After They Tore My Dress Apart, They All Regretted It

Chapter 5 Making Me Shake in Agony

Megan watched the crowd's reaction, a smug smile curling on her lips.

She quickly changed her tone, then fixed a dark, menacing stare on Roderick, who was held down nearby, her voice icy cold. "This woman has long been entangled with my father. All that talk about her being an angel or heaven's child—she's just his kept lover. He's blinded by lust. He'd put the entire population of Ark Bunker at risk all for one selfish woman."

Dirty gossip spread through every corner of Ark Bunker in an instant.

"No wonder something always felt off about her."

"Roderick always looks so upright, but he's capable of something this shameful."

"They're nothing but a shameless pair."

"That explains why he always protected her—there was a hidden secret all along."

I shook my head frantically, struggling to defend myself. "It's not true. I never did that. Roderick only ever protected me. Don't listen to her lies."

Roderick trembled all over with rage, nearly coughing up blood. He pointed straight at Megan and shouted in anger. "You ungrateful daughter! What ridiculous nonsense are you spouting? I am your father. Natasha is Ark Bunker's hope, the angel of all of us. If you destroy her, you destroy this entire shelter."

But no one believed a single word he said.

Megan waved her hand, and two burly men stepped forward, beating and kicking Roderick without mercy.

"A father? You don't deserve the title." Megan's eyes turned frigid. "You broke Ark Bunker's rules for this woman, ignored everyone's safety, and lost every right to be our leader long ago."

I watched Roderick get beaten until blood poured from his mouth. I tried to crawl over to help him, but Megan kicked me hard in the chest. I flew backward and crashed straight into the wire fence.

Sharp pain exploded in my chest, and a bloody taste rose up my throat.

"You still dare to defend him?" Megan squatted down, pinched my chin, and forced me to face the crowd. "Everyone, take a good look. This is their true face—two immoral people working together in secret."

I lifted my head. The once kind, gentle faces around me had turned strange, filled with malice and resentment.

Stones and clods of dirt rained down on Roderick and me. The sharp edges cut into our skin, bringing stinging pain.

All the warmth and gratitude people once held for me vanished completely in that moment.

They only felt anger over being deceived, and they only resented the special treatment I'd enjoyed. They chose to forget one simple truth—for eighteen years, my presence kept monsters from ever breaking into Ark Bunker, letting them live in peace all this time.

"Lock them both up."

"Make them handle the infected corpses. Let them taste the hardship of the lower levels."

"Force them to atone for their sins."

Megan went along with the crowd's demands and gave her cold order without hesitation. "Revoke all privileges for Roderick and Natasha. Send them down to work in the corpse disposal zone. They won't get better treatment until they truly repent."

Two strong men grabbed my injured, ragged body. Another pair dragged the half-conscious Roderick away. They marched us toward the lowest level of Ark Bunker, where the corpse disposal area lay.

I was thrown roughly onto the filthy ground. My exposed skin brushed against rotting, foul stains, itching unbearably. A cold wave of despair spread straight from the bottom of my heart.

My heart grew colder and colder with every passing second.

I knew exactly what Megan was doing—she planned to torture me slowly, stripping away all my dignity in front of everyone.

She wanted every last resident to believe I was nothing but a complete liar.

From that day on, I lost my private living quarters on the top floor. I was forced into a tiny, crowded dormitory in the lower levels.

The room was merely thirty square feet, dark and damp, with mold covering every wall. The bed was hard and cold, reeking of mildew, and not a single window graced the small space.

I could no longer sleep in peace until morning. I was dragged out roughly before dawn every day and marched straight to Ark Bunker's corpse disposal zone.

All my beautiful dresses were taken away for good. They only tossed me a faded, rough work uniform stained with dried blood.

The fabric was stiff and coarse, rubbing my skin raw and sore. Even the smallest movement tore open my unhealed wounds, making me shake in agony.

Megan said, "You loved wearing those fancy princess dresses so much? Starting today, you'll dress like everyone else—plain work clothes, burying corpses for a living."

She tossed a tattered, drafty set of protective gear down in front of me. The plastic mask had a huge c***k, useless at blocking the stench of the dead.

Then she said, "Bury all the infected corpses and finish full corrosive disinfection by the end of the day. Everyone here will keep watch. If I catch you slacking off, everyone's daily food rations get cut in half."

The crowd grumbled loudly, their fierce gazes locked firmly on me.

"It's her fault for messing up, yet we all have to suffer for it," a man said.

Someone spat thick phlegm directly onto my shoe. It was sticky and disgusting, yet I dared not wipe it away.

No trace of kindness remained in their eyes anymore—only contempt, disgust, and deep-rooted anger.

"She wasted so many precious supplies. Nothing but a parasite leeching off Ark Bunker."

"Calling herself an angel? She's just a lazy, useless good-for-nothing."

Their cruel words pierced straight into my heart, sharp and overwhelming, leaving me barely able to breathe.