The prison rules apply to everyone, even for an educated doctor like Laboni. Henry thought that seeing Laboni burning in the scorching sun like an ordinary convict or working in the dust would break her aristocratic pride. Thus, from the very next day, Laboni was ordered to work in the outer courtyard of the prison alongside the common prisoners.
From the morning, Laboni was tasked with cleaning the prison garden and hauling large earthen pots under the blistering sun. Her once-neat dress was now soaked in sweat, and her hands were covered in grime. Yet, there was no complaint or trace of humiliation on her face. Instead, she worked with deep focus, using the opportunity to observe the inner workings of the prison.
A fellow female prisoner looked at Laboni in surprise. She whispered, "Madam, why are you doing this? If you just spoke to Mr. Henry, he would have sent you to a comfortable job inside."
Digging the soil, Laboni replied in a calm voice, "Labor is honorable work. And he who knows the soil with his own hands never loses. I am a prisoner just like everyone else; I don't want to be special."
Just then, Henry appeared on the balcony, his signature cigar in hand. He watched Laboni from above, expecting her to look up at him with pleading eyes, broken by the heat. But Laboni didn't look up even once. She seemed to be in conversation with the earth itself.
Henry descended. At the sound of his heavy boots, the other prisoners moved away in terror. He stood before Laboni as she was trying to move a large stone.
"So, Doctor?" Henry said mockingly. "How do you like the prison garden compared to the operation theater? Your hands were so soft—any blisters yet?"
Laboni dusted off her hands and stood tall. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. Looking directly into Henry's eyes, she said, "I don't feel the pain, Mr. Henry. Rather, I find peace working with the earth. At least here, there are no lies, no conspiracies."
Henry stepped closer and whispered, "Still stubborn? Your brother is in that barracks next door. If you want, you can stop working right now, go to my air-conditioned room, and talk to him. Just say 'sorry'."
Laboni gave a strange smile. "If Rehan finds out his sister is resting after apologizing to you, he will be even more pained. We siblings know how to endure hardship. You can use your power to exploit our bodies, but you cannot bow our heads."
Grit-toothed, Henry grabbed Laboni's hand. He saw that her soft palms were indeed blistered. Something stirred in a corner of Henry's heart, but hiding it, he barked at the guards, "She won't be let off today. She will work here until sunset!"
Laboni bent back to the soil without a word. She knew this labor was making her mentally stronger. As she dug, her eyes suddenly fell on a broken syringe and some medicine vials lying in a corner of the prison wall. As a doctor, she was suspicious—why were these in an ordinary prison? Was there another mystery unfolding?
As Laboni stared intently at the vials and syringes, a female prisoner who had been quietly moving soil nearby crept close to her. She glanced around to ensure no guards were watching.
She whispered into Laboni's ear, "Madam, do you know what these are? There is no account of what happens in this prison in the dark of night. These aren't ordinary medicines."
The girl expected Laboni to be scared, but Laboni replied in a low, steady voice, "I know what these are. I am a doctor. I can tell in a blink which vial contains poison and which contains drugs."
The girl gasped. Laboni continued in a low tone:
"These are empty ampoules of Morphine and Pethidine. There is a massive drug syndicate running inside this prison, and Mr. Henry himself is involved. Those who protest are slowly killed with these addictions. The drugs Rehan was framed for actually come from here."
The girl trembled. "Madam, you know everything! But if you speak out, Mr. Henry will bury you alive. Why are you putting yourself in danger?"
Laboni looked directly into the girl's eyes with death-defying determination. "Knowing the truth lessens the fear. Henry thinks he can win by working me and imprisoning Rehan. But he doesn't know that he is unknowingly laying out the evidence of his crimes right before my eyes."
Just then, a guard shouted, "Hey! What are you two whispering about? Get back to work!"
The girl scurried away in fear. Laboni resumed digging, but her brain was now formulating a battle plan. She realized she didn't just have to save Rehan anymore; she had to gather evidence of this entire drug syndicate. There could be no better weapon to shatter Henry's arrogance.
As the evening sun grew pale, Laboni smiled to herself. She knew that the more Henry made her work outside, the more she would find the resources to build his coffin.
Laboni didn't linger another moment. As soon as the girl finished speaking, she walked away slowly. She knew talking too long would raise suspicion. Despite the mud on her hands, her mind was racing with sharp thoughts.
