Hilda recoiled from the force of the slap, her hand instinctively flying to her stinging cheek. She stared at her father in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.

She hadn't expected him to lash out with physicality. The room was filled with a suffocating silence as they both stared at each other, the weight of their unspoken emotions hanging heavily in the air.

"Dad, how could you...?" Hilda's voice trailed off, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. The pain on her face was not just ...