Chapter 1 Chapter 1

My husband's childhood sweetheart bought a mansion with the company's money, but my husband accused me of cooking the books. Because of that, I spent three years locked away in a cell without a glimpse of daylight. … "Dad, did I do a good job? It's been so long, and that dummy never doubted me once. Once Winona gets to be the chief financial officer, I'll get to see her every day." I was standing outside the door, about to knock, when my hand froze and my heart dropped like a stone. I heard Hank's voice coming from inside. "Make it convincing when you're around her. She has to come to Winona's promotion party tomorrow. If she doesn't show up, people will start whispering about Winona becoming CFO out of nowhere. With her there, she'll be the one they talk about, not Winona." However, my son did not seem to care. "Dad, you're the head at work. With you around, no one's going to badmouth Winona." Hank gave him a sharp look, and my son clammed up. He muttered under his breath, "Got it, got it. She's just a jailbird. Letting her come is already a big deal. If it weren't because of Winona, a jailbird who's been locked up for three years wouldn't deserve to be my mom." His harsh voice was so unlike the sweet, understanding boy I remembered. He felt like a stranger. My hands shook uncontrollably, and each breath hurt. Three years ago, I was thrown in jail for a mistake in the company's books. In that dark cell, I suffered for three long years. The warden beat me, and the other prisoners bullied and shamed me. Sometimes, I thought about ending it all. However, I hung on for my husband and son. When I came back home after serving my time, I found out that my mom had cried every day because of my sentence until she sadly passed away. My dad was so ashamed of me, his daughter, that he cut off all ties with me. On the streets, people would point and whisper about me. Even the janitors at work acted all high and mighty in front of me. It was my husband and son who gave me the strength to keep going during those dark days. They believed in me and stood up for me when others at work talked behind my back. I saw them as the only bright spots in my life, and I took care of them without ever complaining. However, I never imagined that the people I trusted the most were the ones to betray me. My three hard years in prison were just a sacrifice Hank made to keep Winona happy. I did not cry in prison, but when I found out the truth, I could not hold back my tears anymore. What I thought had been acts of salvation were just a show of pity. I rushed home, and there on the coffee table, I found a small, beautifully made box. Inside the box was a shiny ring with Hank and Winona's names engraved inside. When I first met Hank, he had no money. I did not even have a proper wedding dress, much less a ring. He promised me back then, with all his heart, that he would buy me the most expensive ring once we had money. However, as Hank's business grew, he just got annoyed whenever I mentioned the ring. "We're too old for these kinds of things," he would say. "Isn't it just cheesy?" Back then, I actually thought he was right, and I was embarrassed about being so stubborn. I never imagined that his heart had already drifted away from me to his young and pretty childhood friend. Clutching the ring, my fingers went pale from the grip. She took over my spot as if she owned it. All because Winona wanted a big house, I had to put up with three long, tough years in prison. That evening, when Hank and Samuel came home, my son jumped into my arms, excited to tell me about the prize he got at school. He hoped I would be proud of him. Hank, like always, brought home my favorite strawberry cake. There was a time when such a cozy moment would have made me the happiest, but now, it just made me feel sick. The next day, when they were not looking, I secretly started drafting the divorce papers and booked a flight out of the country. It was time to let go of this failed marriage.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

