Chapter 3: Under the Sun

Olivia’s POV

“Start talking, Olivia… before I lose my patience,” Levi demanded, his voice laced with anger. I stood frozen, unable to form words, struggling to process the accusation. Again. I was being accused of stealing—again.

“Olivia!” His voice thundered. “Don’t make me lose my patience! Where is the bundle of dollar notes I kept in my drawer? Speak, you thief!”

My eyes widened in shock. Before I could respond, the door burst open, and Louis stormed in, seething. “Olivia, where is the money I kept in my drawer?” he demanded.

I took a step back, my breath catching as Levi and Louis glared at me with fiery rage. My heart pounded—not from guilt, but sheer disbelief. This wasn’t happening. Not again.

“I didn’t take anything,” I managed, my voice trembling.

Levi scoffed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “Really? Then tell us who else could have taken it. Who else enters our room but you?”

Louis folded his arms, his frown deepening. “Don’t play innocent, Olivia. Just return the money and save us all the drama.”

Tears welled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not yet. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to speak. “I didn’t take your money,” I repeated, louder this time, my voice shaking with suppressed emotion. “I would never steal from any of you.”

“Liar!”

I flinched at the new voice. Lennox stood in the doorway, his eyes filled with cold hatred, locked on mine. “The necklace I bought for Anita is missing too,” he announced, turning to his brothers.

All three—Levi, Louis, and Lennox—looked at me as if I were the worst kind of filth. Levi moved toward me. In a panic, I tried to run, but it was useless. I was surrounded.

Levi pinned me against the wall, lifting my hands. His burning glare was fixed on my eyes. “This is your last chance to confess and return what you stole, or you’ll be dealt with accordingly,” he threatened.

A tear slid down my cheek. I knew, regardless of what I said, they wouldn’t believe me. They would never believe their precious Anita was the thief.

“One… two…” Levi began counting. All I could do was cry.

I sobbed silently, knowing the punishment for stealing was brutal. Some thieves were thrown into dungeons, like my father. Others had their hands chopped off. Some faced worse fates. As Levi counted, my mind raced. Would I end up like my father, rotting in a dungeon? Or worse?

“Ten.”

He released my wrists and stepped back. “She’s just like her father—a stubborn thief,” Lennox sneered. More tears fell.

“Guards! Bring some maids!” Louis ordered sharply.

As we waited, my heart pounded. What were they going to do? Why maids? My gaze met Lennox’s; his hate made me wonder—did he hate me only because of my father’s accusation? Was it all about that, or was there something else? How could a man who once cherished me now look at me with such disgust?

Three maids entered and bowed to the triplets. Levi delivered the sentence: “Take her to the mansion rooftop. Strip her and apply pepper to her naked body. Make sure she kneels under the sun.”

A tear fell, but I said nothing. Compared to other punishments for theft, this was… less.

“Take her away,” Lennox demanded coldly.

The maids took my arms and led me from the room. I didn’t struggle; there was no point. As we walked, I saw my mother. She was sobbing, trembling, but didn’t dare approach. If she did, she’d share my punishment.

On the rooftop, the maids released me. “Please undress,” one urged softly.

I hesitated, trembling, but there was no escape. Swallowing hard, I began removing my clothes, tears falling freely.

A maid picked up a bowl of ground pepper and approached. My body tensed. The moment the pepper touched my skin, an agonized scream tore from my lips. My body convulsed as the fiery sting spread. They rubbed it everywhere—every inch of my exposed flesh except my face. The burning was unbearable. My knees buckled, but I forced myself to stay upright.

“You have to kneel,” a maid said.

I hesitated, but my body gave way. Slowly, I sank to my knees, my sobs wracking my being. The scorching sun intensified the torment. My entire body felt on fire.

How could anyone be so cruel? I wanted to scream, to beg for the pain to stop, but knew it would only make things worse.

The sun seemed to intensify the heat. My whole body burned; I felt like I would pass out. The pain was unbearable. I had never imagined such torture.

With tear-filled eyes, I looked at the maids, watching me with pity. Tears streamed down my cheeks as my body burned. The excruciating pain enveloped me; my vision blurred, and my head spun.

Painful memories flooded my mind. The triplets used to adore me. They used to fight over who got to spend more time with me. They used to playfully argue about which one of them would marry me.

How did everything change so drastically? How did men who once cherished me suddenly hate me so much? I wished my father hadn’t been framed, that he’d been proven innocent. Then, maybe… maybe, the triplets wouldn’t hate me this much.

The fiery sting intensified, searing my skin. I struggled to remain upright, my knees weakening. With each agonizing breath, the world tilted and swayed until I could no longer fight the overwhelming nausea and torment.

My body gave way, and I crumpled to the ground. Distant voices called my name, but I was already slipping into darkness, into the past. Into the days when the triplets swore they’d protect me. Back when they fought over who would marry me, not who would break me. But those boys were gone. And so was I.