Chapter 1

Ten years ago, I acted in self-defense to protect my boyfriend, only to be wrongfully convicted and sentenced to a decade in prison.

In the courtroom, he buried his face in his hands, weeping uncontrollably as he held me tight.

"Wait for me! The day you get out, I swear I'll give you the grandest wedding anyone has ever seen!"

I held onto that single promise through the ten darkest years of my life.

Yet on the day of my release, the first piece of news that greeted me was that he had long since married someone else, with a son and a daughter of his own.

And his wife was none other than the sister of the thug who had attacked us!

"You volunteered to step in front of me back then. Now you expect me to marry you? In your dreams!"

Logan stood in front of me, his words dripping with pure venom.

"Besides, you're an ex-con. It’s embarrassing just being seen with you!"

A decade ago, he had crossed the wrong person. A heavily built thug broke into our apartment, smashing everything in sight.

The guy even pressed a knife against Logan's throat.

"A hundred grand for protection. You paying or what?! Weren't you acting tough earlier? Where's all that attitude now?"

My legs shook violently as I begged them to let Logan go.

Instead of backing off, they pressed the blade deeper, looking at me with leering smirks and crude remarks.

"Look at how much little miss cares about her boyfriend. Tell you what—spend the night with me, and we'll call it even."

Hearing that, Logan's eyes turned bloodshot. A frantic, desperate brawl broke out between them.

The thug ended up overpowered, scrambling out the door while screaming bloody murder for help.

Afterward, Logan looked at me with overwhelming concern, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"Serena, don't be scared. I'll protect you! I won't let anyone hurt you ever again!"

The memories were still vivid in my mind. The man who once loved me more than his own life had now completely reneged on his word.

"Honey, are you done handling things out here?"

A woman stepped out from behind Logan, holding the hands of two toddlers who chimed in unison, calling him "Daddy."

I stared at the woman in sheer disbelief, my hands shaking as tears spilled over my cheeks.

"Logan... you married her? You have kids with her?!"

He looked down, refusing to meet my eyes.

Madeline. The sister of that very thug.

During ten agonizing years behind bars, it was his promise of marriage that kept me holding on.

Yet here he was, successful and settled down—married to the thug’s little sister.

Madeline rubbed her eyes and smirked mockingly.

"Well, look who it is. An old acquaintance. Honey, you really need to keep your distance from people like her. She's a convict. We don't want her bad influence rubbing off on our precious babies!"

The old Logan would never have tolerated anyone speaking ill of me. But now, he stayed dead silent, tacitly agreeing with every word she said.

"Logan, aren't you going to explain yourself? I waited ten whole years for you!"

He looked at me with undisguised contempt and disgust.

"Explain what?"

"Did my wife say anything wrong?"

The word "wife" shattered every last illusion I had clung to.

"Babe, go wait in the car with the kids. I'll be right there."

Logan showered them with tender smiles, but the moment he turned back to face me, his expression hardened with revulsion.

A child's innocent voice drifted toward me.

"Mommy, who is she? Is that weird lady trying to steal Daddy away...?"

"Of course not, sweetie. Daddy loves us the most."

"Nobody can ever take him from us!"

Madeline had aged impeccably. Even after having two children, she still looked barely twenty.

Meanwhile, a decade of harsh labor and prison life had weathered me into a tired, middle-aged woman.

"Here's some money. Consider all our past debts settled. I'm married to Madeline now, and we have a family. We're even."

He held out a black bank card in midair.

I had no desire to take it.