Intertwined Souls

Chapter 18 (part 3)

"You mustn't say a word of this to your father," Eleanor hissed quietly but intensely as they moved away from the ears of anyone else. "He won't understand, and it will destroy him. It will destroy all of us."

Finn, however, was fuming, his emotions boiling over. "I ought to confront her myself! How could she do this to us? To our family?" His voice was a mixture of fury and disbelief, echoing through the closed space.

"We've given her everything, and she repays us with disgrace? She'll bring us nothing but shame," Finn continued, his voice escalating into a shout, his face red with anger.

Finn's anger boiled over as he paced the floor, his voice laced with both disgust and despair. "She's a shame to our family, Mother! What she's doing... it's sinful, it's filth!" His words sliced through the air, sharp and unforgiving.

Eleanor, though reeling from the force of Finn's emotions, struggled to maintain some impression of control over the conversation. "Finn, please lower your voice," she begged, glancing anxiously towards the door, fearful of other family members overhearing.

But Finn was past caution, his moral outrage pushing his words forward like bullets. "She's bringing so much shame upon us all. How can we face our friends, our community? How do we stand in church? What she's committing with Ann is an abomination! And here you are, asking me to pretend as if everything is normal."

At that moment, the sound of his raised voice drew the attention of the rest of the family. The door burst open as Frank and Robin rushed in, their expressions alarmed. "What's going on? What's all this fuss about?" Robin demanded, looking from Eleanor to Finn, trying to grasp the situation.

Eleanor looked at Finn with eyes pleading for restraint, but Finn's fury had reached its boiling point.

"You all need to know," he declared, his voice booming as he stormed past his father and brother towards the stairway. He ascended the stairs two at a time, his anger palpable with each heavy step.

Reaching Beth's door, he flung it open without knocking, grabbed Beth by the arm, and dragged her down the stairs with little regard for her protests or struggles. The scene was chaotic, Beth's cries mingling with the thud of their footsteps. Finn thrust her onto the couch in the living room, where she landed with a shocked gasp.

Robin, alarmed and confused by the aggression, stepped forward. "Finn, are you out of your mind? What are you doing with Beth? She might get hurt!"

Finn pointed at his sister, his face twisted in anger. "What she's done to us is beyond hurt," he shot back, his voice laced with betrayal and scorn. He began to pace in front of Beth, each word a pointed accusation. "How could you betray your family like this, Beth? With Ann, of all people!"

Eleanor, following behind, finally caught up and intervened. "Finn, please control yourself!" she pleaded, her voice filled with desperation.

Frank, who had been silent up to this point, his confusion turning into a dark realization as he watched the scene unfold, finally spoke with a commanding presence. "What's even going on here?" His tone demanded an explanation, his patience worn thin.

The room fell silent for a moment, heavy with anticipation. Finn, unable to contain the truth any longer and disregarding his mother's earlier pleas, blurted out the revelation in a harsh, unfiltered manner. "Beth is having an affair with Ann! They've been carrying on right behind our backs, thinking they could fool us all!"

The words hung heavily in the air, each one landing like a blow. Frank's face registered shock and then hardened into a mask of anger. Eleanor's hands flew to her mouth, her worst fears now spoken aloud for the entire family to hear. Robin looked between his siblings, his expression one of disbelief and confusion.

Beth, still on the couch, her face pale and her eyes wide with fear, realized the full impact of Finn's words. Her pain was now a spectacle for her family, her private life dissected before their eyes, each family member processing the revelation in their own way.

Finn, now fully unleashed in his wrath, faced Beth with a threatening glare. His voice boomed through the room; each word sharp as a dagger. "This is an abomination. You are a shame to our family! How could you do this to us? To yourself?"

"You will never step out of this mansion again, hear me? Not even out of your room," Finn declared, his finger jabbing in the air towards her. "We're going to get you married off, so this shame, your shame, is no longer on our heads!"

As Finn pronounced his verdict, Beth, who had been sitting, shocked, and silent, finally found her voice. Rising to her feet, her body trembling with emotion and defiance, she met Finn's furious gaze with one of raw determination. Tears streamed down her face, but her voice was unwavering, loud, clear, and desperate.

"I am not going to marry anyone!" she shouted, her voice echoing off the walls. "I belong to Ann! I am in love with her, and that is not a sin, it's my heart speaking! And no matter what you do, I will never marry anyone else. I love Ann!"

Finn, his face contorted with fury, raised his hand, and, in a swift motion, he slapped Beth across the face.

The slap left Beth momentarily stunned, her cheek reddening from the force, her eyes wide with shock and hurt. The room exploded into chaos, with Eleanor crying out in horror and Robin stepping forward to intervene. His earlier restraint vanished in the face of the escalating violence.

"Enough, Finn!" Robin shouted, grabbing Finn by the arm to pull him away. "That is your sister! No matter what has happened, you do not hit her!"

It was then that Frank, who had been observing the escalating chaos with a rising sense of dread, finally intervened. His face was stern, his voice firm and heavy with authority.

"I will find a suitor for Beth and see her married off as soon as possible," Frank declared, his decision final, cutting through the chaos like a blade. Without another word, he turned and strode towards his office, leaving a trail of shocked silence in his wake.

On the floor, Beth's plea was heart-wrenching, "Please, Father, please don't do this," she begged, her voice cracking with despair. But her pleas fell on deaf ears as the room emptied, each family member retreating under the weight of the revelation and its consequences.

Only Robin remained, his expression one of conflicted emotions. He approached Beth gently, extending his hand to help her up from the floor. His touch was kind, his voice soft and laden with sorrow as he tried to offer some comfort. "We love you so much, Beth. It's only for your best if you get married," he said, guiding Beth to her room.

Beth looked up into Robin's eyes as she reached her room, her own brimming with tears, her voice a desperate whisper, "Robin, I would die without her. I love her so much. I never meant to hurt our family, but it's out of my control. I can't do this. I will die without her."

Robin's heart ached at her words, his features twisting in pain as he struggled with his inability to change her fate. "I wish I could do something for you, but in this matter, getting married is the best way for you, Beth," he murmured.

With a sad look in his eyes, Robin gently squeezed Beth's shoulder before he turned and walked to the door. He paused, taking one last look back at his sister, whose figure collapsed in despair, before he stepped out, closing the door softly behind him.

The room fell silent except for the soft sobs of Beth, left to struggle with the reality of her situation. Her heart was breaking, and with Robin's departure, the last flicker of hope seemed to extinguish, leaving her enveloped in the darkness of her looming fate.

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