Chapter 3

2.

We drove in silence all the way back to the villa.

Basil was sitting on the living room sofa playing video games. When he saw me, he immediately dropped the controller.

He hid behind Sienna, looking up at her with fearful eyes.

"Sienna, Silas is back. He's not going to be mad at me, is he?"

"I didn't mean to stay here while he was gone. Please don't let him yell at me…"

His eyes turned red, making it look like he was the one who had suffered a great injustice.

Sienna hugged him tightly, her voice softening with comfort.

"It's okay, Basil. Don't be afraid of him. He doesn't have the guts to touch you now."

She turned to me, her eyes snapping back into cold daggers.

"Silas, you better stay in your place. You don't run this house!"

"If you dare bully Basil again, I will make you regret ever coming back!"

I let out a hollow laugh. I had never actually done anything to him.

Since we were kids, Basil loved telling everyone I hurt him, acting fragile to get what he wanted.

I was used to it, but this time, I didn't even have the energy to argue.

I ignored the pain and knelt down in front of them, my voice low and submissive.

"I'm sorry. Everything was my fault before. I shouldn't have wanted things that didn't belong to me."

"Stop pretending to be pathetic!"

Sienna kicked me right in the chest. I fell hard against the floor, my vision going black for a moment.

"Don't think you can gain sympathy this way. I will never forgive what you did!"

"Sienna, he's so scary… I'm frightened…" Basil whimpered, clutching Sienna as if I were a monster.

I lay on the floor, helpless as they rained insults down on me.

I was numb. A year of torture had ground my pride into dust.

I even started to wonder if this was all just some cosmic punishment I deserved.

"Drag him to the basement," Sienna said, waving her hand like she was shooing away a fly.

Two bodyguards grabbed my arms and hauled me down into the cold, damp basement.

They threw me onto the concrete floor, and I felt like every bone in my body had shattered.

I curled into a corner, my consciousness drifting away.

In my mind, I was back in that mountain village, seeing the twisted faces of the men and women.

The memories of their rough hands and cruel games replayed in my head like a horror movie.

I groaned in pain, but there was no one there to hear me.