Mrs. Yu's grip was like iron, her fingers digging sharply into Karina's wrist as she dragged her down the hall.

Karina stumbled, her feet barely keeping up as she tried to blink away the tears clouding her vision. Every step felt like it echoed, each one louder than the last, until they reached her bedroom door.

Without warning, her mother pushed her inside with such force that Karina stumbled, nearly falling forward, barely catching herself on the edge of her bed.

Mrs. Yu stood in the doorway, her face twisted in fury.

"Do you have any idea what you've done to this family, Karina?" she hissed, her voice barely controlled, but each word laced with venom.

"Do you even care about the shame you've brought upon us?" Her voice shook, raw with a depth of anger that seemed to pulse through the room, filling every corner.

Karina could only look up at her mother, her eyes rimmed red and brimming with fresh tears. She wanted to explain, to somehow make her mother understand, but her throat felt too tight to form words. She shook her head slightly, her mouth opening and closing in helplessness.

"No? Then maybe you'd rather kill me than drag our name through the mud like this." Mrs. Yu's voice was harsh, almost breaking, as if her anger barely held back an even deeper pain. She gestured wildly, her hands shaking as she continued.

"All these years... all these years I raised you, sacrificed for you-and this is what you repay me with? Shame? Humiliation?"

Karina's chest tightened, her whole body shrinking under her mother's scorn.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I didn't mean to-"

"Didn't mean to?" Mrs. Yu cut her off, her laugh bitter and hollow.

"Then what was it, Jimin? You didn't think about us at all, did you?" Her mother's gaze shifted, hardening further.

"From this moment on, you will not leave this room until you've come to your senses and forgotten about that... that stupid kid."

Karina's heart clenched, and before she could stop herself, she muttered,

"She's not stupid." Her voice was barely a whisper, but Mrs. Yu's eyes flashed.

"Enough!" Mrs. Yu snapped, and with one swift motion, she turned and slammed the door shut, the lock clicking into place with finality.

Karina flinched, the sound echoing in the silence. She stood there for a moment, rooted to the spot, staring at the closed door as the reality sank in.

Karina's knees buckled, and she sank to the floor, curling into a tight ball. She buried her face in her hands, and tears streamed down her face. Her shoulders shook as the weight of everything settled over her.

Outside, Yun's voice was faintly audible, laced with confusion and concern. But Mrs. Yu's response was firm and unwavering.

The footsteps receded, leaving behind an oppressive silence that pressed down on Karina's small room. She curled up on her bed, clutching a pillow as she buried her face in its softness. Her fingers twisted around its edges as if seeking comfort.

Each sob sounded raw and jagged, amplifying the silence. Her body trembled with each breath as she struggled to make sense of her emotions.

The betrayal, hurt, and love she felt for Winter that her mother couldn't-or wouldn't-understand. How has everything come to this?

_

Winter stood frozen, her tear-streaked face illuminated by the dim light of the room. She didn't sob, didn't make a sound-her tears fell silently, one after the other, tracing a path down her flushed cheeks.

Her wide eyes remained fixed on the door, her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out. It was as if her voice, her will, her very essence had been ripped away in the span of a moment. Karina... gone.

Her love, her life, her happiness-wrenched away by forces she couldn't fight, forces she could never control.

Ryujin stepped forward quickly, pulling Winter into a firm embrace. She rubbed Winter's back gently, whispering, "It's okay, Winter. You're not alone. We'll figure this out."

But Winter didn't move, her body stiff and unresponsive, as though she couldn't even register Ryujin's comfort. Her gaze remained fixed on the door, her tears falling like quietly.

Across the room, Yeji sat heavily on her bed, guilt etched across her face. Her fingers fidgeted in her lap, her breaths shallow and uneven.

"I... I didn't want to open the door," she lowering her head, the weight of her choice pressing down on her.

She knew it wasn't her fault-not really-but the fact that she had opened the door still made her feel complicit. If only she had hesitated, maybe Mrs. Yu wouldn't have barged in, maybe things could've played out differently. But there was no going back now, no undoing the damage.

Meanwhile, Lia knelt on the floor, carefully gathering the scattered photographs that Mrs. Yu had thrown down in anger. Her brow furrowed as she flipped through the pictures, one by one.

The images felt invasive, too intimate. She saw moments that were private and special: Karina and Winter holding hands during a late-night date, sitting close at the college campus, and even their recent getaway to the coastal town.

Lia's fingers paused on a particularly candid photo of Karina kissing Winter's cheek under the soft glow of a streetlamp. A sharp crease formed between her brows as realization started to dawn on her.

These moments weren't just private-they were too private. Someone had been watching them, capturing these moments from afar.

She scratched her head, her mind racing.

"Guys," she called out, her voice serious, snapping the others out of their despair. Lia held up the photos, her expression grim.

"These pictures... they don't make sense. How would Mrs. Yu even get her hands on them? And look at this-this is from the trip they just got back from. These were taken without them knowing. Someone's been following them."

Ryujin's hold on Winter loosened slightly as she turned her head toward Lia. Yeji looked up sharply, her eyes widening.

Winter blinked slowly, her expression blank, but Lia's words seemed to cut through the haze just a little. A flicker of something-anger, realization, or fear-crossed her tear-streaked face.

Lia continued, her voice steady but laced with unease.

"This wasn't just Mrs. Yu keeping tabs on Karina. This is someone else entirely. And whoever it is... they've been watching for a long time."

The room fell silent, the weight of Lia's discovery settling heavily on them all.