Charlene's eyes slowly opened. At first, everything was white. A white ceiling. White lights. White curtains gently swaying in the cold air from the air conditioner. A soft machine beeped beside her, steady and rhythmic, reminding her that she was awake, that she was still alive. But when she tried to breathe deeply, her chest felt painfully heavy, as if something was pressing down on it.
"Ma'am… she's awake."
Charlene winced slightly at the nurse's voice. She turned her head slowly, forcing air into her lungs. "W-what…" Her throat was dry and rough. "What happened?"
"You had a panic attack," the nurse said gently. "You lost consciousness."
The memory rushed back to her—the dark room, the door slamming shut, the suffocating lack of air, the voices that felt like they were closing in on her. Her trauma. Her heart began to pound as if she were still trapped there.
"Try not to move too much," the nurse added. "Your heart rate is still unstable."
She struggled to calm herself before turning to the side. Kerill stood there with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. He didn't move closer. A doctor entered, checked the monitors, then faced him.
"Sir," the doctor said seriously, "the patient suffered a severe panic attack. Her reaction wasn't normal. It was caused by trauma."
"Explain," Kerill said coldly.
"People who have experienced extreme fear in the past can react this way," the doctor explained. "Being locked in a dark, confined space triggered something in her. If that happens again, her breathing could fail. It could be life-threatening."
Kerill said nothing, so the doctor continued. "Whoever locked her inside that room put her in serious danger."
Kerill nodded once. "She needs rest. Avoid stress and anything that could trigger another attack," the doctor said before leaving.
Kerill didn't react even after the doctor was gone. He simply glanced at Charlene before walking out into the hallway, where the children were waiting. The twins, Lily and Erica, sat side by side on the bench, their heads lowered. The hallway was silent.
"Stand up," Kerill ordered.
They obeyed at once.
"What did you do?"
No one answered.
"Answer me."
Lily and Wency looked at each other.
"We just wanted to scare her," Lily said flatly.
"We didn't think she'd faint," Wency added.
There was no regret in their eyes, though their hands were trembling slightly—something Kerill didn't notice.
"You locked her in a dark room," he said coldly. "You disobeyed."
The three of them stayed silent while Erica stared ahead. "Go to your rooms. No gadgets. You're not allowed to leave until I say so."
"Okay," they said together and walked away.
When Kerill turned around, Charlene was already standing there. She had heard everything. One hand held onto the IV stand to keep herself steady.
"Sir…" Charlene said softly. "Please don't be too hard on them." They had done something wrong, something dangerous, but they were still just children. They needed patience.
"Charlene," Kerill replied coldly, "this doesn't concern you."
"They're just kids," she insisted, her voice trembling.
"That's irrelevant," he said. "What matters is what they did. You were the one who said they needed discipline. Now that I did it, you're angry?"
"But—"
"Rest," he cut her off. "Don't do anything unnecessary."
That was all he said. No emotion. As if he didn't care at all, just like always. Charlene suddenly felt completely alone, as if she had no one on her side inside that mansion.