The Gallagher House.
In stark contrast to the joyous atmosphere at the Alibi Room, this house was filled with depression and gloom.
Fiona and Debbie, having just arrived home, sat side by side on the sofa, neither speaking.
Liam sat to the side, looking at the TV, then at Fiona and Debbie. His little head was full of big questions, unable to understand what was going on.
Time ticked away, second by second.
Fiona took a silent deep breath and glanced at Debbie.
By this time, the joy from early morning had nearly vanished completely. Fiona felt only sadness and helplessness.
Debbie's return hadn't changed anything.
The family was still shattered; her dear family members were still nowhere to be found.
This family... basically didn't exist anymore.
Thinking of this, Fiona's heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife, hurting so much she could barely breathe.
So, Fiona instinctively chose to escape, hurriedly forcing herself not to think about it. She squeezed out a smile and beamed at Debbie. "Debbie, you must be hungry. I'll go make you some lunch."
Hearing this, Debbie blinked and turned to look at Fiona.
Debbie felt very strange. She felt... like she had nothing to say to Fiona. Although she really wanted to say more, in the end, she could only respond briefly, "Okay."
Fiona actually felt the same way, wanting to chat more with Debbie, say a few more sentences. But what to say? What to talk about?
After a struggle, Fiona returned a smile, stood up silently, and walked toward the kitchen.
As she walked, Fiona subconsciously looked around at the party decorations.
In this moment.
These party decorations, which should have symbolized happiness, looked so glaring.
Happy? Where was the happiness?
Fiona thought, sadness rising from within, her eyes turning red and misty.
Sitting on the sofa, Debbie watched Fiona's retreating back. She knew in her heart that this state between them was making the originally happy Fiona miserable, and she felt a bit sorry for her.
But some things, once changed, are changed.
Debbie wasn't sure what would happen in the future, but right now... she really couldn't be like before with Fiona.
Sigh.
Debbie sighed silently, withdrew her gaze, thought for a moment, and got up to go upstairs.
Arriving on the second floor, she walked into her room.
The familiar scene, everything familiar, came into view.
Debbie couldn't stop feeling nostalgic... she had lived in this room for over a decade; there were too many memories.
The corners of Debbie's mouth hooked up in a genuine smile. Then, she moved her body and collapsed onto the bed.
The bed was worn and cheap, far from luxurious, but no matter what, it was much better than the hard cot in juvenile detention. More importantly, it held the warmth of home.
Home...
In this moment, the concept of home flooded into Debbie's mind for the first time today.
Lying on her own bed, Debbie suddenly wavered, feeling that this home... might not be as bad as the psychologist said.
Thinking and thinking, Debbie closed her eyes and unknowingly fell asleep.
Who knows how much time passed.
Fiona, having finished making lunch, quietly came upstairs, gently pushed open Debbie's door, and saw Debbie fast asleep.
Instantly.
Fiona's nose stung, and she completely broke down, tears falling like rain.
The sound of crying woke Debbie. She snapped her eyes open, saw Fiona crying like that, sat up, felt heartbroken, and gritted her teeth. "Fiona, come sit. Let's talk."
Fiona moved, sitting on the edge of Debbie's bed. Then, before Debbie could say anything else, she extended her arms and hugged Debbie tightly.
Being bear-hugged by Fiona like this, Debbie inexplicably felt a bit uncomfortable, but she endured it, letting Fiona vent.
A long while later.
Fiona finally let go of Debbie, wiped her tears, and tried hard to smile at her. "Debbie, what exactly happened in juvie... you're very different from before..."
Hearing this, Debbie nodded. "I have changed. But before I answer you, tell me what happened with you during this time."
"Then, I'll tell you what happened to me in juvie."
Having just cried, Fiona was in a vulnerable phase and hadn't yet picked up the tough Big Sister image she always maintained.
Anyway, facing Debbie's words, Fiona didn't choose to shoulder the burden alone and treat Debbie like an ignorant child as usual.
