Locked Up

I never once thought of chasing Erin away. Instead, I had been extremely nice to her since the day she arrived. Finally, I had a younger sister.

For some reason, ever since that day, my fathers began to distrust me. Even my friends started avoiding me.

"Who else could it be? You two were the only ones left in the mansion. All of the servants were on leave. That was your best chance of getting at her."

Bruce let out a bark of laughter before continuing, "Are we supposed to just believe you because you said so? Erin is an innocent and naive young girl. Why do you always bully her?"

My chest started to ache with a pain so sharp that my instincts screamed for me to curl up. However, I forced myself to stand tall. I did not want to appear weak before them.

"I've never targeted her at all." I lifted my chin proudly. "Ever since she arrived at our home, have you ever once believed me?"

"We gave you a chance when you stole her necklace."

Daniel got to his feet to stare me down. "You refused to admit it, and we had to thoroughly search your room for the evidence."

"She set me up!"

Bruce then said, "We gave you another chance when you mocked her for being an orphan. You stubbornly refused to admit you were wrong. That was why we forced you to write an apology letter."

"I never said that!"

"When you tore up her gown—"

I interrupted Jack, shouting in a voice so loud that even I was startled, "You guys never believe me since she came here. Not once!"

The room fell silent.

Daniel broke it, coldly stating, "That's because you've turned selfish in your fight for our love. You're no longer worthy of our trust!"

The words felt like a knife to the heart.

Suddenly, I wanted to break out in laughter at how I was reluctant to leave my fathers. Thirteen years of love turned out to be worth less than the affection they gave an adopted daughter.

"Since you refuse to confess, you'll have to reflect on your actions in the cold storage!"

"What?"

Bruce stepped forward, his tone just as icy. "You heard him."

My fingers clenched around my pants.

Just then, Daniel's phone rang.

His face twisted with shock within seconds.

"What? Erin is missing!"

The air in the room froze.

Bruce and Jack both shot to their feet.

I could not hear what the caller said, but when Daniel hung up, he immediately turned to glare at me. "Erin is missing. If anything happens to her, April, there will be no end to this."

I lowered my head.

Suddenly, I had the urge to tell them I only had three days left to live.

However, I stayed silent.

What was the point? Would they even believe me?

Something rose in my throat, and I swallowed it back. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

Before I realized what was going on, Bruce was dragging me out of the room by the arm.

I struggled hard. My feet scrambled against the floorboards.

"Let me go! I didn't do it!"

No one listened.

Up ahead, Jack opened the door to the basement.

It was an abandoned cold room that we once used to store our food. After the renovation, nothing was stored in there.

I was pushed into the room, and I stumbled, nearly tripping.

"Think about what you've done when you're inside."

Daniel looked blinding in his white coat as it reflected the dim light of the room.

"You'll be let out when we find Erin."

"I didn't do it, though!"

I rushed to the door and slammed my fists against the heavy metal door as it swung closed.

The door was slammed shut with a bang.

I heard the lock click into place.

The cold storage was a dark, empty room, lit only by a dim yellow bulb swaying from a wire above my head.

The cold seeped in through my feet and soon spread throughout my body.

I sat down and huddled up with my arms around my knees.

My chest began to ache once more.

It was the poison.

As I coughed, I covered my mouth with a hand. Warm liquid dripped through my fingers.

It was blood.

As I stared down at my bloody hand, I let out a chuckle.

What a joke.

I was dying, yet they only worried about Erin.

Memories surged to the front of my mind.

My mother passed away 13 years ago.

I was still an infant when Daniel cradled me in his arms as he gently soothed me. "Don't cry, April. I'll always be with you."

Bruce bought me the best toys in the world. "I'll give you anything you want."

Jack taught me how to sing and dance. "You're a genius, April. You picked it up so quickly."

I was the happiest and luckiest child in the world.

I had three fathers, and they all loved me.

Yet, that all changed when Erin appeared in our lives.

Erin's Scheme

Over and over, Erin would set me up. After my fathers punished me, they felt so sorry that they apologized for what happened, yet they would always believe Erin's next lie.

I couldn't understand it.

Why would they choose to believe a girl they’d only taken in three years ago over the daughter they’d raised for thirteen?

At some point, the cooling system in the cold storage had been switched on. The temperature kept dropping.

My body began to tremble and shiver.

My limbs were numb.

I looked up and stared at the dim light bulb.

My vision swam.

Just then, the door swung open.

I thought it might have been my fathers.

Instead, Erin walked in. Dressed in a pure white dress with hair sprawled down her back, she looked at me with a gentle smile on her lips.

"Are you alright, April?"

Her voice was so soft and angelic.

However, I could hear the malice lurking in her words.

When I spoke, my voice was so hoarse that I barely understood what I said. "It's you..."

She knelt down before me. "Of course, it's me. April, did you really think I went missing?"

She laughed.

Her smile grew eerie under the glow of the dim light bulb.

She reached out and plucked a strand of hair from where it clung to my cheek.

"I set everything up from the start. I poisoned my own snack and ate it. The doctor was bribed to say I suffered from food poisoning. I also arranged my own kidnapping."

"Why?"

She looked down at me from high above as she stood back up.

"Why? That's because they are my fathers. No one else can have any of their love."

Her face twisted with disgust.

"Who do you think you are? You're just the daughter of a dead woman. What right do you have to hog them for 13 years?"

"They're my fathers in the first place..."

She abruptly raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face. "Shut up!"

My head snapped to the side. Blood dripped from my mouth as my lips were split.

She knelt down and grabbed my chin. "They're mine now, and you'll be dying soon. Once you're dead, you'll have nothing."

She then let go, stood back up, and clapped her hands once.

The door to the cold storage swung open once more.

Two men entered—both dressed in black, both wearing grins that made my stomach twist.

My heart sank.

"Erin, what are you doing?"

With a sweet smile, she replied, "You've always wanted to prove that you're innocent, right? Well, I'll make sure to thoroughly take your innocence away then."

She walked toward the doorway.

"Take good care of my sister."

The door was slammed shut.

The men walked over to me.

I desperately backed away until my back hit the wall. "No! Please don't..."

They refused to hear my pleas.

One of them grabbed my ankle.

I shrieked and kicked him with all the strength I could muster.

However, my body was too weak.

The poison had flared up once more, and with how long I had spent in this cold room, I could not even stand up on my own.

The other man pinned me down by the shoulders.

I struggled and fought. My fingernails scraped against his cheek.

He let out a curse and raised his hand to hit me.

At that moment, I reached for the phone in my pocket.

With the last shreds of my energy, I pulled it out and called Daniel.

The phone rang three times.

Then, the call was answered.

My voice was hoarse to the point of breaking. "Dad, save me..."