On my way back, I ran into Hank, Samuel, and Winona. They were all smiles and laughter, walking together like a happy family. When they saw me, their smiles froze. I saw Winona wearing the special necklace Hank gave me and the dress I had made. I just frowned. Hank could tell I was not happy and tried to explain, "As you know, today's Winona's big day at work. She needed something nice to wear, so she borrowed your dress." Winona chimed in with a smile, "I really owe Hank for letting me wear this dress. I have no idea what I would've worn for the party without it." I could not take my eyes off their hands, which were locked together. It was just too much to bear. Ever since I got out of jail, Hank had not let me go to parties with him or be seen with him in public. Back then, I thought it was because he was famous and having me around, with my past mistakes, would look bad for him. He told me he was keeping me away from the gossip to protect me, and I believed him. I thought it was really sweet. However, I saw now that he just did not want to be pulled down by me, the ex-prisoner. "Since you haven't been to parties in years, you should just give your dresses and jewelry to Winona. She's going to be the new chief financial officer and will need them to look good at company events," he said. That made me really mad. I did not have money for a wedding dress when we got married, so I made that dress myself. I had only worn it once on our wedding day and had been keeping it safe in my closet ever since. Before I could get mad, Hank said, "Today is Winona's big day for her new job. Come with us." Samuel, holding my hand, said, "Mom, let's go together." Looking at his sweet face and remembering their talk from last night, I pushed down my negative feelings. "I don't think it's right for me to go, considering my past," I said. However, Winona grabbed my hand and said, "What do you mean? You have to come to my party!" I nodded slowly, and Hank and Samuel seemed relieved. Hank's car was waiting outside, and he opened the door for Winona like a gentleman. Since marrying Hank, he had never let me sit in the front passenger seat of his car. However, when I saw Winona smoothly pull out her makeup from the glove box and start putting it on using the rearview mirror, my heart felt like it was being pricked by a thousand needles. It turned out that I just was not good enough to sit there. Winona poked her head out of the car window. "Juliana, I get dizzy in the car, so I have to sit up front. You can have the back seat." Hank looked at me, kind of stuck in the middle. "Today's Winona's big day, so maybe you could..." I did not wait for him to finish. I put on my mask and sunglasses and walked away all by myself. It was so silly. As Mrs. Chapman, I did not even have a car and had to walk everywhere I went. By the time I arrived, the party had already kicked off. Right away, I spotted my dad, yucking it up with Hank and Winona. Even from far away, I could hear him saying how perfect they were together. Winona blushed, and Hank looked at her like she was the only person in the world. I walked up to my dad, and his smile vanished like a popped balloon. "This is Winona's big promotion party. What are you doing here? Looking to make a scene? Your mom passed away because of you. Our family doesn't want a daughter like that. If I were you, I'd just end it all and let Winona take over as Mrs. Chapman.""Dad, I'm Hank's wife!" He just snorted, and then I felt a stinging slap on my cheek. That slap turned every head in the room.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Winona was so scared by my dad's mean streak that she stumbled backward right into Hank's arms. "You're a convict. What right do you have to talk to me? If it hadn't been for you, your mom would still be here. You killed your own mother. How can you even show your face here?" My dad's loud scolding caught the attention of everyone around us. I kept my head down, not saying a word. Hank was about to come over and stick up for me, but Winona grabbed his arm before he could. "Hank, Mr. Jones is here too. Let's go over and say hi," she said. Hank looked over at me, worried. "But...""It's okay," Winona reassured him. "Juliana's dad is just being really strict right now. He still loves her a lot." Winona did not let Hank say another word and pulled him away. Hank wrapped his arm around Winona's shoulder and walked off into the crowd, not even giving me another glance. My own son, whom I had raised, just sneered at me and followed Winona. I was surrounded by a circle of people, their gossip buzzing in my ears. I could not take it anymore. I covered my face and ran. Behind me, I could hear my dad yelling, "Feeling ashamed now? Why didn't you think of that when you were faking the accounts?" I sat by the fountain, crying softly, when Winona came up to me with a big grin on her face. "So, Juliana, how does it feel to be all alone? I was the one who liked Hank first. This is what you get for taking him from me. Did you enjoy your three years in jail? All I had to do was say I wanted a villa, and Hank actually used the company's money to buy it for me." Her grin grew even wider as she spoke. "You could have gotten out of it, but your husband didn't want to drag me into it, so he made you take the fall." I took a deep breath. Three years of my life wasted behind bars—just like that. Over a thousand days and nights, each one filled with torment. I went from the dazzling Mrs. Chapman to someone that anyone could just walk all over. The second I remembered all the tough times that person in front of me had caused, I could not hold back my hands anymore. However, before I could do anything, Winona flashed a sly smile, ripped off her clothes, and jumped into the pool. "Juliana, I'm sorry. I'll take off the dress. Please don't push me!" Before I knew what was happening, Samuel rushed at me like a rocket, shoving me into the pool. My head hit the hard marble at the bottom. Hank ran over when he heard the noise. He looked so worried as he helped Winona out and wrapped his own clothes around her trembling body. She was shaking like a leaf. "Hank, I think Juliana is mad. Maybe I should take this dress off," she said. At first, Hank looked a bit worried when he saw me bleeding, but that worry disappeared in an instant. Without even trying to find out what happened, he shouted at me, "Juliana, it's just a piece of clothing. If Winona gets hurt, I won't forgive you." Samuel agreed, "Yeah, I don't have a mean mom like you!" Hank gently picked up Winona, who was soaked to the skin, and did not even glance my way again. Winona, held over Hank's shoulder, smirked at me like she had won.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

I stumbled home, and that was when I got the news that my divorce papers were ready and my flight was booked for tomorrow. I took a deep breath, ready to leave my husband and son behind for good. The moment I opened the door, smoke hit me, and I coughed over and over. I forced my stinging eyes open and saw Samuel tossing stuff into the fireplace. Looking closer, I realized it was the clothes I had sewn for him every year. Ever since Samuel was born, I had made it my mission to sew him clothes that fit perfectly every single year, even when I was behind bars. At this moment, those clothes that had been stitched with all my love had turned to nothing but dust. Samuel just brushed off some ash from his hands and did not even look at me. Blood was streaming down my head, and I felt dizzy from excessive blood loss. I rushed to my room to deal with the wound. As I wobbled to the door, I could hear Winona's breathy moans. Hank was on top of her, passionately ripping at the dress I had made with such care. The garment I had crafted with love was ripped to pieces in his hands. I knew they had been together before, but seeing it with my own eyes made my heart hurt like it was being stabbed with needles. Winona pushed hard, and Hank growled like a wild animal. Their sounds filled the hallway all night long. They were together all night, and I sat by the door alone the whole time. In the morning, Hank, fixing his pants, opened the door and jumped when he saw me, bloody and collapsed in the hallway. "Juliana, why are you here? Winona got hurt. I was just helping her out." Hank was still talking when he heard me laugh bitterly. "Helping out? Does helping someone mean you have to be in their bed?" Hank got really mad. "So what if I slept with her? Men like us always have a few women. And with your status now..." He did not finish, but I got the picture. He was a CEO worth millions, and I was just a prisoner. Seeing I was not fighting back, Hank walked away, pleased. I had already written my divorce papers, and tomorrow, I would be on a plane out of here. Late at night, I left the divorce papers and a letter on Hank's desk. I grabbed my suitcase and dashed to the airport.