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Yildiz narrowed her brows and asked, "What happens now? He loves Lisa, yet he's forced to marry her sister." It was an extremely difficult situation for Yusuf. Su nodded, agreeing with her sister. "Yes, an absolute bind! That witch Maria did whatever it took to keep the man captive. When she drugged Yusuf and crawled into his bed, my stomach literally turned. I felt nauseated during that scene with that woman. Poor Yusuf wasn't even in his right mind, he mistook Maria for Lisa. Frankly, even if he were sober, whether Lisa was there or not, he never would have touched her; it went completely against his nature. If you could only see his remorse at the end of that day, sister... He shattered so badly he couldn't recover for a long time."

Yildiz nodded sadly. It was genuinely a harsh plight for Yusuf. The fact that it was fiction brought her comfort; if something like this happened in real life, she would have been devastated. Thank goodness it was just a work of fiction.

"Oh God, if that witch Maria ever falls into my hands, just falls into my hands! I'll tear those broomstick hairs out strand by strand!"

Yildiz giggled at these words, her smile broadening as she said, "You do realize she's just a book character, right?" Su rolled her eyes at her sister's question. Of course she realized it, but that didn't stop her anger.

"I know, of course, sister. I'm just speaking hypothetically. If someone like that existed in real life, I'd skin her alive. I'd do what Lisa couldn't and slap her right across the face." She spoke with a chuckle, getting increasingly carried away. Yildiz laughed at her sister's remarks as well, then got up from where she lay and gently took the book from her sister's hands. Without giving Su a chance to object, she placed it on the bookshelf.

"I think that's enough for today. If you keep reading, sleep won't visit your eyes tonight. You have a midterm exam tomorrow, and you haven't opened a book yet because you've been reading!"

She grumbled, "Come on, sister, it stopped at the most exciting part! Maria and Yusuf were about to get married right then and there." She knew her sister was right; tomorrow was a midterm exam for a very crucial subject, and she had gotten lost in reading the novel instead of studying. She had started reading with the mindset that she'd read for half an hour then study, but she couldn't tear herself away from the book. Midnight was fast approaching, and she hadn't studied a single word. She had made a massive mistake.

"You know you won't hear the end of it from dad if your grade comes out low, right?" Her shoulders slumped at her sister's question, and she stretched out on the bed. A severe scolding awaited her after the exam. Oh, why had she gotten so carried away with reading! She hadn't even opened a textbook for a whole week. She had constantly gone out with friends and read books, planning to study on the last day, but got sucked into reading instead.

She retorted sarcastically, "I know, how could I not know?" She loathed her father's excessive authoritarianism regarding academics; he was obsessed with his daughters' success and never left them alone. He constantly issued directives and refused to compromise on his pressure in this regard. Su was utterly sick of it; the moment she heard an action commanded by someone else, her desire to do it vanished completely.

Yildiz said optimistically, "Anyway, nothing can be done now. I just hope the exam comes from what you actually know." Su had done everything except study, so wishing for luck was all she had left. Su shrugged her shoulders; she was going to get yelled at either way. She tightly hugged her plush teddy bear, a childhood habit.

"I'm sleepy. I hope I dream of my brave Yusuf," she said with admiration. Reading about Yusuf made her admire him deeply, and she felt a bitter ache that a man like him only existed in fiction. Why did such men only exist in books? Why couldn't Yusuf be real? Sadly, he was merely a paper character. Amidst this ocean of thoughts, Su cast herself into the arms of sleep.

When she opened her eyes, a vast beam of light greeted her. Several women stood over her head, one of them weeping in a way she couldn't quite comprehend. Su couldn't understand why these women were hovering above her at first. As her eyes swept rapidly across the room, she found herself in a completely unfamiliar chamber. The room she was in bore zero resemblance to her own bedroom. Where was she, and why were these strangers looming over her?

She tried to sit up in a panic, but a hand pressed against her belly forced her back down onto the bed. Her eyes widened in shock as she slowly began to realize her situation.

A woman was inspecting between her thighs, looking at her bare femininity. Su froze in utter terror at that moment. She gasped in shock, "What on earth are you doing?!" She was so stunned that she couldn't feel anything aside from sheer disbelief. Where was she, and what were these unrecognized people doing to her?

She breathed in fear, wanting to close her legs, but the elderly midwife standing at her feet wouldn't allow it. She snapped harshly, "Stay still, it won't take long!" The old woman's tone was so stern and sharp that Su swallowed hard in fear. What on earth was happening here?

Looking around in fright, she saw a mature woman—not quite elderly—and a young girl. The young girl was staring at her—or rather, at the old woman standing at her feet—with eyes swollen from crying. The other woman wasn't looking at her either; both of their gazes were fixed on the old woman. Su thought for a moment that she was in a dream; she wondered why she would dream of an elderly woman inspecting her intimate parts, but quickly decided it was absurd to look for logic in dreams. Perhaps a scene she saw on television had ingrained itself into her subconscious. She wouldn't question it now.

Dream or not, being naked in front of a woman with those calloused hands roaming her private region made her feel deeply embarrassed. She would never watch such nonsense again! When the old woman pulled back, she drew the light cover over herself. Su let out a deep breath at that moment. How mortifying!

The old woman walked toward the woman standing beside her without a single expression on her face, stopping right in front of her. Su was still watching these strange women she had never seen before, utterly clueless as to what was happening. With every passing second, the emotion of fear seeped into her core, making her shiver. The unknown terrified her. She quickly composed herself, sat upright, and gave her full attention to the women.

"Milady, your daughter is pregnant."