Damien had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed still made his stomach sink.
He had hoped for some other explanation, however unlikely, but it seemed there wasn't one.
"I'd heard his treatment was harsh, but I didn't think it was this bad," Damien said, frustration creeping into his voice. "What could have happened to make him like this? No offense, but he's in really bad shape."
Isaac and Miria's earlier reactions had been telling—they'd been too shocked to hide their dismay.
Whatever had happened to Augusto, it had been enough to leave even them stunned.
"It seems," Theo said carefully, "that he was subjected to excessive and relentless demands for self-reflection. He was forced to constantly denounce his parents, point out his own flaws, confess every minor misdeed he'd ever committed, no matter how trivial, and explain how he repented for them. He was made to attempt impossible tasks and then berated for failing. And this went on… endlessly."
