Life in the Cellar

"Alright, Henry, stop being mad. We've got to meet with Mr. Caldwell soon. Let's go," Joanna said.

When Henry saw I was still crouching on the ground, he gripped his phone so tightly his knuckles went white.

Exasperated, he snapped, "Sabrina, if you keep acting out, you might as well stay hidden and save yourself the embarrassment! You've been my wife for three years, but what have you actually done for me?

"It was Joan who had my back and took care of me. Without her, I would've fallen apart by now! Do you think you're still worthy of me?"

After saying that, he took Joanna's hand and turned to walk away.

Joanna shot me a mocking grin and mouthed, "Loser."

My body shook as I watched them leave together.

"Mrs. Carver! What happened to your pinky?" the bodyguard asked.

I slowly looked down at my right pinky. After three years apart, Henry barely spared me a glance before he left. He hadn't noticed my limp, let alone my right pinky crooked at an odd angle.

I let out a bitter laugh. "It's nothing. It broke once and never healed right."

"Let's get you to the hospital," the bodyguard said, helping me to my feet.

I felt completely drained and could only depend on his support.

…

Joanna had only been back with Henry for three years.

I always knew he'd been close to a girl since childhood. But something happened with her family, and she was sent abroad for years.

After that, Henry never dated anyone or even got close to other women. I knew he was waiting for her, and I was waiting for him, too.

Over the years, my family kept trying to set me up with different guys, but I politely turned them down. Mom and Dad even started thinking I might be into women.

One day, Henry showed up at my door in the pouring rain.

"Brina, I'm done waiting. Is there someone you want to marry? What do you think about me?" he asked.

Overcome with emotion, I threw my arms around him. He had never known how much I had loved him back then.

I gave my all to being a good wife, caring for him and meeting his every need. Eventually, I began to see how my dedication paid off.

But things changed as soon as Joanna showed up again.

I had a witness who could confirm that it was her who hit Mom and Dad with her car. She'd been driving drunk. Fearing she'd have to pay a ton in medical bills, she ran over them again and again.

But Henry refused to believe any of it. He vouched for Joanna, saying she'd been with him all night. In the end, even my witness retracted his statement.

I was left to face everything alone. They painted me as some madwoman driven by nothing but jealousy.

I would never forget the day I arrived at the hospital and saw Mom's and Dad's bodies—cold and mangled. Nor would I ever forget how Henry lured me into that cellar and locked me up without a second thought.

"Brina, you're losing it. You need to calm down," he'd told me then.

…

"How did you get this injury?" the doctor asked, frowning. He then gave the bodyguard beside me a quick once-over. "Are you her family?"

The bodyguard nodded reluctantly.

"This injury's been left for way too long. Why'd you wait until now? Even if we put the pinky back in place, it won't recover fully. And what happened to your leg?" the doctor questioned.

I slowly lifted my gaze and glanced at the bodyguard. I knew he was under Henry's orders.

I couldn't breathe a word about the cellar. If I did, Henry would never tell me where he'd buried Mom and Dad.