The sun was about to set. According to prison rules, it was time for the inmates to return to their cells. Walking in line, Laboni glanced sideways at the upper balcony. Henry wasn't there; only the stub of his cigar remained.
Returning to her cell, Saleha handed her some water. After drinking, Laboni asked, "Auntie, is there a storeroom or a pharmacy here? Where they keep medical supplies for the prisoners?"
Saleha replied fearfully, "There is, dear, but ordinary people aren't allowed there. Only Henry's trusted men enter. Why? Are you planning something?"
Laboni didn't answer. She looked at her hands—the skin was peeling from the blisters. But she felt that the agony her brother and the other inmates were enduring was far greater than this physical pain.
She thought, "Henry, you thought you would break my pride by making me toil in the dirt. But you didn't know that while digging the earth, I found the foundation of your dark empire. Now, I just wait for the right time."
As the night deepened, silence fell over the prison corridors. Laboni didn't sleep. She stood by the iron bars. She knew she would soon be called to Henry's luxury room again. And this time, she wouldn't go as a helpless prisoner, but as the secret witness to his crimes.
Laboni took a chance in the dark of night and headed toward the suspicious storeroom. Her medical mind told her the evidence was there. Steadying her racing heart, she slipped into a dark, unlocked room. The air smelled strongly of medicine. She desperately searched the cabinets, flipped through documents, and checked every vial.
But to her shock, there was nothing there to implicate Henry. Every file was clean; every medicine was just a common vitamin or painkiller. Laboni wondered—had she seen wrong? Or had Henry moved everything in advance?
As she walked out empty-handed and dejected, the corridor lights flickered on. Standing before her was Henry himself, with that diabolical, crooked smile. He walked slowly toward her.
Henry: "What were you looking for, Doctor? A specific medicine? Or the proof of my downfall?"
Laboni froze. Henry leaned in and whispered, "You may be a very good doctor, Laboni, but you still have much to learn about the criminal mind. Those vials you saw outside were just bait. I knew they would lead you here."
Laboni realized she had fallen into a trap. Henry laughed. "What you seek isn't in any cabinet. It's inside my head. Even the walls of this prison speak for me. You found nothing because I allowed you to find nothing."
Laboni didn't back down. "Don't think that because I didn't find it today, I won't find it tomorrow, Mr. Henry. Truth cannot be hidden."
Henry grabbed her arm firmly and pulled her toward him. "Truth is very dangerous, Laboni. The deeper you go, the more danger Rehan faces. Let today's failure be a lesson—I am the king of this empire. You will only see what I choose to show you."
Laboni lowered her head and walked away. Her body was exhausted, but her resolve had grown tenfold. She realized Henry was far more cunning than she thought. To defeat him, she needed a different strategy, not just direct evidence.
Laboni's patience finally snapped. She could no longer bear Henry's condescending smile and arrogance. The burning blisters on her palms felt like they were on fire from the sting of insult. When Henry tried to pull her toward him by her arm, Laboni used all her strength to deliver a resounding slap across his face.
The sound of the slap echoed through the silent prison corridor. The guards in the distance froze, but at Henry's signal, no one dared to approach.
Henry's face was turned to the side. A demonic aura glowed in his eyes. He slowly rubbed his cheek and looked at Laboni. There was no longer any hint of affection or attraction in those eyes—only primal ferocity.
He hissed through gritted teeth, "Such audacity! No one in this prison has ever dared to even dream of laying a hand on me!"
Without another word, Henry swept Laboni off her feet and carried her. Laboni screamed and struggled, but she was helpless against his muscular strength. Henry dragged her into his special room. Kicking the door shut, he slammed her violently onto the bed.
Laboni fell face-first, unable to steady herself. her head spun. As she tried to sit up, she saw Henry looming over her. He had ripped the top button of his shirt in his rage.
Henry: "Doctor, I will bury that pride of yours in this room tonight. You slapped me? You have no idea what price you will pay for that slap."
Retreating on the bed, Laboni cried out, "You can touch my body, but not my soul! You are an animal; you will never have anyone's love!"
With a sudden jerk, Henry pinned her hands above her head. He broke into a diabolical laugh. "Love? Love is a drama. Tonight, I will show you the true form of power. Let's see how your 'honest' father saves you from this bed tonight!"
