Chapter 101: The Missing Years
Theo couldn't move for several seconds.
Frank's last sentence had swallowed all the air.
'Every woman in the cult was named Helena…
Every woman…'
A cold pulse moved through Theo's chest.
"My mother's name…" he began slowly.
Frank nodded before he even finished.
"Helena," he said. "Yes. The same name."
Theo's jaw tightened. "But she was not part of any cult. She raised me alone before Zack took me in. She was a good woman."
Frank lifted a hand as if calming him.
"And she was," he agreed. "Your mother was good. Brighter than most women I ever met. But good women are exactly the ones that cult likes to take. They break them, reshape them, and give them the name Helena. They bury every past identity until the woman is only what the cult wants her to be."
Theo felt his heartbeat trip. His mother…His mother…
Frank seemed to read the mess in his face and continued gently.
