Chapter 6

When Dana woke up in the hospital, she found Gary sitting by her bed.

There was a hint of worry in his eyes, but it was quickly swallowed by anger as he frowned deeply. "You're finally awake! Do you know you almost died? If Sandy hadn't called the ambulance in time, you would be gone..."

Dana opened her mouth, and her voice was painfully hoarse. "It was Kelly. She pushed me in."

"You're still trying to pin it on her?" Gary's face darkened at once.

"She really pushed me..." Dana tried to sit up, wanting to tell the truth.

"Shut up!" Gary leaned forward, the fury in his eyes almost spilling over.

"They already told me everything. You tried to hurt Kelly, and Sandy stopped you. In the end, it was Sandy who called for help, and that is the only reason you were saved."

"You can check the cameras..."

"Check the cameras?" Gary cut her off, his tone full of disappointment and anger. "I watched Kelly growing up. Do you think I don't know what she's like? Sandy is gentle and kind! You're the one who has always held a grudge against Kelly, and now you actually tried to hurt her! Dana, when did you become so petty and cruel?"

Every word he hurled at her was like a cold blade driving deep into her heart.

She stared at the man who had once promised to protect her for a lifetime. Now, he was using the harshest words to condemn her, refusing to listen to a single explanation and unwilling to offer even the smallest bit of trust.

Dana closed her eyes and pressed the call button by the bed. "I want to call the police."

"Are you out of your mind?! Do you need the police over something like this?" Before the nurse could come in, Gary stepped out first and said, "She just woke up. Her emotions are unstable, and she hit the button by mistake."

When he came back into the ward, his face was cold. "If you don't want to rest here, then we'll go home."

He did not give her a choice and forced Dana to go back to the villa.

The villa was very quiet that night.

As soon as Kelly saw Dana, she hid behind Sandy, her voice shaking. "Gary! She tried to hurt me! She wanted to push me into the river!"

Gary soothed her gently. "It's alright. I'll keep an eye on her, and I won't let her get near you again."

He reached for Dana, intending to take her upstairs to the guest room, but Kelly clung to his sleeve and would not let go. "No! She'll sneak out in the middle of the night and hurt me!"

Sandy stood to the side, looking troubled.

"Gary, Kelly is already emotionally unstable. If she gets frightened again..."

Gary was silent for a moment, then said, "Lock her in the basement."

"You have no right to lock me up!" Dana screamed as she was dragged down into the damp, cold basement.

In the darkness, she leaned against the wall for a long time as she calmed herself down. Then, she suddenly remembered the house staff mentioning that the outdoor well's pipe was connected to the basement.

Feeling her way along the wall in the dark, Dana finally found the pipe and climbed up through it.

She went back to her room and used her spare phone to dial 911, her hands shaking.

The police arrived soon.

Gary looked helpless. "Officers, I'm really sorry. My wife hasn't been feeling well mentally. That's why she made the call."

Dana grabbed one officer's arm in a panic. "I'm not sick! He locked me in the basement..."

She was cut off by Gary before she could finish. His tone was full of concern. "Something happened at home recently, and she keeps imagining that I wanted to hurt her. I was just about to take her to a psychiatrist."

When the police saw that it was a family dispute and Gary sounded sincere, they had no choice but to advise them to communicate properly before leaving, as they had no evidence either.

The moment they were gone, Gary's anger exploded. "Dana, are you done causing more problems now?!"

Kelly cried out, her eyes red, "Gary! She'll definitely sneak out and hurt me! She even called the police! Who knows what else she will do?!"

Sandy sounded worried as she said, "Gary, she knows this villa too well. As long as she still has any strength left, she'll get out sooner or later. When that happens, Kelly is..."

"I did not!" Dana cut them off, her voice shaking but stubborn. "I never wanted to hurt Kelly! The two of them are in this together! They are framing me on purpose!"

Gary looked at how unapologetic Dana was and shouted at the house staff, "Drag her back to the basement!"

There was already a wooden barrel about half as tall as a person prepared in the basement, and it was packed full of water and ice. The freezing water rose to Dana's chest in an instant as she was thrown inside, the cold making her whole body shiver.

There was a hint of hesitation in Gary's mind, and he was just about to say something when Sandy stepped to his side. "Gary, Kelly just had a nightmare. She was crying that Dana was going to hurt her..."

Gary swallowed hard and said coldly to the staff, "Begin!"

"Say it! Did you try to push Ms. Miller into the river?!"

Dana shook from head to toe, but she still shook her head. The house staff grabbed her by the back of her neck and pushed her in. The freezing water immediately flooded over her mouth and nose as panic crushed her chest. She thrashed blindly until her vision went dark and her consciousness was starting to fade, and only then did they haul her up.

Dana coughed wildly as she collapsed against the rim of the barrel, gasping for air with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Gary's nails dug deep into his palm, and he could not stop himself from saying, "That's enough..."

"Gary..." Sandy's voice was tight with anxious concern. "If Kelly isn't satisfied with this, her depression will only get worse. What if she does something stupid later?"

Gary closed his eyes and turned away, refusing to look at Dana again.

With his silent consent, the house staff grabbed her and forced her under the water once more.

Her hair clung to her pale face. Her limbs were so weak she could barely struggle, and she could only shiver.

"Will you admit it?"

The house staff's voice kept echoing beside her ear, testing her endurance again and again.

After several rounds, Dana finally broke, and she used the last of her strength to shout,

"I admit it..."

Only then did Gary turn around, his eyes red. "If you had admitted it earlier, you wouldn't have had to suffer."

He stepped forward and reached out, wanting to lift her out of the barrel.

Dana flinched away like a frightened cat, jerking out of his reach.

Gary's hand froze in midair. His face then hardened and turned cold. "Get her out of there. Lock her up down here for the night so she remembers tonight."

Then, he turned and walked away.

He never saw the look Sandy gave the house staff.