Chapter 3 Under the Sun

Olivia's POV

"Speak, Olivia... before I lose my patience," Levi ordered, his voice sharp and seething with rage.

I froze, unable to utter a single word, as the accusation struck me again. Once again, I was being accused of theft.

"Olivia!" His voice thundered through the room. "Do not test my patience!" "Where is the stack of cash I kept in my drawer? Speak, thief!"

My eyes widened in shock. Before I could even answer, the bedroom door burst open, and Louis stormed in, his face a mask of fury.

"Olivia, where's the money I kept in my drawer?" he snapped, his jaw clenched tight.

I stepped back, breathless, as Levi and Louis fixed me with blazing rage. My heart was racing, not from guilt, but from utter disbelief. This couldn't be happening. Not again.

"I didn't take anything," I managed, my voice trembling.

Levi let out an exasperated sigh and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Really? Then tell us who could have taken it. Who else has access to our things but you?"

Louis crossed his arms, his frown deepening.

"Don't play innocent, Olivia. Return the money and spare us all this unnecessary drama."

Tears began to blur my vision, but I refused to let them fall. Not now.

I swallowed hard and forced my voice to be heard.

"I didn't take your money," I repeated, louder this time, though my voice trembled with suppressed emotion. "I would never steal from any of you."

"Liar!"

I jumped at this new voice and turned my head to find Lennox in the doorway, his icy, hate-filled eyes fixed on me.

"The necklace I bought for Anita has also disappeared," he announced, turning to his brothers.

The three of them stared at me as if I were the lowest creature.

Levi was the first to step forward, and I tried to flee, but it was useless. The triplets had me surrounded.

Levi grabbed me and pinned me against the wall, yanking my hands above my head, his burning gaze anchored in mine.

"This is your last chance to confess and return what you stole, or you will face the consequences," he threatened.

A tear slipped down my cheek as I held his furious gaze. No matter what I said, they would never believe I hadn't taken anything. They would never believe that their precious Anita was the real thief.

"One... two..." Levi began to count, and I let out more silent tears.

I knew the punishments for theft in this house: some ended up in the dungeons, like my father; others had their hands cut off, and some suffered even crueler fates.

My mind was racing. Was I going to end up like my father, rotting in a dungeon? Or worse?

"Ten," he announced at last.

He released my wrists and stepped back.

"She's just like her father—a stubborn thief," Lennox sneered.

More tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Guards! Bring in some maids!" Louis ordered with authority.

My heart was pounding frantically. What did they have in mind for me? Why send for the maids?

My gaze met Lennox's, filled with an intensity of hatred that made me wonder if he despised me only because of my father's reputation, or if something else was at play. How could a man who had once cherished me now look at me with such contempt?

Three maids entered, bowing their heads before the triplets.

Levi directed the orchestration of my punishment.

"Take her to the roof of the manor. Strip her and apply pepper to her naked body. Let her remain kneeling under the sun."

A tear slid down my cheek, but I said nothing. Compared to the other punishments for theft, this one was less cruel... but it was no less unbearable.

"Take her away," Lennox ordered, his voice icy.

The maids seized me by the arms and led me out of the bedroom. I didn't resist. It wouldn't have done any good.

In the hallways, I saw my mother, sobbing and trembling, but she didn't dare approach. If she had, she would have shared my punishment.

Once on the roof, the maids released me.

"Undress," one of them whispered.

I hesitated, my whole body trembling, but there was no escape. I swallowed hard and began to remove my clothes, tears flowing freely.

One of the maids took a bowl of ground pepper and approached. My body stiffened.

The moment the pepper touched my skin, a cry of agony tore from my throat.

My body convulsed as the burning sensation spread everywhere.

They applied the pepper to every inch of my bare skin, except for my face. The pain was unbearable. My knees buckled, but I tried my best to remain standing.

"You must kneel," one of the maids ordered.

I hesitated, but my body gave in. Slowly, I knelt, sobs racking my entire body.

The blazing sun intensified the torture. My body felt like it was on fire.

How could anyone be so cruel?

I wanted to scream, to beg for the pain to stop, but I knew it would only make things worse.

The sun seemed to be relentlessly beating down on me, the heat consuming me further. My body was burning, and I felt myself fading. The pain was unbearable, and I had never imagined that such torture awaited me.

Through my tears, I looked at the maids standing in a corner, watching me with pity. Burning tears streamed down my cheeks as the pain enveloped me, blurring my vision and making my head spin.

Painful memories flashed through my mind: once, the triplets had adored me. They used to argue over spending time with me, over who would bond with me when we were older.

How had everything changed so drastically?

How could the men who had once cherished me now hate me so much?

I hoped that my father had never been framed. Maybe... then the triplets wouldn't hate me so much.

The burn of the pepper intensified, every breath torturing me more. My knees gave way, my body swaying under the onslaught of pain and heat. The world seemed to reel, and I felt nausea wash over me until my body completely gave out.

I collapsed to the ground, distant voices calling out to me, but I was already sinking into darkness, pulled back into the past—into the days when the triplets had sworn to protect me.

Back then, they fought to cherish me, not to break me.

But those boys were gone. And so was I.