Fiona chose to talk.
Debbie listened quietly.
Time flew.
After listening.
Debbie kept her promise and spoke in detail about every little thing that happened in juvie, even mentioning that she seemed to have become a lesbian. She hid nothing.
Of course, the focus of Debbie's story was that psychologist.
"That psychologist is really amazing. She made me realize a lot of things..."
As a Gallagher, Fiona looked down on psychologists and resolutely rejected them.
After all, Gallaghers absolutely do not need psychologists!
So, listening and listening, Fiona's brows furrowed into a knot. Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore, abruptly interrupting Debbie and shouting excitedly, "Debbie, you can't be brainwashed by that bullshit psychologist!"
"Psychologists are all liars. They just sit there, mouths moving non-stop, judging other people's lives from on high. In reality, their own lives aren't any better; they're a mess too."
"We Gallaghers don't need psychologists!"
"There's nothing wrong with our minds. We are all fine!"
Fiona ranted in one breath.
Looking at Fiona like this, after hearing these words, Debbie really couldn't hold back. She immediately laughed and shook her head, then asked simply and directly, "Where are we fine? I kidnapped a toddler, Lip has such a violent temper, Ian is doing god knows what all day, and you."
"You slept with so many men and can't maintain a long-term relationship with any of them."
"Is this called being fine?"
"Fiona, us Gallaghers, except for Liam who doesn't understand anything yet, all have big problems."
"If you refuse to admit it, refuse to accept it, this family will only get worse and worse."
"Do you like how this family looks right now?"
Debbie said this very calmly.
Juvenile detention, especially that psychologist, had truly brought many changes to Debbie.
Fiona was speechless for a moment. "..."
What could she say?
Everything Debbie said was a fact!
Fiona stood there dazed, tears welling up in her eyes again, then sliding down.
Debbie watched, still feeling sorry for her, but that didn't stop her from continuing. "Fiona, I asked that psychologist how our family can keep going. She told me we all must recognize our own problems and work hard to change."
"Only then will there be hope."
"I've been back for only a morning today. Don't you think too many messy things have happened?"
Fiona still didn't know how to answer, just crying.
Debbie sighed silently and stopped talking.
The room fell silent.
—
In the Park.
It was summer. As long as it was sunny, from dawn to dusk, there would always be quite a few people in this park.
Therefore, Lip's business was quite good.
Of course, part of the reason it was good was because they had heroin today.
Lip had bought the heroin in the morning.
This was Chicago's South Side. To exaggerate slightly, heroin was everywhere; buying it was easier than buying cigarettes.
Having worked until now, Lip and Karen took a break, grabbed something random to eat, and filled their stomachs.
After eating for a while, Lip lit a cigarette and took a drag. "My trip to Canada went very smoothly this time. In a week or so, I should go again."
Hearing this, Karen smiled faintly. "Be careful. How's your leg?"
Lip glanced at his right leg. "Not a big problem. It's slowly getting better."
"That's good," Karen smiled. "What about family stuff? A lot has happened in your family recently."
Lip exhaled a long plume of smoke. "My family is just like that. You know it. I don't want to deal with it anymore. They can do whatever they want."
Listening, Karen thought of the house Carl was about to get.
Karen actually really wanted a house that truly belonged to her, not wanting to live under the same roof as her idiot father Eddie anymore.
"What do you think about Carl's house?" Karen asked.
Lip narrowed his eyes slightly. Honestly, he was a little jealous. After all, that was a house, not some small item like a cell phone.
"That bastard Peg and that bitch Dexter locked everything down tight. No one can touch Carl's house," Lip replied.
"Fiona will probably move in. That new house is much better than your house," Karen said.
Lip thought for a moment and nodded. "She'll probably think that, but Carl might not agree. Carl is different from before."
Speaking of this, Lip couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "We are all different."
