Isla peeked out from behind her; her smile was pure, innocent and deceptive.

"What are you guys doing? You’re scaring my future sister-in-law!"

With a forceful tug, she yanked me from the doorway, dragging me into the center of the private room. The overhead light bore down on me, harsh and unrelenting, making me feel even more exposed.

I lifted my gaze straight to Arthur.

He sat in the corner, absentmindedly swirling the wine in his glass, his expression unreadable. His eyes skimmed lazily over the scene unfolding before him, detached, indifferent.

For a fleeting second, our eyes met.

And he smiled.

Soft. Familiar. Just as gentle as ever.

Yet it was this very man who had turned me into a rat, scurrying through the streets, drowning in disgrace.

A glass of wine appeared before me, cutting off my line of sight.

Isla’s bright smile was fixed on me, syrupy sweet, yet it sent ice through my veins.

"Sister Beatrice, about yesterday. I was careless with the injection and made you uncomfortable. I want to take this chance to apologize. If you drink this glass of wine, let’s call it even, okay?"

I let out a slow breath, my fingers curling at my sides.

"And what about those indecent photos online...?"

She feigned innocence, her delicate fingers scrolling across her phone screen before tilting it toward me. Her soft voice carried a deliberate hesitation, every word dripping with careful malice.

"By the way, sister-in-law, is this really you? If it is, then who took these photos…? You wouldn’t have done this behind my brother’s back, would you…?"

"But it doesn’t matter. I believe you and I’m sure my brother believes you too! Come on, drink up, Sister Beatrice. A drink can wash away all worries!"

The room burst into laughter, filled with whistles and jeers. Her carefree act had worked, stirring them up with ease. Even Arthur finally spoke, his voice tinged with helplessness but also amusement.

"Isla, don’t drink too much. You’re a nurse. You should know alcohol is bad for your health."

She pouted, eyes gleaming with amusement as she pushed the glass toward me once more.

"In that case, Sister Beatrice, please drink on my behalf."

The room quieted, every gaze landing on me, expectant.

I opened my mouth to refuse, but Arthur beat me to it. His voice was smooth, composed, yet absolute.

"Go ahead and drink. Consider it a sister-in-law covering for her little sister-in-law."

I froze.

The one being toasted was now drinking on behalf of the one making the toast; how laughable.

At last, I saw Arthur’s true face in this relationship.

All those moments when he seemed to put me first had never meant anything. He had never truly cared. That was why he never argued, never refused. It wasn’t a consideration. It was indifference.

Swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat, I took the glass.

"If I drink this, can I leave? I'm tired. I want to go home and rest."

Arthur hesitated, but at Isla’s quiet cough, he gave a nod.

The liquor burned as it slid down, scorching its way through me. My stomach twisted in protest, but I set the glass down and turned toward the door.

No one stopped me.

Fingers brushing the handle, I barely had a second to react before my body buckled, collapsing without warning.

The room erupted. Cheers, whistles, a frenzy of voices closing in around me.

A suffocating wave of discomfort crashed over me, my limbs trembling, my vision blurring at the edges. Even my breath came in ragged, uneven gasps.

Realization crashed over me like a tidal wave. Through the gaps in the crowd, my gaze locked onto Arthur, calmly peeling an orange for Isla as if nothing was amiss.

"You… you drugged me with them?"

A man crouched beside me, his presence suffocating. He took a slow drag from his cigarette before exhaling a thick ring of smoke into my face.

The cold metal of his lighter tapped against my cheek, once, twice. A taunting reminder of my powerlessness.

"This little concoction is called ‘Obedience Water.’ As the name suggests, once it’s in your system, you’ll follow every order given to you. Arthur went through quite the trouble to get it, all to make Isla happy."

His smirk deepened.

"After all, whose fault is it that you were blind enough to cross Isla? How many times have we warned you? Isla is Arthur’s most treasured person. But you just wouldn’t listen. You even had the audacity to make her cry and expect an apology from her?"

A sneer curled at the corner of his lips.

"Did you really think you deserved to hear an apology from Isla? You brought this on yourself. Now, let’s see just how obedient you can be… Sister-in-law."

The sharp whistles cut through the air, slicing into my eardrums like jagged glass. My body trembled uncontrollably.

"Come on, slut, bark like a dog for us!"

I bit down on my tongue until I tasted blood, fighting against the humiliation clawing at my throat. Desperation forced the words out of me.

