The fourth night began with silence, and that silence felt different this time. Not absence—but anticipation. The kind that made my skin prick even before the doorknob turned. I sat on the edge of the bed, naked, collared, legs pressed together, unsure what was waiting for me beyond the door. I had learned not to expect kindness. Not to expect mercy. But what I hadn’t learned yet was how much I was beginning to crave the next lesson, no matter how dark it was.

The door opened. Adrian ...