Locked In Darkness

That night, consumed by grief, Marcus went to a bar and had a one-night stand. Nine months later, a baby was left on their doorstep. DNA tests confirmed it was Marcus’s child.

Overwhelmed and clueless about raising a baby, Marcus begged Lucy to marry him so the child could have a complete family. At eighteen, Lucy agreed — partly out of compassion and partly because marriage would finally unlock her inheritance.

After the wedding, she gave Marcus fifty percent of her inheritance to launch a business. While caring for the baby, she worked tirelessly beside him, helping build a stable income from the ground up.

When the first business nearly collapsed, Lucy gave him the remaining capital. Together, they turned things around, establishing a thriving company with branches across the city.

As success arrived, Marcus convinced her to resign as vice president and become a full-time stay-at-home mom to properly care for Jaycee. Pressured by both Marcus and Stella, she relented at age twenty-two.

With the company flourishing, Lucy devoted herself completely to being the perfect mother to Jaycee, treating him as her own flesh and blood. Yet after five years of marriage, anxiety crept in — why hadn’t she conceived a child of her own?

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The sound of the bathroom door locking from the outside pulled Lucy out of her painful memories. She quickly stood up from the bathtub, water dripping everywhere, and rushed to the door. She tried the handle, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Is someone there?” she shouted, panic slowly setting in.

“This is your punishment for being a wicked stepmother,” Jaycee’s voice rang out from the other side.

“JC, please open the door for your mother,” Lucy said, trying to stay calm.

“No, you are not my mother. Why don’t you just go away so Daddy can marry Clara?”

“Jaycee, please… open the door.”

Her claustrophobic symptoms began to surface. Unlike the spacious master bathroom, this one felt much smaller and more confining.

“No, I won’t. Next time, don’t even think about hurting my younger sister.”

“I didn’t. Just open the door and I’ll explain everything.”

The only response she received was the bathroom light switching off. The room plunged into complete darkness. Panic and anxiety engulfed her. She slammed on the door fiercely, screaming for help, but no one answered.

“JC, please open the door. You know I don’t like enclosed spaces!”

Silence. She pounded desperately on the door, sweat breaking out across her skin. Why would the boy she had cared for over the past ten years treat her like this just because a woman had appeared a few hours ago?

She continued slamming on the door until her strength gave out. Exhausted, she curled up on the cold tile floor. What had she done to deserve this? Their lives had been peaceful until Clara showed up. Soon, the chill from the tiles seeped into her bones, and she shivered violently while counting down from one hundred in her head to manage her claustrophobia.

Lucy didn’t know how much time had passed, but when she opened her eyes, darkness still surrounded her. Had no one come to check on her? She forced herself up and pounded on the door again. After exhausting what little strength remained, she curled back onto the floor and prayed for help.

She stayed awake until the first rays of sunlight filtered through the small window. After what felt like an eternity, the lock finally twisted and the door opened. Her body, stiff and cold from the night, refused to move. She lay limply on the floor.

“Why are you lying on the floor inside the bathroom?” Marcus’s voice boomed above her.

When she didn’t reply, his tone grew more annoyed. “You’re a grown woman now. You cannot just start sulking and locking yourself up when you’re scolded.”

His words struck a nerve. Lucy lifted her head. “Did you really think I would lock myself in here and lie on the cold floor all night?”

Marcus seemed taken aback. “So what happened?”

“Jaycee locked me in.”

“What?” He asked, clearly not believing her. “Why would he do that?”

Lucy pushed past him and slumped onto the bed. “Why don’t you go and question him instead?”

“I’m sure he was just playing around with you.”

“You think locking me inside a cold, dark room is ‘playing around’?” Lucy questioned, unable to believe what she was hearing. “He knows I’m claustrophobic.”

“Stop making a fuss. I’m sure he didn’t think that far. He’s just a child.”

Lucy buried her face in the pillow, which quickly soaked up her tears. Only she knew what she had endured all night, and now she was being blamed for “making a fuss.”

“It’s alright. I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” Marcus said dismissively. “Please freshen up quickly. You need to make breakfast.”