Gerald froze for a moment. Recovering his composure, he slammed his palm against the table. His voice thundered, "Giselle's acting is getting better! Barely two hours in the basement, and this is what she pulls?"

Gary remained silent for a beat before speaking, his tone uneasy. "Gerald, Giselle has asthma. Could it be…"

The two exchanged wary glances, doubt flickering in their eyes. Sophia interjected quickly, "Asthma? But hasn't Giselle always carried her medication? I don't think anything serious would happen to her."

Relief washed over Gerald and Gary, but their anger soon returned.

Gary summoned a guard. "If she keeps pretending to be unconscious after half an hour, head in and slap awake. Got it?

"She thinks fainting will spare her punishment? How naive. Once she's up, drag her here. If Giselle refuses to apologize to Sophia today, she'll rot in that basement for the rest of her life."

Sophia tugged at Gary's shirt, looking up at him pitifully. "Don't hit Giselle, Gary. She's your biological sister, and I'm just an orphan. How could she ever apologize to me?"

"What nonsense is that? To us, you mean just as much as she does. You are both my sisters," Gary said, pulling Sophia into an embrace.

Gerald approached and patted her head. "I agree. I'd rather have you as my sister than Giselle."

I thought I had grown numb to the world, but hearing those words still cut deep.

Suddenly, a guard rushed in, exclaiming, "Bad news! Mr. Green overheard the maids and discovered Ms. Giselle's whereabouts. He's at the entrance of the basement, shouting that he'll save her!"

Sophia's eyes welled with tears, while Gerald and Gary were livid.

"He's truly besotted with her! What a pity he's chosen the wrong woman!"

"Let's head to the basement. I'll make Giselle kneel and apologize to Sophia. Let's see if Zachary still wants her once she's been thoroughly humiliated."

Gerald and Gary strode out of the room. I followed in silence, listening to them hurl insults at me with every step they took.

The moment Gerald and Gary approached, Zachary swung at Gary.

"You locked her up? Don't you know she has asthma? You're murderers!"

His voice cracked with fury, and watching his desperation made a lump rise in my throat.

Zachary and I had grown up together, and he had harbored feelings for me for years.

But every time I tried to return his affection, Sophia would intervene. Before a date with Zachary, she would pour paint all over me. She would even throw his gifts for me into the drain.

Because of her, my relationship with Zachary had always been rocky. My brothers had no idea; they simply thought I was trying to steal Sophia's man.

Gerald wanted to punch Zachary, but he held himself back when he saw Sophia. Straightening his collar, he forced his anger down. "Mr. Green, don't meddle in our family's affairs. Giselle was locked up because she did something wrong."

"Something wrong?" Zachary roared, his voice echoing through the corridor. "I've heard about this. All this because Sophia's dress was torn?

"Isn't Sophia wearing a fancy gown now? Did you really need to hurt Giselle like that?"

Suddenly, Sophia collapsed to her knees, sobbing into her palms, her shoulders shaking. "I'm sorry, Zach. It's all my fault. I made a fuss over nothing."

She crawled to Gerald and Gary, clutching their pants. "Let Giselle out! I won't do this again. I'll behave."

With every word Sophia spoke, Gerald's and Gary's expressions darkened.

Gary ordered a guard to subdue Zachary, pressing him to the floor. Then, Gary kicked the door open.

"You must be thrilled, Giselle, hearing Zachary defend you. But don't be naive! Unless you kneel and apologize to Sophia, you'll never leave the basement!"

Gerald trembled with rage. He glared at Zachary, who met his stare with defiance. "Take my advice—find someone else. You're blinded by Giselle's innocent face. We were fooled too. We thought she was the best sister in the world.

"But after Sophia came home, Giselle grew jealous of our attention and abused her to drive her away. Sophia grew up in an orphanage; her life was already hard. She finally found a family, only to be tormented!"

At that thought, Gerald and Gary grew even angrier. They helped Sophia to her feet and promised, "Don't worry, Sophia. We'll make sure she apologizes to you, even if it kills her. As for Zachary, I'll talk to his father and arrange for you to marry him."

"What? I don't want to marry her!" Zachary's head shot up.

Gerald and Gary didn't even spare him a glance. They yelled toward the metal door, "Still keeping your mouth shut, Giselle? Don't think that you'll escape just by staying silent!"

Gary turned to Sophia. "If she doesn't speak in three minutes, take off the gown Mom gave her. I'll cut it into pieces in front of her."

I looked at him incredulously. So he did remember that our mom had gifted that gown to me. And it wasn't just a gift; Mom had equally treasured it.

Our mother, whom we all loved!

How could they destroy her belongings for Sophia?

I screamed at them, but my voice never reached them.

The seconds ticked by. Soon, the three minutes were over.

"Go change, Sophia!"

Sophia bit her lip, mumbling, "Giselle would be sad if she found out."

"No way! If she did, she wouldn't have stayed silent," Gerald hissed. "Don't forget how she destroyed our parents' portrait just to get rid of you."

Sophia smirked smugly before heading off to change.

Once she returned, Gary raised his scissors and shredded the gown.

Zachary thrashed against the guard, shouting, "Giselle won't forgive you for this, Gary!"

But Gary kept cutting. Every snip felt like he was cutting away a piece of my heart. I watched from beside them, helpless.

I didn't want to be silent, my brothers. Before dying, I had screamed with everything I had. I had called for Gerald and Gary, begging them to save me.

I kept waiting, but the only person who came was Sophia. She took my inhaler and sealed the door tight, condemning me to suffocation.

As the last scrap of cloth fell, my heart shriveled.

After surveying the shreds strewn across the floor, Gerald and Gary kicked the door once more. Still, there was no response.

Gary swore under his breath and instructed the guards to open the door.

As the door swung wide, a gray corpse with swollen eyes appeared before them.