Chapter 1 Be Released

“Meryl, get yourself a job and be a good person out there,” the prison guard said as he opened the gate.

Meryl Stone nodded absently. Finally. She never thought she’d survive those three brutal years.

Rain drizzled from the gray sky as she stepped out of the prison. The biting wind made her shiver, and she hugged herself for warmth.

Suddenly, a sleek Porsche Cayenne pulled up beside her.

Seeing the license plate made her face drain of color.

The window rolled down, revealing a man’s cold, emotionless face—Dalton Aniston, the man she had loved for seven years, her fiancé.

The same man who had made sure she ended up in prison!

“Why are you limping?” he asked, his voice icy.

Meryl’s eyes stung with unshed tears. Didn’t he know why she was limping? From her first day in prison, she had been beaten by the other inmates. They said Dalton had paid them to make her suffer.

“Get in,” Dalton commanded, his arm resting casually on the window frame. His custom suit highlighted his tall, imposing frame, and he radiated a cold, aristocratic aloofness.

Meryl recognized the impatience in his voice, just like that of her parents’.

When Meryl was 14, she came back to the Stone family. Her parents felt bad at first and wanted to make up for lost time. But Lydia, who they’d raised for 14 years, messed things up. She got them to push Meryl away bit by bit.

By the time Meryl turned 21, Lydia made up lies about her. Everyone blamed Meryl for kidnapping Lydia and trying to hurt her.

Her parents had had it with her. They said, “Look, Lydia might not be our real kid, but she’s been with us forever. She’s our daughter! We brought you back and gave you this fancy life. What more do you want?”

“Meryl, how could you do this to Lydia? She’s got class. You’re nothing like her.”

They didn’t even let her explain, just sent her to jail without thinking twice.

They never believed her. Not once!

Even her fiancé turned on her, declaring her guilty!

Dalton’s eyes stayed on Meryl. Seeing her still frozen in place, he snapped, “Get in the car!”

His eyes drifted to her legs, spotting a gruesome scar around her ankle. It looked like it had been slashed with a sharp object, an ugly reminder of her suffering.

He turned away and called, “Elias.”

His assistant, Elias Sterling, got out of the driver’s seat and approached her. “Ms. Stone, Mr. Aniston wants you to get in the car.”

When Meryl still didn’t move, Elias reached out to pull her.

Instinctively, Meryl crouched down, covering her head, her voice breaking. “No, please don’t hit me…”

Elias was stunned by her reaction. She had changed so much that he barely recognized her at first. She used to be so vibrant and full of life, known for her beauty. Now, the light in her eyes was gone, replaced by fear and dread.

Three years in prison had turned her into a shadow of her former self.

Elias instinctively glanced back at Dalton, but his face remained calm and indifferent.

“Meryl, I won’t wait for anyone. Three years in prison, and you still haven’t learned your lesson?”

Meryl slowly got up and slid into the car, carefully keeping her distance from him.

The heater was on, but she huddled in a corner, still shivering from the rain and cold. Her head felt foggy, and despite trying to hold it in, she sneezed.

Suddenly, the car hit a speed bump, causing Meryl to lurch forward and fall to her knees.

Dalton, who had been resting with his eyes closed, snapped them open at the sound.

He glanced at her, his voice dripping with disdain. “Meryl, you really are a mess.”

She took a deep breath, his words making her feel even smaller. The car mat felt scorching under her, and she fidgeted uncomfortably.

“Sorry, I’ll clean it up later,” she whispered.

Dalton cut her off abruptly, “No need. It should get tossed.”

A bitter thought crossed Meryl’s mind. “Is it because I touched it?” Her lips trembled, a hint of bitterness showing on her face.

She turned to look out the window, her eyes turning red.

To Dalton, everything she touched was dirty and had to get tossed.

“In your eyes, only Lydia is clean, right?”

Dalton’s face tightened, anger flashing. “How dare you mention her? Remember! If you hurt Lydia again, prison won’t be your only lesson!”