Heart of Betrayal Season 1–Chapter 1
After I demanded an apology from Arthur’s foster sister for jabbing a needle into my arm for half an hour, pretending it was an injection, my private photos were leaked online the next day, selling for just six dollars each.
Clutching my bruised and swollen hand, I went to find Arthur, only to stumble upon his voice outside a hotel’s hourly room, mingling with laughter.
“Hey, anyone wants a pair of Beatrice’s bunnies?”
“I do, I do! Arthur, you’re too generous, letting the brothers feast their eyes like this!”
“By the way, Arthur, aren’t you worried that after spreading Beatrice’s private photos all over the internet, she’ll break up with you or cause a scene?”
Arthur chuckled lazily, picking up a poker chip imprinted with a photo of my collarbone.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it onto the table.
“Would she dare? The whole world has already seen her bare body. Now, she’s probably desperate for me to marry her just to salvage her dignity. How could she possibly break up with me or make a fuss?”
The room filled with crude, vulgar laughter.
“So, Arthur, are you actually going to marry her? If not, once you’re done with her, why not let us have a turn? By the way, what did Beatrice even do to deserve this?”
Arthur, who had been lounging with an air of indifference, suddenly sat up straighter. His voice turned cold with disdain.
*She threw a tantrum just because Isla poked her a few extra times during an injection. She knows Isla is still an intern, yet she has the audacity to demand an apology and humiliate her. She needed to be put in her place. Otherwise, she might start thinking she’s someone important.”
A photo of me, bare, exposed, landed on the table with a dull thud. My breath caught in my throat.
“Hey, Arthur, what made you price the photos at six dollars each? That’s way too cheap!! could buy the whole damn set for a hundred bucks. Even a single rose on the street costs more than that!”
Arthur curled his lips in disdain.
“I want everyone to know that Beatrice isn’t even worth a cheap rose from the street. She enjoys humiliating Isla, doesn’t she? Well, let’s see how she likes being on the receiving end.”
As if struck by a sudden thought, he pulled out his phone and unlocked it.
Heart of Betnaval Season 1–Chapter
N
A second later, fragmented, broken sounds spilled from the speaker
“I’ve got videos and recordings, too. How about 7.9 dollars per clip? Who’s intereset?
like a second skin. My fingers shook as I dialed my parents‘ number, my last lifeline. Because of their work, they left every three years for classified research abroad, unreachable by anyone.
But today, of all days, their experiment had just ended.
The moment the call connected, their familiar voices broke through my fragile composue, shattering the dam I had desperately tried to hold.
I cried until my chest ached and my sobs turned silent. Then, with trembling fingers, 1 wiped my tears away.
“Mom, Dad… I’ve made my decision. I want to join you in your research. I want to do something meaningful with my life.”
Before, I had let Arthur’s whims dictate my choices. A simple complaint, a careless “I don’t want you too far from me. I’d be miserable without you.” and I had abandoned my dream without hesitation.
But now, I was done sacrificing myself for a love that never existed.
I had convinced myself that as long as my relationship with Arthur remained steady, it wouldn’t be so bad to build a future with him.
But I had been a fool.
He never loved me.
Someone who truly loved me would never stand by and let me be humiliated, reduced to nothing more than a passing joke for others to sneer at.
I had been blind and naïve.
But at least I still had a way out.
I numbly made my way back to my apartment. The moment I stepped inside, the cold emptiness hit me; Arthur hadn’t been back.
The smart home system detected the harsh glare of the outside light and without hesitation, the curtains slid shut. Shadows swallowed the room, deepening the exhaustion pressing down on me.
I sank onto the carpet, my body heavy with weariness.
I wanted to cry, but no tears came.
Then, a sharp ringtone shattered the silence.
I glanced at the screen. Arthur.
I answered.
“Where are you?”
I parted my lips, but my throat was so dry it burned.
