking a stand, you can choose him above me, do you hear me?"
Elizabeth didn't reply immediately. She didn't understand why Alex was speaking in such a negative manner. She felt bad that it was the only thing he could tell her.
"I am saying these for your sake, Elizabeth," Alex said, seeing her sad. He cupped her face and moved closer to her. "You mustn't be stubborn, not now... Don't forget your body state, your life matters more than anything else. You must protect yourself, leave everything else to me."
Elizabeth lowered her gaze, her lips pressing into a thin line. She hated this—hated how Alex always tried to shoulder everything alone, as if her feelings and choices didn't matter. The warmth of his hand on her face only deepened the ache in her chest.
"I don't need you to protect me from everything," she said quietly, lifting her eyes to meet his. "I can handle myself. I'm not as fragile as you think."
Alex let out a soft sigh, his thumb brushing against her cheek. "I know you're strong," he admitted. "Stronger than anyone gives you credit for. But that doesn't change the fact that your father is dangerous. If he finds out what you're really doing… I won't be able to protect you if you're not careful."
A tense silence hung between them. For a moment, it seemed like neither of them wanted to break it—both caught between the weight of unspoken fears and the reality they couldn't change.
Elizabeth finally took a step back, letting his hand fall from her face. "You're always so quick to push people away," she said, bitterness creeping into her tone. "Maybe one day, you'll realize that not everyone wants to be saved. Some of us just want to stand beside you."
Alex didn't answer. He couldn't—not when every instinct in him screamed to keep her safe, no matter the cost.
She shook her head, turning toward the door. "I'll be careful," she muttered. "But don't expect me to just sit back and let you fight alone. If something happens, I'll make my own choices. And you don't get to decide otherwise."
Before he could respond, she was gone, leaving behind the faint trace of her presence and a heavy feeling that no matter how hard he tried to keep her safe, the danger was already closing in.
------
Elizabeth arrived home, after she had eaten, she looked for her father but Victor was nowhere to be seen.
She decided to go to her room and wait for him to return.
When he finally returned, it was late at night and it was the noise that woke her up from sleep.
She rushed downstairs and then saw her father, it happened that the man had taken a lot of alcohol and was totally drunk.
"Father," Elizabeth called out to Victor.
"Beth, my daughter, is that you?" Victor asked, swaying his hands and signalling her to come to him.
"Father, you are drunk," Elizabeth said but Victor shook his head.
"How can I be? I only took a few bottles; is it twelve or fifteen? I can't really remember," he replied, counting and recounting his fingers. Soon, he slumped to the couch.
Seeing the drunken state that her father was in, Elizabeth shook her head. Her mother was not around — she had travelled to see her parents at another town and would only return in the next week. If she was here, she would have been the one to take care of her husband.
Shaking her head once again, Elizabeth dragged her legs to her father's side and bent down to help him pull off his shoes.
After taking off his shoes, she turned to go back to her room — Initially, she had wanted to talk to her father but seeing how drunk he was, she had no choice but to leave the discussion for another day.
As she turned to leave, a pair of strong hand suddenly grabbed her and forcefully pulled her down, causing her to fall on top of her father.
"Father!" Elizabeth gasped and tried to stand up but her father's stronh hands firmly wrapped around her waist, rendering her unable to move.
Her father was drunk, that, she was aware of but she did not understand why her father would be behaving like that.
"Father, let me go! You can't be doing this!" She said, tears already gathering in her eyes.
She was too weak to move, her father was far more stronger than her, and no one was at home — it was just the two of them in the empty house.
She glanced at her father, the man staring back at her with drunken eyes, a smirk at the end of his lips — She could swear that he was aware of what he was doing.
"You know, Elizabeth," her father began. "I've been admiring you for so long and now, I have the courage to confess my feelings for you."
"Wh-what are you trying to say, father! You are drunk!" Elizabeth said with a look of shock on her face.
"Drunk?" Her father scoffed and then released her.
She stumbled but was able to get hold of herself with the help of the table by the side of the couch. She was still surprised, unable to understand what her father was trying to do.
Victor stood up and staggered towards her. "You know you are not related to me by blood," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "If you accept my feelings, I will do everything in my power to protect you, not just you but your friends as well."
Realizing were this was all heading to, Elizabeth rose to her feet and faced her father.
"Father, are you threathening me?" She asked him. "Do you know what you saying? Are you aware of the consequences of your words?"
Victor scoffed, he didn't seem like he cared about the things she was saying.
"Look, Beth," he said. "Sooner or later, your friends will die. You have the power to stop that from happening. Just agree to me and I'll handle the rest."
"I am sorry to say this, father but I can see you're crazy!" Elizabeth spat. "I can see that you are drunken so I won't take in this nonsense you are saying. I'll be going back to my room."
Elizabeth turned to leave and as she walked away, her father's laughter rang in her ears, followed by a soft whisper.
"We'll see about this, Beth. You will have no choice but to come crawling back to me."