Laboni realized that no law or ideal could save her today. Like the common prisoners, she was now facing the ultimate danger. The surrounding walls seemed to mock her.
That slap had dealt a devastating blow to Henry's ego. His fair cheek turned a fiery red with insult and rage. The man who considered himself omnipotent inside the prison lost all sense of restraint after being slapped by a common prisoner girl.
Laboni huddled on the bed and began to sob uncontrollably. She thought perhaps her tears would evoke some mercy in this man. But the opposite happened. Seeing Laboni's tears and helpless screams, the violence within Henry intensified. He began to derive a sadistic pleasure from it.
Henry leaned close to her, his teeth clenched. To him, Laboni's cries were not a plea for mercy, but the music of victory. He gripped her tear-stained face tightly.
Henry: "Cry, Laboni, cry more! Your tears are driving me mad. You thought a slap would stop me? Now see how much more vicious this red cheek has made me."
Laboni struggled to escape, but Henry was beyond reason. He ignored her every word, every plea. He crossed all boundaries and lunged at her. The room's light flickered, and in the corridor outside, only the sound of Laboni's muffled sobs could be heard. That night, the dark walls of the prison room bore witness to a horrific crime.
In his pride of power and blind vengeance, Henry forgot that he wasn't just violating a human body; he was stoking a burning volcano. Laboni eventually grew still, but within her mind, a fierce fire of revenge was born. She realized that to survive this hell, she could no longer afford to be weak.
Laboni lay motionless and devastated on the bed. Her tears soaked the pillow. Her body was bruised blue with insult and pain. At that moment, Henry firmly gripped Laboni's legs at the foot of the bed. He seemed to be savoring the diabolical pleasure of having his prey completely under control.
Henry looked up at the ceiling. His body was drenched in sweat, his shirt crumpled and clinging to his skin. He was breathing heavily and rapidly, as if he had just won a terrible war. Suddenly, he began to laugh—a crazed, hideous laugh.
Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead and chest. That reddened cheek still stung, but the pain now brought him ultimate satisfaction. Laughing, he muttered under his breath:
"You couldn't do it, could you, Doctor? Your education, your father's ideals... nothing could save you today. In this dark room of the prison, you are mine. Only mine!"
Laboni was in no state to answer. She just stared blankly at the ceiling. She felt as if the sky should collapse upon her. Henry let go of her legs and slumped down beside the bed. The sound of his heavy breathing echoed in the room. He was still sweating, occasionally touching his red cheek and laughing distortedly at the memory of the slap.
He thought he had destroyed Laboni forever, that he had crushed her. But he didn't know that in this moment of ultimate humiliation, the ordinary girl inside Laboni had died, giving birth to a terrifying, vengeful entity. Laboni thought to herself: 'This sweat, this laughter... this is your last moment of joy, Henry. You are not prepared for what comes next.'
The room was now drowned in a strange, heavy silence. The earlier chaos and screams had settled. Henry, exhausted and sweaty, lay down heavily on the bed. His rapid breathing gradually slowed to normal. He placed one hand over his forehead and stared at the ceiling, a trace of victory still lingering on his face.
Right beside him, Laboni lay still. She was curled up on one side, as if trying to hide within herself. Her disheveled hair covered her face. Her eyes no longer shed tears; they had seemingly dried into stone that very night. The blue marks of Henry's brute force began to appear on her fair shoulders and arms.
After a while, Henry turned toward Laboni. He gently placed his hand on her hair. The same hand that had just committed such an atrocity was now carefully tucking her hair behind her ear.
Henry: (In a very low, calm voice) "From now on, you are my Laboni. Forget the world outside the prison. Your brother, your family—everything is in the palm of my hand. You will do exactly as I say. Do you understand?"
Laboni did not reply. She didn't even move. She just stared into the darkness. Henry pulled her a little closer, embracing her, and closed his eyes with satisfaction. He believed he had tamed her. But he didn't feel that Laboni's body was as cold as ice.
In that silence, Laboni could hear the sound of her own heartbeat. She thought to herself, "Tonight you turned me from a prisoner into your bedmate, Henry. But this very bed will be the place of your destruction. You will one day have to pay for the hatred you sowed within me, and you will pay for it with poison."
In the dark room, Henry fell into a deep sleep, but sleep did not come to Laboni. She stayed awake all night, weaving the web of a new and ruthless plan.