Chapter 2

The rain kept drizzling, and the nonstop gloomy weather just screamed that autumn had officially taken over. Even the entire Bennett estate seemed weighed down by the bone-chilling damp. "Seriously, dragging on like half-dead is such a pain. Someone like her should've just stayed dead," Jane muttered, scowling as they reached the bedroom door. Ida wasn't having it either. "What can we do? Some people are just too stubborn to die. But that night was creepy-didn't the doctor say her heart had already stopped?" As they spoke, they pushed open the door. It was a cramped, tiny room, probably under ten square meters, with a narrow single bed covered in dirty, crumpled blankets. The whole space reeked with mold from disuse, cold and damp. They were both startled to find the bed empty. Then, as they looked up, they spotted a figure by the window-and let out a startled yelp. The room was dim. She stood there, motionless, a slender figure lost in thought. The gold bracelet on her wrist hung looser than it should. Her jet-black hair spilled over her shoulders like silk, framing a pale, delicate face-sharp features drained of colour, eyes like misted glass, wide and unreadable. She looked like a painting left too long in the cold-faded, fragile, and not quite real. The sound of the maids snapped her out of her daze. Slowly, she turned around-her gaze piercing, detached, eerily calm. A chill ran down the maids' spines, and they both shuddered. Still rattled, Jane snapped and slammed a plate of leftover food on the table. "So you're finally awake, huh? You've been lying there like a queen for a month while we've been running around for you. Well, guess what? The easy life's over starting now! Get up and get to work!" Ida chimed in with a sneer. "What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear? You're lower than low in the Bennett house now. After what you did, heck, you should've stayed dead-it would've spared us the trouble. Alive? What a joke. Your life's about to get worse than hell." The two of them took turns lashing out with their words, but Sabrina didn't react. Her eyes locked onto the food like nothing else existed. She was beyond hungry. Stumbling forward, she reached out to grab it-but then Ida rolled her eyes and swept the plate off the table. Still, Sabrina said nothing. She dropped to the ground, scooped the food straight off the floor, and started shoving it into her mouth with both hands-eating like it was the only thing that mattered. Jane clicked her tongue in disgust. "Unbelievable. You used to be Mrs. Bennett, and now look at you-crawling on the floor like a stray. You ran off with some guy, and what'd that get you? The guy bailed, and you're nothing but trash to Mr. Bennett now." The cold food hurt going down, but at least it filled her belly. That alone let Sabrina feel something solid-something real. She had just enough strength to start thinking again. Mrs. Bennett? Ran off with some random guy? Beaten half to death? She forced herself to recall what the maids had said, trying to piece together the fragments-but her head was just a swirling mess. She couldn't even remember her own name. It was all blank. Seeing her just stand there stunned, Ida walked over and kicked the empty plate. "What, suddenly deaf? I said clean all the floors and furniture in the living room-no sleep till it's done!" The shouting only made her head pound harder. Pressing her fingers against her temples, Sabrina shot them a glare, her sharp gaze cutting through the darkness. Outside, the mist clung to the windows, and she looked more like a ghost than anything living-pale, hollow, and still. The memory of her coming back from the dead clearly flashed through their minds. Uneasy, both maids felt a new chill creeping up their spine. "You don't wanna work? Fine. Get beaten again-your choice!" "Yeah, go ahead and ruin yourself, but don't come crying to us." And with that, both women scurried out. The room was thick with damp air, hard to even breathe in. Sabrina pushed open the window, drawing in the sharp, cold air outside. She took a long breath, letting the fog in her eyes settle just a little. Her fingers brushed over the bracelet at her wrist. Then, with a calmer look, she stepped out of the room.