My sister-in-law threw a bowl of soup at me, and the whole family laughed. They didn't know that the woman they were humiliating was the one who kept their business afloat. In one night… all three of their hotels closed simultaneously.

In one night… all three of his hotels closed at the same time.

The moment the boiling broth fell on my head, the first thing to disappear wasn't the pain... it was the sound of my own voice. As if someone had turned something off inside me. All that remained was laughter. Not just one laugh. Many. Too many. An entire table laughing at me.

My dream burst into laughter.
My mother-in-law covered her mouth, but her shoulders were trembling.
My sister-in-law didn't even try to hide it.
And my husband… my husband tried to hold it in, but the corner of his lips still lifted.

I remained standing.

Without moving.

The broth ran down my hair, sticky and hot, with that meaty smell that lingers on the skin. It trickled down my forehead, my cheeks, my neck. My eyes burned. I couldn't open them properly.

But there was no need to see.

I could feel their stares.

Like needles.