Chapter 3

"Do you even know what happened to me today..." I cried.

But someone cut in, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Brooks. It's all my fault."

Emily stood up so abruptly, her face drained of color as she bowed and apologized.

"I was stupid. I shouldn't have messed around with Professor Brooks. Please don't blame him," Emily added.

Leonard looked conflicted, but he stepped in front of Emily, shielding her from me.

He turned his head away, refusing to meet my eyes, his voice colder than ever. "Sarah, that's enough. Stop pushing her."

I stumbled back in disbelief. "Me? Pushing her? Seriously, Leonard?

"Have you forgotten who your wife is?"

But then, as if something snapped in her, Emily suddenly threw herself in front of me, dropping to her knees and slapping herself over and over.

She cried, "Mrs. Brooks, it's all my fault.

"I shouldn't have let the guys save me. I should've stayed down there, out of your sight, sleeping with the dead."

Leonard sobered up instantly. He shoved me aside and pulled Emily into his arms, holding her close and whispering comfort. "Em, it's okay. It's all over now.

"The Old Witch won't ever hurt you again."

Emily's friends, all riled up and furious, started ganging up and complaining to Leonard.

"I knew it. There's no way Em would get lost and locked up. Turns out it was Mrs. Brooks stirring up trouble behind the scenes," one of them snapped.

"Mrs. Brooks, you're way out of line. Making Em do all the chores is bad enough, but you're always yelling at her too. That's straight-up emotional abuse," another piped up.

"Honestly, it's some bitter woman who can't have kids, jealous because Professor Brooks likes Em better," someone else sneered.

"Enough. She's still your professor's wife," Leonard snapped, his voice sharp with authority.

I felt a flicker of hope, thinking he'd finally stand up for me.

But Leonard looked at me, his eyes full of disappointment. "Sarah, I can't believe this is how you treat your students.

"Go home. You're not needed for the Royal Tomb dig anymore."

With that, he took Emily and led her upstairs.

My heart sank.

"I didn't," I blurted out.

Without thinking, I tried to run after them, but one of the pissed-off students yanked me back and threw me to the floor.

"Professor Brooks already said he doesn't want you here. Why are you still trying to butt in? How shameless can you get?" one of them sneered.

A sharp pain shot through my tailbone. "Ah. Leonard."

I screamed after them, desperate to get their attention.

Leonard paused for a moment on the stairs, his eyes tight with restraint, his knuckles white from clenching his fists. But he didn't look back.

Jessica and her crew, faces twisted with rage, yanked my hair and dragged me out into the pouring rain.

"You always loved picking on Em. What did she ever do to deserve you bullying her like this?" Jessica spat.

I glared at them, teeth clenched. Some of them were the same ones who'd gone into the tomb with me today.

"Are you crazy? You actually hit me? Aren't you afraid I'll call the cops?" I shouted.

Michael Lewis let out a cold laugh. "The cameras are busted. Who's gonna know it was us?"

There was something off about his eyes, almost unsettling.

"Since you love picking on Em so much, let's see how you like being locked underground yourself," he sneered.

Before I could even figure out what they meant, three of them slapped a hand over my mouth, grabbed my arms and forced them behind my back, then shoved me into the car.

Right before they took me away, I struggled to look up at the brightly lit second floor window. But when I saw two figures locked in a tight embrace, the shock hit me so hard I stopped struggling altogether.

The curtains were wide open, and I caught Leonard giving me a cold, emotionless look.

He turned away, like he was letting it happen, and turned off the lights.

It wasn't until I was shoved back into that claustrophobic tomb that reality hit me hard. Terror took over, and I scrambled, kicking and clawing desperately to escape.

"What are you doing? I've never wronged any of you. Why are you all ganging up on me?" I screamed, my voice trembling with fear.

Michael's hands were like steel clamps, pinning me down as he forced me into the coffin without mercy.

"It's your own fault for bullying Em. She's so pure and kind. If we don't teach you a lesson, you'll never stop," he spat.

I gripped the edge of the coffin for dear life, trying to pull myself out, my eyes burning with rage as I yelled, "I told you, it was an accident."

But they showed no mercy, prying my fingers off one by one. A sudden, stabbing pain twisted in my stomach, leaving me even paler.

I was overwhelmed by despair. "If Leonard Brooks finds out, you're all getting expelled," I shouted, my voice trembling.

But Jessica crossed her arms and let out a mocking laugh. "Professor Brooks? You really think he didn't notice when we shoved you into that coffin today?"

Her words echoed through the empty tomb, like the devil whispering in the dark.

"He's letting us take revenge for Em. He heard our plan before we even came down into the tomb, and he didn't stop us," she sneered.

"No, that's impossible," I shouted, my voice shaking.

"Oh, really? Then why did he only give you those hand warmers today, and never before? Did you honestly think closing the coffin meant no one could hear you screaming? Did anyone even bother to help you?" Jessica sneered.

The coffin lid slammed shut, plunging me into darkness. I collapsed to the floor, all my strength gone.

My heart felt completely numb, like I couldn't even feel pain anymore.

Leonard's cold, indifferent eyes kept replaying in my mind.

It hit me that he knew everything. He was punishing me for what I did to Emily, too.

This time, I didn't fight back. I curled up in the coffin, hugging myself tightly.

Then, my phone suddenly lit up. On the screen was a photo of me and Leonard, taken right after we graduated. It was the first time we ever climbed out of a tomb together.

Back then, Leonard was always glued to my side whether we were surveying artifacts or sweeping dust off the site. He never left me for a second. Everyone used to joke that we were like conjoined twins.

But after Emily joined the team, everything changed.

My tears splashed onto the screen.

Curled up next to the dried-up corpse, I typed out [Divorce Agreement] on my phone, each word feeling like a nail in the coffin.

The chill from the tomb crept right into me, and my stomach felt like a thousand knives twisting inside. Suddenly, a warm rush spread between my legs.

I thought, Leonard, we were truly finished.

The next moment, the coffin lid was yanked open. A figure leaned in, head tilted, a mocking grin on their face.

"Hey, Miss? Sleeping in a coffin? That's not exactly a healthy habit," he teased.