I was framed by my boyfriend's childhood sweetheart and spent five years in prison. While I was locked away, he moved her into my home, seized my property, and built a perfect life, thriving off everything I worked for. However, I would take back everything that they stole from me.

Freedom

The heavy prison gate slammed shut behind me with a loud thud. I shuddered at the sound before slowly returning to my senses from the haze of confusion.

The sky was thick with dark clouds, and the road was empty. Although my surroundings seemed desolate, it was still better than the day I was imprisoned. I greedily inhaled the heavy, damp air, savoring the taste of freedom I hadn't experienced in years.

Clutching the small cloth bag filled with a few of my clothes, I began walking toward the city center. Buses roared past me, but I could only rely on my legs since I didn't have a single penny on me.

The air grew heavier, and the sky seemed to promise an impending storm. Soon, a few raindrops splattered onto the dry ground, quickly followed by a downpour.

I had no umbrella, and there was no shelter on this suburban road. Thus, I could only crouch down by the side of the road and curl up my body as I held the bag close to my chest, trying to shield myself from the rain as much as possible.

Halfway through the downpour, a car drove past. Its headlights dazzled my eyes, forcing me to squint against the bright glare.

The car passed by me but soon slowly reversed. Then, the person inside rolled down the window and called out carefully, "Wendy?"

Hearing the voice, I lifted my head. When I saw the person, emotions stirred within me.

It was Lucas White. He was my ex-boyfriend, the man who had sent me to prison.

The atmosphere in the car was eerily quiet, with only the sounds of pouring rain and the steady hum of the air conditioning.

Lucas seemed irritated as he lit a cigarette and took a couple of impatient drags. When he heard me coughing, he immediately stubbed it out.

"Sorry. I forgot you can't stand the smell of smoke."

"It's fine," I said flatly.

Then, we fell silent again.

After a long pause, Lucas tried to start a conversation again. "I'm sorry I'm late. Something came up with Olivia."

"Heh." I let out a mocking laugh. "It's fine."

This time, Lucas said nothing more.

The summer rain left as quickly as it came. Soon, the downpour subsided, leaving only the earthy fragrance of damp soil in the air.

As the car drove into the city, I noticed the road was unfamiliar. I finally asked, "Where are you taking me?"

Hearing my words, Lucas was startled. Then, he said stiffly, "I found a place for you near the company. You can live there."

A sense of dread surged within me. Still, I suppressed my anger and forced myself to stay calm as I continued to ask, "What about the house my parents left me?"

Lucas didn't answer.

I repeated my question with a cold tone. "Where is the house my parents left me?"

Only then did Lucas reply, "I let Olivia stay there since she really likes the house."

I gritted my teeth and said, "Lucas, that house was left to me by my parents. How dare you let her live there?"

Lucas sighed and acted as if I were a child throwing a tantrum. "You've been gone for years, and the house had been empty all this time. I know you wouldn't want to rent it out, so I figured I might as well let Olivia live there instead of letting it sit there unused. She really likes the place."

I restrained the urge to strangle him. "Lucas, who do you think you are? You don't have the right to decide what to do with my parents' house!"

Lucas remained silent.

Soon, the car pulled into a residential complex, and Lucas stopped in front of an apartment building. He handed me a set of keys and said, "You'll be staying at Apartment 501. I've already moved your things in and paid the rent, so you don't have to worry about it. I won't be going with you since I still have some business in the company."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Am I supposed to thank you for your generosity, Lucas?"

Leaning against the car door, Lucas frowned and said, "Why must you act like this, Wendy? Besides, you're the one who was in the wrong in the first place. It's been five years. You've done your time, and it couldn't have been easy in there. Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

At that moment, my breath hitched. I clenched my fists and said, "You are the one behind all of that, aren't you?"

Lucas didn't deny it.

My lips were bleeding from biting down too hard, and my entire body trembled with rage. At that moment, I wanted to tear him apart.

Seeing my reaction, Lucas merely sighed and said, "Just behave. As long as you don't cause any trouble, everything will be fine."

I snorted coldly and refused to answer.

Lucas didn't push further. He opened the car door and added, "I've left a position for you at the company. Get some rest and start working once you feel ready." He glanced at me from inside the car. "Now that you're out, just forget about the past."

With that, he sighed once more before driving off.

I watched his car disappear into the distance. My fingernails dug into my palms until they drew blood.

Forget? How could I ever forget?

A Cruel Twist of Fate

My history with Lucas started seven years ago.

At that time, I had just started my freshman year of college. I met Lucas by chance during a club event. He was the most handsome freshman that year, instantly catching the attention of many people, including myself. I was first drawn to his looks and then captivated by his personality, becoming his secret admirer.

My roommate, Olivia Jefferson, was his childhood friend. When she noticed my interest in Lucas, she offered to play matchmaker for us. She began inviting Lucas and me to hang out together, subtly teasing us and encouraging a romantic spark. Over time, Lucas and I grew closer. Finally, I found the right moment and confessed my feelings with Olivia's help.

Unexpectedly, Lucas agreed.

In that instant, I turned to Olivia to share my happiness with her. However, I was surprised to see the shock on her face. "No way, Lucas. Are you serious?" she blurted out.

Lucas nodded. Then, she forced a smile and offered her congratulations.

From that point on, our relationship started to shift in subtle ways. Olivia often insisted on joining me and Lucas on our dates. She claimed that as our matchmaker and my best friend, I couldn't just ditch her now that I had a boyfriend. Though I found her behavior strange, I still agreed to her requests since I didn't want to be rude.

However, her actions kept getting weirder. She would deliberately step between me and Lucas whenever we held hands and chatted with him freely while completely ignoring me. Also, she would constantly ask about our relationship and would even peer over my shoulder to see my messages when I was texting Lucas. Sometimes, she would eat from Lucas' plate, use his utensils, and joke that I wouldn't mind since she was the one who match-made us.

It didn't stop there. After I got together with Lucas, she started badmouthing him, saying things like Lucas was a typical guy and wouldn't understand how girls think. She also told me that I had to watch him closely since he had many admirers. At the same time, she also told me I had to work hard to keep up with Lucas since he was an amazing person.

At first, I dismissed her remarks as harmless advice. However, as the comments kept piling up, my patience wore thin. One day, I finally confronted her, asking why she was behaving this way. She responded with feigned surprise, claiming it was all just jokes and that she never expected me to take them seriously. Even Lucas said I was overreacting, insisting that Olivia had always been that way and had no ill intentions. I felt wronged and argued with Lucas about it. In the meantime, my relationship with Olivia started to go downhill as well.

After that, Olivia and Lucas became even closer. They even flirted with each other in front of me. She also spread rumors about me being petty, saying that I was overthinking everything and making things worse when she was the one who hooked us up.

Enraged, I confronted her in a heated argument, calling her a fake friend and accusing her of feigning innocence. She retaliated, saying I was selfish and never treated her like a friend.

From that point on, things spiraled out of control.

Olivia formed her little clique and isolated me while Lucas remained silent about the whole situation. He never took sides and always watched as we fought over him. Every time, he would act as if it had nothing to do with him and said I was making a huge deal out of nothing.

The more we fought, the worse things got. Lucas began to side with Olivia more.

During one of our many arguments, Olivia picked up a utility knife…