Champagne Problems // English's Version

Chapter 13: The Bottom

A year had passed since Agatha and Kyle had moved into their new apartment. Their life seemed to be on a promising path. Kyle had started his career as a lawyer, completely immersing himself in his work. He loved what he did, and every evening he came home full of exciting stories to tell. Agatha, on the other hand, had been hired by a well-known local newspaper, and she put all her passion into her role as a journalist. The work routine stimulated her, but at the same time it hid something darker that Agatha could no longer keep under control.

One afternoon, Agatha came home earlier than usual. Kyle was still in the office, immersed in one of his most important cases. The silence of the apartment immediately enveloped her as soon as she closed the door behind her. A silence that normally she would have welcomed with relief, but that day she only felt an oppressive emptiness. She headed towards the living room and looked out the window, observing the people walking through the streets, immersed in their lives. A sense of isolation hit her like a punch.
The loneliness she felt seemed endless, and before she knew it, she found herself with a bottle of vodka in her hand.

She didn't think she could hit a deeper bottom than she had already experienced, but that afternoon she found it. She began to drink, as she often did, but this time she didn't stop. Sip after sip, the bottles emptied as Agatha tried to drown the pain that throbbed inside her. The hours passed in a flash. The afternoon light faded, giving way to dusk. Agatha's face, reflected in the window, grew blurrier and blurrier as her world fell apart piece by piece.
Nausea hit her hard, and she ran to the bathroom to throw up, but her body was too weak. She tripped and fell, the bottle in her hand crashing to the floor, the shards of glass scattering around her. Huddled on the bathroom floor, Agatha was shaking, tears streaming down her face as she hugged her legs to her chest. She couldn't think straight, her head was pounding, her thoughts were racing too fast to catch. She was caught in a vortex of despair, and for the first time in her life, she felt completely out of control.

Time passed slowly, and every second seemed endless. Toward evening, Kyle came home. He came in smiling, still charged with the excitement of the day. «I'm home!» he announced in his usual cheerful tone, but there was no response. The sudden silence made him shiver. Agatha was usually there to greet him, with a joke or a smile.

Kyle immediately noticed the bathroom light on and headed toward it, a sense of uneasiness that grew with each step. When he entered the bathroom, his heart stopped. Agatha was sitting on the floor, shaking, her legs hugged to her chest, surrounded by the shards of glass from the bottle. Her face was pale, her lips trembling, and her eyes vacant.

«Agatha, what happened?» Kyle said, his voice full of worry. He knelt down beside her, trying to understand what was happening. But Agatha couldn't speak, the words stuck in her throat. Tears began to fall down her face, and between sobs, all she could say was: «Help me, Kyle. Please, help me.» Her hands were shaking uncontrollably, her body completely paralyzed with fear and shame.

Kyle hugged her tightly, but inside he was completely confused. He didn't know what was happening. Agatha was shaking like a leaf, and he felt her body giving out in his arms. «Don't worry, everything will be okay.» he whispered, even though he wasn't sure what she was promising. But he didn't have time to do anything else, because Agatha suddenly passed out. Her body went into a small seizure, brought on by too much alcohol and emotional trauma.

Without wasting any time, Kyle called an ambulance and immediately took her to the emergency room. The ride to the hospital was a nightmare. Kyle couldn't think straight, worried about Agatha's condition. He didn't understand how she had gotten to this point, and the fear of losing her gripped him.

After hours of waiting, Agatha was finally stabilized and placed under observation. Kyle hadn't left the hospital, eager to see her. When they gave him permission to enter her room, he found her still shaken, but conscious. Agatha looked up at him, tears still in her eyes. «Please don't tell my family.» she whispered, her voice cracking with anguish. «It won't happen again, I promise.»

Kyle sat down next to her, taking her hand gently. «Don't worry about them now.» he replied. «The important thing is that you get better.» He held her close, trying to comfort her, even though a thousand questions were eating away at him inside. He didn't understand what was happening, he couldn't believe Agatha had gotten to this point without him noticing.

And it was then, through tears and sobs, that Agatha told him everything. She confessed to him about her addiction to alcohol, how it had become her escape for years. Kyle remained silent, his heart heavy as he listened to every word. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed.