Life in the Cellar

My silence finally pushed Henry over the edge. He snatched the glass from the table and hurled it at me. It broke on contact, and blood started trickling down my forehead.

Henry stared at me in shock. "W-Why didn't you dodge?"

Dodge? How could I? He'd made it clear—dodging was never an option. If I did, he'd feed Mom's and Dad's bones to the dogs.

Henry always kept his word, didn't he?

I remembered him warning me, "Sabrina, if you even think about spreading lies about Joan, I'll make sure you die in a way you can't even picture."

He had people torture me over and over in that cellar, all because Joanna lost a few strands of hair over that incident.

When Joanna didn't feel like eating, I wasn't allowed to either. They even cut back on my water. And when Joanna almost jumped off a building, Henry had my hand and leg broken.

My blood kept pouring out, more and more. I blinked, feeling a little dazed.

Henry rushed to me, shouting, "Joan, grab the iodine and some gauze!"

Joanna just stayed where she was. "Henry, this is exactly what Sabrina wanted. She stood there and took what you threw at her to make you feel guilty."

Henry froze, his grip on my arm loosening. After a long pause, his voice dropped to a cold tone. "Sabrina, how immature can you get? Do you honestly think you can control me?

"You've been out here for a while now. Have you apologized? If you sincerely apologize to Joanna for all the reckless stuff you've done, I'll let it go and forgive you."

Joanna sneered. "Henry, you think a simple apology is all it takes?"

Henry glanced at me, his expression unreadable. Then, he nodded firmly. "Sabrina, get on your knees and apologize!"

A drop of blood trickled from my forehead onto the back of Henry's hand. He flinched, pulling away like it burned. Joanna stepped forward, took his hand, and gently wiped it off with a tissue.

"Sabrina, what are you waiting for?" she asked.

Henry's face was tense.

I lifted my head, feeling nothing but a hollow emptiness. After a moment, I took a slow, deep breath and said, "I'll kneel and apologize. But first, I need to know where my parents are buried."

Henry looked startled while Joanna looked away.

After a long pause, he turned to her with a frown. "Joan, I remember you took care of that. Where are they buried?"

I could tell something was off by the way Joanna avoided my gaze. I stepped forward and grabbed her hand.

"Where did you bury my parents?" I demanded.

"Let go!" Joanna hissed.

I gripped tighter. "Tell me! Where are my parents buried?"

A twisted, unsettling smile crept across her grim face. "Sabrina, why do I feel like you hate me more than ever now? Are you planning to win Henry over and then run me over with a car, too?"

Henry's eyes went wide in shock. "Sabrina, let go!"

I didn't budge.

His voice grew more cutting. "I said, let go! Sabrina, you really want to end up back there?"

Back there? No way!

I released Joanna's hand and turned to Henry, feeling drained. "Henry, let's get a divorce."

The room went quiet.

Henry stared at me in disbelief; his expression slowly started to crumble. "A divorce? Are you serious? All I asked was for you to let go, and now you're talking about divorce? Didn't you see you hurt Joan's hand? Sabrina, what's your game here?"

I pursed my lips, staring at the man who had once meant everything to me without blinking.

Every day in that cellar felt worse than dying. I couldn't believe Henry would go this far for Joanna or let me get tortured just to please her.

"Since you two love each other so much, why don't I step aside and let you be together?" My voice sounded empty.

Henry looked away as if his secret had been revealed. "Stop talking nonsense, Brina. Get a grip and stop making a fuss. I never wanted a divorce. Joan and I—"

"But I do," I interrupted.

Henry's face went sour.

Joanna couldn't help but snicker. "Sabrina, where will you go if you leave? The company's Henry's now. You've got a limp, and your hand's broken. Are you planning to end up on the streets?"

Her words hit me like a punch.

Henry looked completely stunned as he stared at me. "What? You've got a limp? And what happened to your hand?"

I followed his gaze and looked down. Then, I scoffed and raised my hand. "Didn't you already know about this? Why are you acting so shocked?"