Chapter 1

To take the fall for my childhood sweetheart, I served five years in prison.

The man who promised to marry me was rolling around with his agent on the day I got out.

He said, "Freesia, don't be so dirty-minded. Men and women can have purely platonic friendships too."

This same man, who spoke so self-righteously, violently choked me and called me a slut when he saw Carlisle bandaging me up.

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The sound echoed as my fingers fumbled for the switch on the wall.

The moment light flooded into my pupils, my blood ran cold.

Two disheveled figures were tangled together, and the man who now frantically pulled the covers to hide himself was the one I had faith in—the one I was willing to take the blame for.

"Freesia... when... when did you... get out?" Zachary stammered, his smooth chest still exposed through his wide-open shirt collar.

My eyes welled up with tears, my entire body trembling uncontrollably.

The light wasn't bright, but the intimate atmosphere lingering in the air hadn't yet dissipated.

It made me... sick to my stomach.

I was still wearing the clothes from when I was imprisoned, buried at the bottom of a box for five years, now old and gray. Just like my misguided love—cheap and decayed.

My stomach churned, and I couldn't help but crouch down, covering my mouth.

Zachary cried out, leaping from the bed and pulling me into his arms. He held me tight, his rapid heartbeat thundering in my ear.

"I'm... I'm sorry, I just... thought..."

His panic was all too evident, stumbling over words, unable to conjure up a plausible excuse.

I held my breath, raising my trembling hand...I threw it viciously across his face.

The rain poured down in torrents.

I wandered aimlessly through the empty streets in the downpour, my soul shattered. Even as I tried to feign composure, I couldn't hide my increasingly trembling body.

Five years ago, the image of Zachary on his knees before me, crying and begging for my help, was still vivid in my mind.

I raised my hand to wipe my face, and when I opened my eyes again, the scene instantly transformed into those two pale, naked bodies on the bed.

A blinding white light pierced through the layers of rain, drawing nearer, accompanied by the screech of brakes. Suddenly, an immense force gripped my shoulder, yanking me back violently.

The speeding truck whizzed past, barely grazing the hem of my uplifted skirt. I fell hard into a muddy puddle, unable to regain my senses for a long while.

"What the hell are you doing? Freesia, have you lost your mind?"

Carlisle's furious voice rang out behind me. His powerful hands gripped my shoulders, squeezing with such force it felt as if he might crush me.

"Carlisle... how... how are you?"

"Is your body alright now?"

I shakily caressed his cheek. While in prison, there wasn't a moment I didn't worry about his health.Carlisle snapped back to reality, forcing a strained smile that was barely perceptible, tinged with bitterness.

"What's wrong? Disappointed you didn't kill me in that crash?"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry..."

Apologizing endlessly was all I could do; I truly didn't know how else to make amends for the harm I'd caused him.

"Don't touch me!"

Carlisle roared, violently shaking off my hand. His furious strength caught me off guard, and I stumbled backwards, falling ungracefully onto the rain-soaked ground.

"All to secure resources for your precious Zachary, you were willing to run me over with your car."

"And now you're putting on this act of devotion."

"Who are you trying to fool?"

The rain intensified, its icy touch creeping from the ground into every fiber of my being, leaving me nearly breathless from the cold.

"No... Carlisle... it's not like that..."

I shook my head in despair, at a loss for words. On my knees, I crawled towards him, attempting to reach for his hand.

"Get away from me!"

He laughed bitterly, casting one last resolute glance my way before turning and striding away.

In an instant, he vanished into the thick curtain of rain.

I struggled to get up from the ground, but a sudden wave of dizziness sent me crashing back down hard.Pain wracked my entire body as I curled up, my consciousness gradually fading away.

...

My head was pounding unbearably.

I squinted, groggily pulling myself up from the bed. Sunlight filtered through the floor-length sheer curtains, casting dappled shadows across the bedroom floor.

My clothes had been changed, and I furrowed my brow almost imperceptibly as I took in the unfamiliar surroundings.

Where... was this?

The person slumped by the bedside clearly sensed my movement. He abruptly opened his eyes, meeting my gaze for just a second before his eyes welled up with tears.

"Freesia..."

He sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed, intertwining our fingers. He lifted his head to look at me cautiously, just like when we first met years ago.

For a moment, I felt as if all these years had been nothing but a dream, and he was still Zachary, the man I once loved most.

But I knew everything had changed.

As I struggled to sit up, Zachary hurriedly pressed down on my shoulders. "Don't move, Freesia."

"How did you end up with so many injuries?"

I found it somewhat amusing. Turning my head, I looked at him intently. His misty almond-shaped eyes were filled with concern.

For a moment, I couldn't tell if it was genuine emotion or just stellar acting.A beautiful female prisoner with no one to rely on - what fate awaits her in Charleston Penitentiary?

Everyone knew all too well.

"Zachary, please let me go. I'll forgive you."

"Let's never see each other again."