Chapter 18 Chapter 18.

Chapter 18 Chapter 18.
(Rebecca)

My phone erupted with its shrill ring, slicing through the tranquility of my sleep. Groggily, I reached for it perched on the locker, my eyes barely open, and let out a resigned sigh when I recognized the caller ID.

“Hi, sis,” I answered warily.

“Come home now,” Rahab ordered, her voice sharp, and then hung up with a click that echoed in my stunned mind.

What was that about? I thought to myself, confusion swirling like a storm inside me.

I didn’t hesitate to dial her number again, frustration mounting. She picked up on the third ring, her tone just as irritated. “What?” she snapped.

“What’s going on? Let's talk about this,” I offered, trying to keep my voice steady. “I can’t just come home now.”

“Well, of course, you can’t. Not after what you’ve done,” she shot back, venom lacing her words.

What have I done?

“Really, Rahab, what is going on?” I pressed, my heart racing.

"Quit pretending, please," she said curtly.

"Fine, I’ll come home,” I relented, the weight of her tone pressing heavily on my chest. “But I need money for transportation.”

A groan of annoyance slipped through the line before she hung up again. Mimicking her exasperation, I rolled my eyes, feeling like I was dealing with a child.

Moments later, my phone pinged with a notification. Glancing down, I saw it was a credit alert from my sister. I couldn’t help but chuckle, appreciating her begrudging kindness.

But then another notification flashed across the screen, and my stomach dropped. My heart raced as I stared in disbelief—my pictures and videos from yesterday in the game house were everywhere. All the activities, every embarrassing moment, including the kiss with Lucian, were plastered across the internet.

My hands trembled as I struggled to comprehend the onslaught of headlines and comments.

“Rebecca Clement, daughter of Dr. Raphael Clement, involved in the Temptation Trial.”

“The Saint versus The Devil.”

“Such a shameless girl.”

“A disgrace to the Christian community.”

“Her parents are hypocrites; they couldn’t even raise their daughter properly.”

“The Devil’s bride.”

Each scroll brought a fresh dagger to my chest — screenshots, clips, slow-motion replays, even freeze-frames with arrows and captions. The kiss with Lucian was everywhere.

It was all there, raw, exposed, and utterly damning.

I covered my mouth as a sob escaped, muffled and broken. My hands shook violently as I picked up the phone again. My fingers could barely unlock the screen. Messages were already flooding in, some from close friends, some from anonymous numbers. Some were laughing. Others were vulgar. A few were even threatening.

But what pierced me the most… was the message from my father.

Dad: I want to see you at home now. Immediately.

Just nine words. No anger. No accusations. Just... finality. And that scared me more than anything.

The walls suddenly felt like they were closing in. The air thinned. The room spun. I wanted to scream, to throw the phone, to wake up from this nightmare, but everything was real.

At last, I found my way out of bed and got ready for the day, my mind a swirling chaos. With hesitant steps, I shuffled out of the game house, desperately hoping no one would see me, and thankfully no one did.

Wrapping myself in a veil, I navigated the outside world with a strange mix of urgency and dread, finally boarding a cab to my family’s house. Each bump in the road felt like a reminder of the storm brewing in my heart.

As I arrived, I found my family gathered in the living room, an atmosphere thick with tension. Only Dad was absent, and the weight of his absence pressed heavily on my chest.

When my gaze met my mother’s, she rose from her seat, her expression hardening. “Hi, Mom,” I ventured, but the warmth I sought was shattered by a resounding slap that sent my head spinning.

My trembling hand instinctively moved to touch the sting on my cheek as tears brimmed in my eyes. “Mom,” I called again, but another tight slap met my other cheek, silencing my plea.

“Don’t you ever call me that again!” she spat, her voice edged with fury. “My daughter would never bring such shame!”

My chest tightened as Dad’s stern voice echoed down the stairs, calling my name. “Rebecca.”

I trembled, realizing the reckoning I had tried so hard to avoid had finally arrived. The situation, the program, it was all public, a live stream of my humiliation exposed to the world.

“How dare you bring shame to my name?” Dad’s voice was low, a warning that sent chills down my spine.

“I...I’m sorry,” I managed, tears streaming down my face, an anguished knot in my throat.

“Sorry?” He let out a short, humorless laugh. “Will ‘sorry’ repair the damage you’ve done? Will it cleanse the dirt you’ve put on my name?”

“I know but you guys were never supposed to find out, at least not now,” I confessed, my voice cracking.

