𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 | (𝐆)𝐈-𝐃𝐋𝐄

𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞

𝖲𝖾𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗅 𝗍𝗈 𝖮𝗇𝖾 𝖭𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖽

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Shuhua stirred awake in a room she didn’t recognize.

Her eyes scanned the space, taking in its ornate architecture—vaulted ceilings, marble pillars, damask wallpaper, and paintings that looked like they belonged in a museum. A grand crystal chandelier hung above her, and soft lighting from elegant bedside lamps cast a golden glow. The bed beneath her was massive, crowned with a gold-accented floral headboard and draped in a subtle canopy.

She sat up slowly, a wave of confusion hitting her. She had no memory of how she ended up here. The last thing she remembered was drinking—too much—at the bar. She had been trying to numb her heartbreak.

There was a woman she vaguely recalled meeting, a brunette, but her memory was foggy. She couldn't even remember her face.

As the initial confusion faded, something else hit her—hard. She was naked under the sheets.

Her breath caught.

She stared at her body, the room, the floor where her clothes lay in scattered pieces. Her stomach twisted.

Alcohol had blurred her boundaries, and now she was facing the aftermath of something she hadn’t consented to in full awareness. It wasn’t the fact that she’d been with a stranger that stung the most—it was that she had always promised herself that she would only give herself fully to someone who loved her back.

She thought, maybe—just maybe—that person would be Minnie.

But Minnie didn’t love her. She never had.

Still, Shuhua had been ready to let go of the dream and move on. What crushed her now wasn’t heartbreak—it was shame. She didn’t even know who she’d been with. She didn’t even know if it had been a man or a woman.

That single terrifying thought made her chest tighten.

No. She knew who she was. She would never give herself to a man. She couldn’t. Not after everything she’d been through.

Panicking, she jumped out of bed and gathered her clothes as quickly as she could. She found her phone on the nightstand and breathed a small sigh of relief. Her things hadn’t been taken or touched. Her white sling bag still held her wallet and ID, and her stilettos sat abandoned in a corner.

But that relief didn’t last.

When she opened the bedroom door, her eyes widened in disbelief.

This wasn’t an apartment. Or a hotel. This was… a castle.

A split grand staircase led down into a lavish foyer, flanked by gold-trimmed columns and polished marble floors. Light poured in through high windows, catching on chandeliers and sparkling fixtures. The scale of it all made her feel even smaller.

Still barefoot, Shuhua tiptoed through the grand halls. It felt like walking through a dream. Or a trap.

She didn’t see anyone—until she reached the massive front doors and went to open them.