Chapter 22: A Broken Home
The dinner table felt like it had been split in two by an invisible line—on one side, Sheila and Frank were deeply engrossed in each other, their affection like spring in full bloom. On the other side sat Officer Eddie, all alone, like a fallen leaf drifting through the chill of autumn.
After dinner, everyone moved to the living room to watch TV. Once again, Sheila sat close to Frank on the couch, while Officer Eddie took a solitary seat on the single armchair, nursing a beer.
"I'm home, Mom," Karen announced as she walked in.
Sheila quickly rushed over to help her daughter out of her coat. Karen's eyes landed on Eddie, and her brows knitted with discontent.
"Why is this pig-headed loser still here?" she asked with visible disdain.
"This is my house," Eddie replied coldly.
"Why are you home so late? Were you out messing around with those lowlifes again? A girl should—" Eddie began, his tone hardening.
"You—" he barked, rising to his feet in anger.
"Easy, easy," Frank quickly stepped in to de-escalate.
"Hmph," Karen scoffed and headed upstairs, utterly unimpressed.
The relationship between Eddie and Sheila was clearly strained—but that was nothing compared to how frosty things were between Eddie and Karen.
And honestly, it wasn't hard to see why. Karen had a reputation at school—wild, flirtatious, constantly wrapped up with different guys. Meanwhile, Eddie was a devout conservative, an advocate of chastity and purity. To him, Karen's behavior wasn't just inappropriate—it was disgraceful.
Later that night, Frank was just finishing brushing his teeth when he opened the bathroom door and found Officer Eddie standing there with a bottle of painkillers.
"You might want to take these now," Eddie said with rare calm. "By the time the pain kicks in, it'll be too late. These Yahweh-brand painkillers are the best I've found—they even help with inflammation."
"Uh, thanks…" Frank accepted the bottle hesitantly.
Eddie gave Frank a strangely sympathetic look, patted him on the shoulder, and stepped into the bathroom.
Frank walked into Sheila's bedroom, still holding the pills, only to find a large suitcase open on the bed. His face immediately darkened.
"No. Absolutely not. This is where I draw the line," Frank said firmly.
Even if Karen was blackmailing him, there were limits to what Frank could tolerate.
"Aww~" Sheila pouted with exaggerated grievance, her eyes wide and pleading—creating a bizarre, almost unsettling scene.
In the end, Frank stood his ground, and Sheila reluctantly gave up on whatever she was planning.
They didn't sleep together that night. Sheila simply curled up in Frank's arms and drifted off. Frank, on the other hand, lay awake the entire night.
At the first hint of dawn, Frank—with even darker circles under his eyes—quietly got out of bed.
"Where are you going?" Sheila asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.
"I need to go make some money," he replied, pulling open the bedroom door—only to see Karen standing just down the hall, arms crossed, leaning against the wall with a look that clearly said: Don't even think about it.
Frank sighed in resignation and returned to bed.
Later that morning, Sheila cooked a lavish breakfast—but only for Frank and Karen. Eddie wasn't even given a plate.
"Could you pour me a cup of coffee, sweetheart?" Eddie asked Karen in an unusually gentle tone.
"What, did your legs stop working?" Karen replied flatly.
"Watch your mouth! Just because you're in your rebellious phase doesn't mean you get to speak nonsense!" Eddie snapped.
"I do what I want," Karen said mockingly.
"You—!" Eddie, fuming, buried his face behind a newspaper to avoid further confrontation.
Frank silently observed the toxic dynamic between Eddie and Karen. His brows furrowed.
In his previous life, Frank had longed for a child of his own. He'd always envied families with kids and cared deeply about their well-being.
And this household? This wasn't a normal, healthy family.
In fact, Frank was starting to see the root of the dysfunction. The problem wasn't Sheila. And it wasn't Karen either. It was Eddie. He had failed as a father and as a husband. Karen didn't become this way in a vacuum—Eddie bore much of the blame.
After breakfast, Eddie left for work, and Karen went off to school.
"Where are you going?" Sheila asked, drying her hands and rushing over as Frank prepared to leave.
"I need to go earn a living," Frank replied.
"I still have some money here!" Sheila said quickly, pulling out her wallet and offering him everything inside.
She didn't want Frank to leave. She wanted him to stay by her side.
Back when Frank was still the despicable, opportunistic man he used to be, he'd have jumped at the chance to bleed Sheila dry. He'd done it before—he had even sold his dignity just to keep living in her home.
So now, hearing Frank talk about going out to earn money, she misunderstood—assuming he was subtly hinting that he was short on cash.
"No, no, I'm fine," Frank said, quickly pushing her money back. He had boundaries now. Without waiting for a reply, he rushed out of the house.
"Damn it…" Frank muttered, looking back at the window. Sheila was standing there, waving at him with longing in her eyes. He sighed heavily.
This wasn't supposed to be his problem. He had no ties to this house or this family. But now, it wasn't that simple.
The mess 'Frank' left behind was bad enough. And now Karen's blackmail kept him tethered even tighter.
But more than that… Frank couldn't ignore what he'd seen.
The toxic family dynamics, Eddie's appalling parenting, Karen's volatile path—Frank couldn't turn a blind eye. His previous life had made him soft when it came to kids. He'd always been drawn to them, always wanted to help—even when it got him into trouble.
And this household? It was clearly damaging Karen. She was at a delicate age, a turning point in life. Without guidance, she'd fall further down the wrong path. In fact, signs of it were already there.
To others, Karen might look like a sweet and beautiful girl with a scandalous reputation and a long list of boyfriends.
But to Frank, she was just a girl who loved her mother—deeply, fiercely. A good kid, lost in a bad home.
And even though Frank had only spent one night under this roof, it was enough to see the truth:
Karen was the product of a failed father. And Eddie had no excuse.