Hearing this, Karen wanted to laugh. At the same time, she genuinely felt that Dexter was just too fcking amazing. He barely lifted a finger himself, yet he managed to tear apart the once-united Gallagher family to this extent.
Badass!
And truly terrifying.
Karen thought for a while before smiling and replying to Lip, "Maybe this is a good thing."
The two chatted idly just like that, neither noticing Mandy in the corner to the side.
Dex Restaurant was closed today.
Mandy hung out at the Alibi Room for a while, thought of Lip, packed some BBQ, borrowed Mickey's car, and drove over here.
As a result, seeing Lip and Karen getting along so harmoniously, acting as if yesterday's fck never happened...
As a die-hard romantic, Mandy couldn't stand this. She bit her lip, a clear look of hatred on her face, her eyes almost spitting fire as she stared dead at Karen.
After a long while, Mandy withdrew her gaze, unable to watch anymore. She gritted her teeth, turned, and left.
On the way back to the Alibi Room, Mandy's thoughts raced uncontrollably. She really had the impulse to kill that bitch Karen, and several plans even popped into her head.
But in the end, Mandy sighed helplessly and dismissed the idea.
The reason was simple.
Mandy was a die-hard romantic. She knew in her heart that as long as Lip still loved Karen deeply, killing Karen wouldn't mean much.
That meant she had to steal Lip's heart, make Lip love her.
The problem was, how?
Mandy could only think of fcking... environment, low self-esteem, various factors determined that Mandy couldn't think of a better idea.
So.
Mandy decided to try texting Lip a bit later, find a chance to fck Lip a few more times, and make Lip understand that she was much better than that bitch Karen.
——————————————————
The Gallagher House.
In Debbie's Room.
Fiona was silent for a long time.
The fact was, Fiona knew Debbie was right. Too many things had indeed happened to the Gallagher family. If not for these things, the family wouldn't have become this way.
But knowing was one thing, admitting was another, and the cruel reality was a completely different matter altogether.
Fiona rubbed her eyes, looked at Debbie, and thought for a moment.
Debbie had to leave tomorrow morning. Fiona didn't want to waste time arguing with Debbie, so she nodded and promised, "I understand. I will try hard to change. I promise!"
Although Debbie was much more mature than her peers, she was still young after all. having laid her cards on the table like this and receiving such a promise from Fiona, her mood improved instantly. She grinned. "I don't want our Gallagher family to really be a bottomless pit like that psychologist said."
"If we all try hard to change, the situation will definitely get better."
Fiona smiled too, nodding heavily. "Mm."
Then, Fiona reached out and gently patted Debbie's head. "I'm very glad we had this talk. Now, let's go down and have lunch."
Feeling better, Debbie indeed felt a bit hungry, so she moved quickly. "Okay."
The sisters soon left the room and walked toward the first floor.
"Did you call Ian? I wonder what he plans to do about that Clayton thing?" Walking a few steps, Debbie thought of this and asked.
Fiona shook her head. "I called several times, he didn't answer. I'll call again later."
Pausing, Fiona added decisively, "But no matter what, regardless of whether that Clayton is Ian's biological father or not, Ian is our family. We are family!"
There it was, Captain Family.
Debbie nodded gently.
Outside the window, Little Black watched motionless, like a black ghost.
---
The Alibi Room.
Holding a beer, leaning against the bar, Dexter silently processed the information fed back by Little Black. Then, he moved his gaze to look at Frank and Monica, who were making a ruckus, looking truly happy, arguably even blissful.
Peg was dead; that little interlude had come to an end.
Carl was about to move back to the Gallagher house.
Fiona had indeed suffered a lot recently, not only hitting rock bottom but also breaking down there many times.
Perhaps...
In a few days, it would be time to let the Gallagher family have a period of stability, giving Fiona the illusion that the suffering was over and sweet days were coming, laying the groundwork for the Gallagher family's next, more severe and powerful fall.
Dexter smiled, thinking just that.