But even after hearing Michael's question, Loren stood silently. Perhaps there was something she had carried in her heart like a heavy burden all this time—something she wanted to unload by telling Michael, yet she knew that doing so would make her fall in his eyes. Perhaps she had committed a mistake in her past life that she had never been able to forgive herself for. But when she looked into Michael's questioning eyes, she decided within herself that today she would gather the courage and tell him everything.
"But one night, everything changed. Eric had come home drunk, and he was visibly terrified. I asked him several times what was wrong, but he wouldn't tell me a thing. At that time, I was engaged to a man named Dmitriy and was living with him in his house. That night, while Dmitriy was out of town, Eric arrived. Seeing him so frightened, I gave him refuge. I pressed him again, asking why he was so scared, but Eric remained silent.
