"I won't be so forgiving anymore."
His footsteps faded into the distance.
Rebekah's mind grew foggy. Memories of being locked in a small attic resurfaced, making her body go limp. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she slid down the wall, gasping for air. A primal instinct for survival drove her to crawl along the wall until her fingers found the light switch.
Click.
As the light flooded the basement, Rebekah finally felt like she could breathe again. Her face was pale as she sat slumped against the wall, drenched in a cold sweat as if she'd just been pulled from water.
There was no signal in the basement. She couldn't call for help or contact the police. She had to find a way out.
…
When Benjamin returned to the living room, Shawn ran up to him. "Where is she?"
Benjamin glanced at his son and walked toward the sofa. "Your mother made a mistake, so I'm teaching her a lesson."
"You brought me back just to punish Mom?"
Noticing the disapproval in Shawn's eyes, Benjamin frowned. "You think I shouldn't?"
Shawn crossed his arms, mimicking an adult's posture. "Of course you should! She's been so spoiled lately, acting like a drama queen, always running away and threatening you with divorce. And most importantly, she's been awful to Ms. Candice. Dad, you should have done this a long time ago. She needs to be taught a lesson!"
Benjamin stared at his son for a few moments before pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's late. Go to bed."
"Aren't you going to sleep?"
"I have some work to do."
After hanging up, Candice scrolled through her contacts and dialed a number. It belonged to a shady acquaintance of Sienna Griffin's. She needed to buy a certain kind of drug.
If Benjamin wouldn't give her the position she deserved, she would just have to take matters into her own hands.
…
The next day, Rebekah woke up in the basement feeling dizzy and weak. She had spent hours last night searching for a tool to pry the door open but found nothing besides a musty blanket. The basement was damp and cold, so she had wrapped the blanket around herself and slept fitfully on the floor.
This morning, her head was throbbing. She had probably caught a cold. She struggled to her feet, her stomach growling with hunger.
Just then, the door opened.
"Sister, did you sleep well?"

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