18
Addison was taken to the basement and was locked there for three full days.
There was no food, no water, no light.
She’d lost track of day and night, her sense of time dissolved into a hazy blur.
She was delirious when the heavy door finally creaked open
A shaft of light sliced through the darkness
Addison stared blankly at the doorway, slow to rest.
A man stood there, staring down at her for a long while
Gradually, Addison registered the gaze.
Her eyes focused, locking onto the figure.
It was Reuben”
an instant, she felt like she had hope again.
She scrambled up, throwing herself at his feet, clinging to his legs.
“Reuben! I know I was wrong. I really do! Please let me go, I’m begging you! I change, Ill never do those things again!
“It was all my fault before. Just forgive me, and I’ll do anything. Reuben, save me please don’t keep me here. I’m so scared… I’m really scared….” Her voice hitched, desperate, “And… and…
Tm pregnant with your baby!”
Addison sobbed, her eyes swollen and red
The fear in her gaze seemed genuine, laced with a flicker of hope as she clutched her stomach
Reuben’s gaze flickered to her belly.
There was indeed a faire curve.
But even if she were telling the truth, it couldn’t bring Evelyn back
He was not touched by her words
“My child?
? How are you going to prove that?” he asked.
His yoke was cold enough to make Addison shiver.
“Once the baby’s born we can do a paternity test. It’s yours, Reuben, I swear.”
Reuben let out a laugh, devoid of emotion.
“Whether it’s mine or not no longer matters. Because this child won’t see the light of day. Addison, you schemed and manipulated, all to claw your way
- up.
“But In me tell you I won’t let you hurt Evelyn ever again!”
Addison had thought the baby would be her lifeline, a way to win Reuben hack. Instead, it sealed her fate.
She stumbled back, her hands flying to protect
“No.. please, don’t…
to protect her belly
Someone burst in, seizing her wrists, hauling her up, and pinning her to a cot.
Another entered, carrying medical tools.
Addison recognized them instantly.
They were instruments used for abortions
Addison finally realized what was going on.
Her screams were sharp and wild as she thrashed against the restraints.
Reuben! This is y
your child! Your child!!”
< 18
Tears of despair streamed down her face.
Addison kept struggling, but Reuben’s gaze remained icy.
She could even see a flicker of mockery in his eyes.
“Remember, every second of this is for Evelyn!” he said.
Her legs were forced apart.
A needle plunged into her abdomen, and a searing cramp tore through her.
It was so agonizing she shrieked, tears blinding her.
She could feel the faint pulse of life inside her fade, second by second.
“No please, no!”
That was her baby, her last hope, already taking shape within her
Hysterical screams poured from Addison, pain coiling around her like a vice.
On the edge of collapse, she spat out her final, bitter resentment.
“Evelyn left because of you, not me! It’s you! Reuben! You took her love for granted, and she stopped loving you because of you!
You think finding her will make her forgive you? Never! She’ll never forgive you. You’re the one who ruined her hands. Don’t you remember, Reuben? “It was you who drove Evelyn away!”
There was no sound in the basement except for Addison’s scream.
Rage boiled in Reuben’s eyes as he stared coldly at Addison, watching her thrash, sob, and shriek, until finally, despair swallowed her whole.
Blood pooled beneath her.
Addison had witnessed herself undergo an abortion without anesthesia.
The light in Addison’s eyes extinguished.
She lay motionless on the cot, tear stains dried on her cheeks, as if she’d died alongside the fetus.
“Everything is your own doing.”