"Arthur, please, take me to the hospital…"

“Don’t let them do this. Don’t let them strip away the last of my dignity.”

But his indifferent gaze met Isla’s gloating smile, severing the last thread of hope I clung to.

I barked. The broken sound escaped against my will and just before the world went black, I saw Arthur lift his glass, taking a slow sip, completely unfazed.

"Keep her clothes on. Don’t go too far."

"Relax, Arthur. Once the drug wears off, she won’t remember a thing."

When I woke, the sterile scent of antiseptic filled my nose. My body ached from head to toe, a lingering reminder of the night before.

Despair settled deep in my chest.

The door creaked open and Arthur stepped inside, his mask of gentleness back in place as if nothing had happened.

"Feeling better? You got drunk after just two sips last night. You scared me to death."

Behind him, Isla pouted, placing a cool hand on my forehead in feigned worry.

"Don’t worry, Arthur; Beatrice is fine now."

I stared at the ceiling, my mind a battlefield of fractured memories, each piece fitting together to form a nightmare I couldn’t escape.

The dress I had worn was gone, discarded, no doubt, after being ripped apart during that moment of pure degradation when I was forced to crawl and bark like a dog.

Arthur said something else, but his voice barely registered.

At some point, he finally left with Isla.

"Get some rest. I’ll check on you later. If you need anything, just tell Isla."

I lay there, rigid, staring at the ceiling as shame twisted like a knife in my chest. The memories clawed at me, each one more unbearable than the last.

After what felt like an eternity, I forced myself up, my limbs heavy with exhaustion.

I searched through the mess on the sofa, my fingers closing around my phone right beside the shredded remains of my dress.

A cold dread crept down my spine as I unlocked the screen.

Someone had leaked it.

The events of last night had been plastered online for the world to see.

The image of me on all fours, barking like a dog, was captured in perfect clarity. The half-torn dress, the jeering faces, the dim, mocking glow of the lights.

Although the post had been taken down, the damage had already been done.

Too many had seen it. Too many had saved it.

The original poster had even left a message: [DM me for the video.]

At the same time, my personal information had been exposed.

My phone buzzed relentlessly, a nonstop flood of filth infecting my screen like a virus. Calls came one after another, each shrill ring pounding against my skull.

"How much for one night?"

"Your location? Where can I find you?"

"Is it free?"

"Is there a follow-up? Can you handle so many at once? Such a slut."

My fingers trembled as I scrolled through the onslaught of vile messages, nausea twisting my stomach. My vision blurred, not from tears but from sheer exhaustion.

Without hesitation, I grabbed my ruined dress, wrapped it around my phone and hurled both into the trash can in the bathroom.

Before leaving the hospital, I borrowed a hat from a cleaning lady, pulling it low over my face.

I didn’t dare take a taxi.

The thought of a stranger recognizing me, of seeing that same sickening amusement in their eyes, made my skin crawl.

So I walked.

Three kilometers.

Every step was heavy, my legs weak, but I kept going, one foot in front of the other, until I reached my apartment.

Once inside, I dug out my old backup phone, my hands shaking as I dialed my parents.

The moment they picked up, I could hear the tension in their voices.

My throat tightened. My heart ached. But not a single tear fell.

"Mom, Dad… has my application been approved? Can I come to you now?"

I couldn’t stay here any longer.

Silence stretched between us. Maybe they had already seen what was circulating back home. Maybe they knew just how far the humiliation had spread.

I felt like a prisoner, dragged into the town square for execution, stripped bare, forced to endure the mockery and jeers of an unforgiving world, robbed of dignity, of humanity.

Then, at last, my mother spoke.

"Come to us, sweetheart. We’ll take care of everything."

Before boarding my flight, my phone rang again, slicing through my thoughts like a blade.

The caller ID flashed.

I blocked the number without hesitation and shut off my phone.

I was done.

I had successfully severed myself from the chaos. With my phone turned off, I remained blissfully unaware that the hospital had plunged into turmoil.

Meanwhile, Arthur sat on the empty hospital bed, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot. The air was thick with tension as everyone who had been present last night stood on edge, trembling, including Isla.

Time dragged on before the man who had restrained my wrist yesterday finally burst into the room, panting heavily.

"Arthur… Arthur, this is bad! I asked around and it turns out the drug you used doesn’t actually erase memories after it wears off! I think we might have gone too far!"