“What do you mean ‘never supposed to find out’?” My older brother, Reuben, interjected, confusion etching his features. “What are you talking about?”

I took a deep breath, gathering my courage to spill the truth that had been choking me. “I’m in a huge debt, and there’s no quicker way to clear it than through the Temptation Trial,” I said, my voice trembling.

Rahab furrowed her brow. “Huge debt? What kind of debt?”

“A loan,” I muttered.

“How much?” Reuben pressed, his expression shifting from confusion to concern.

“And why on earth would you take out a loan?” Rahab added, frustration evident in her tone.

I inhaled sharply, the weight of the revelation heavy on my chest. “Ten billion dollars,” I finally admitted, the bombshell echoing against the walls of our supposed sanctuary.

An oppressive silence engulfed the room. Then, Reuben broke it with a harsh laugh, soon joined by Rahab, both of them treating my worst fear as a joke.

"This girl is nuts!" Reuben chuckled.

"Totally," Rahab agreed, as if we were kids sharing a moment of harmless mischief.

“Mom, Dad, you should really check on Rebecca," Reuben said, laughter still bubbling in his voice. “She clearly needs a serious reality check.”

At last, my mother’s eyes narrowed, her voice sharp. “Enough with your games. Speak the truth. What drove you into this mess?”

Frustration surged through me as I ran my fingers through my hair. “I told you. I need to pay off this debt, ten billion dollars.”

My mother laughed, a humorless sound dripping with disbelief. “Ten billion dollars?! Rebecca, have you lost your mind?”

Rahab jumped to her feet, incredulous. “What on earth did you spend that money on?”

“I had to settle another debt,” was all I could muster.

“Another debt?” Rahab’s eyes widened. “What did you do, Rebecca?”

Feeling the weight of their judgment on my shoulders, I let out a heavy sigh. My heart raced as I prepared for the storm to come. “Two years ago, I went to a friend’s party and got drunk—unintentionally, I swear. In that haze, I ended up in a gambling game and somehow lost two billion dollars. I managed the company’s account, so I transferred the money directly to the winner, not aware that it was the wrong account. Later in my sober state, I realized my mistake and due to the winner's threats, I had to make another deposit of two billion dollars into the right account. My company discovered, I got fired and was asked to pay up the money. To pay up, I got into more debts by taking loans from the bank, and loan sharks and that's how I arrived at the debt of ten billion dollars now."

Another round of silence engulfed the room at the end of my narration, before they all chorused, “You did what?!”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” I replied, my voice trembling with genuine regret.

My dad’s laughter filled the space, a sound devoid of any humor. He pointed an index finger at me, the tremor in his hand betraying barely contained rage. “You’re disowned,” he declared, the weight of his words echoing in my ears.

“What?” Reuben sprang to his feet, disbelief etched across his face.

“Dad,” Rebecca interjected, voice thick with anxiety.

“You are no longer my child. My child will never commit the sins you have, and these sins cannot be redeemed. At least not by me,” my dad spat venomously.

I scoffed, the sound bitter on my tongue, before it morphed into a hollow laugh. “I expected this. I knew this would be your reaction, disowning me. It was a foregone conclusion.”

“You should be grateful I didn’t end your life myself,” he said, hatred burning in his eyes.

“And you’re going to regret that,” I retorted, fury igniting my heart.

“Rebecca!” My mom’s voice rose sharply, her hand raised as if to strike me once more.

“Go ahead,” I challenged her, unflinching. “That’s what you do best—hit me. It’s all you've done all my life. You've never shown me the love I craved.”

“None of you,” I added, my gaze sweeping across all of them, filled with resentment and sorrow.

“So thank you for the freedom, Dad,” I said, my voice thick with rising emotion. “Uhh, I meant to say thank you for the freedom, Mr. Clement.”

“I don’t want your redemption,” I continued, my tone laced with defiance. “I don’t need any of you hypocritical atonement.”

“Rebecca!” Rahab shouted, her hand raised to strike, but I caught her wrist midair, my grip firm and unyielding.

“You’re not my sister anymore,” I said coldly, flinging her hand down. “So watch what you do or say to me, because I will not let it slide.”

With that, I turned on my heel and began to walk out of the house, but a sudden urge made me pause and face them one last time. “Remember this moment you all b
ecause I will never forget it."

I turned again and made my way out of the house, my heart burning with both anger and pain as tears stung my eyes.