At a jewelry design competition, my work was switched to a stolen antique. I was arrested on the spot, dragged away like a criminal, and sentenced to five years in prison.

For one thousand eight hundred days and nights, I counted slivers of light slipping through iron bars. I endured torment that no human should ever have to face.

When I was finally released, Reid Ashford and our son came to pick me up.

He draped a coat gently over my shoulders, and my son, his eyes brimming with tears, rushed into my arms.

For a moment, I truly believed the nightmare was over. At the very least, I still had them.

Until the video arrived.

In it, my ten-year-old son looked up, voice trembling as he asked, “Dad, I switched Mom’s design so Aunt Sabrina could win. Is she happy now?”

“But Mom went to jail for five years. Everyone looked down on her. My classmates laugh at me…”

Reid rested a heavy hand on our son’s head and said sternly, “You must never speak of this again. Ever.”

“This is your mom’s fault for being selfish. Sabrina grew up depending on others; this award meant everything to her. But your mom had it all and still chose to compete. She brought this on herself.”

My heart felt like it was being ripped in half, so the hell I had endured for five long years had been orchestrated by the very person I loved most.

——

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve been pretending perfectly all these years. That dumb woman never suspected a thing.”

“After Aunt Sabrina’s birthday banquet in a few days, we’ll finally be together in the open.”

Reid’s voice carried a trace of concern.

“Be careful not to slip up in front of her. She still has to attend Sabrina’s birthday banquet.”

“That day, your grandfather will officially recognize her as the second daughter of the Stanton family. She must show up. If she doesn’t, the gossip will fall on Sabrina. With her taking the heat, Sabrina will suffer less.”

But my son didn’t seem the least bit worried.

“With you around, who would dare say a word?”

“Wesley!”

“Alright, alright, I get it! I’ll go tell her. She should be thankful she’s even allowed to go.”

“If it weren’t for helping Aunt Sabrina, what right does a convict who’s been to prison have to call herself my mom?”

I stared at the tall, straight-backed boy on the screen. His face was full of disdain, and he no longer looked like the child who had once curled up in my arms to sleep.

Every word they spoke felt foreign, like knives carving into my heart.

Five years ago, I was arrested on the very day of the competition.

For five long years, one thousand eight hundred days and nights, I endured inhuman torment behind bars.

By the time I was released, my mother had died from depression, and my father had already disowned me in a public newspaper.

Everywhere I went, people whispered behind my back, pointing fingers without shame.

Even the servants at home mocked me, their eyes filled with contempt.

There was a time when I stood on a rooftop, ready to end it all. But it was my husband and my son who gently talked me down.

They told me they believed I had been wronged. They promised to clear my name.

When others mocked me with cold sarcasm, they stood in front of me, shielding me from the storm.

I had thought they were the light that broke into my life. I gave them my whole heart and treated them with nothing but sincerity.

But now I knew everything I suffered had only been to pave the way for a penniless student our family once sponsored.

Tears fell like a flood onto the phone screen. I believed they were my pillars, my shelter. Yet all of it had been nothing more than charity, offered after I was drained and discarded.

In a daze, I hid my phone like a wounded animal and rushed into the study.

The moment I stepped in, I froze. On Reid’s desk sat a neat row of dolls.

Each one exquisitely crafted, lifelike to the last detail, with a teardrop-shaped mole beneath the eye, exactly like Sabrina.

Reid, a top luxury designer, had created them himself. These dolls were priceless and nearly impossible to obtain.

After we got married, I had asked him to make a doll for me, too, but he always brushed it off, claiming he didn’t have the time.

No matter how many times I pleaded, he never agreed. And yet, for Sabrina, he created an entire row.

It was never about time. I just wasn’t worth it.

Each of Sabrina’s dolls wore crescent-shaped eyes and bright, cheerful smiles.

I picked one up and gripped it so tightly it nearly cracked in my palm.

Just because he adored her, she became a dazzling star in the jewelry world.

And I? I became the convict everyone spat on.

That night, father and son returned.

Wesley called me “Mom” in the same affectionate tone, and Reid held my favorite pastries like always.

But what used to warm me now felt ice-cold, like a cruel performance I could no longer applaud.

The next day, after they both left the house, I quietly stepped out too.

I hailed a cab to a deserted swimming facility and went straight to a locker I thought I’d never return to.

After entering the code, I placed it inside a letter with only four words. “I regret it.”

Once, someone had promised if I ever regretted it, he would come for me without hesitation.

When I returned home and stepped out of the car, I saw them at the gate, Reid and Sabrina, with Wesley trailing behind.

Wesley was chattering excitedly, his hands gesturing in the air.

Sabrina was laughing so hard she doubled over while Reid watched her with that soft, indulgent smile I once thought belonged to me.

The sound of the car door shutting snapped them out of their little world; their smiles froze in place, stiff and unnatural.

My gaze landed on the glittering crown atop Sabrina’s head. My brows furrowed instinctively.

Reid's expression faltered for a moment before he rushed to explain, voice light but uneasy.

“Today’s Sabrina’s birthday banquet. She didn’t have any suitable jewelry, so I lent her this crown for the evening.”

Sabrina’s almond-shaped eyes lifted as she let out a soft giggle, covering her lips like it was all too amusing.

“Reid was so thoughtful. He noticed I didn’t have anything valuable to wear, so he rushed over with this crown.”

“Don’t worry, Brielle. I’ll return it just as it is after tonight.”

Their fingers remained entwined, glowing pale and intimate under the afternoon sun.

The sight pierced through my chest like a hundred needles; every breath I took felt like it scraped against raw skin.

Ever since I got out of prison, Reid had never let me appear at any events, not even by his side.

He always said it was to protect me from rumors and gossip.

And I, like a fool, believed he truly had my best interests at heart.

But now, the truth was cruelly clear. He simply didn’t want to be seen with a convict.

When I stayed silent, Reid went on, “This crown would only gather dust if you kept it. Why not let Sabrina have it? She needs pieces like this to elevate her image right now.”

“Reid, do you even hear yourself?”

That crown had been custom-designed by a world-renowned jeweler for our wedding.

Back then, it caused a sensation, gracing the pages of every major fashion magazine.

I wore it only once, on the day we exchanged vows. Ever since, I have kept it behind glass, preserving it with care like a sacred memory.

This crown symbolized the status of the Ashford family’s matriarch.

He gave it to Sabrina, so what did that make me, his lawful wife?

Noticing the color drain from my face, Reid quickly tried to steer the moment elsewhere.

“Come on, it’s just a piece of jewelry, no need to get so worked up.”

“Today is Sabrina’s birthday banquet. Why don’t you come along too?”

Wesley tugged at my hand sweetly, “Mom, come with us. It’s been so long since we went out together.”

But the images from yesterday’s video flashed coldly through my mind.

A chill settled deep in my chest, though my gaze stayed as calm as still water.

“I’m just a convict. If I go, I’ll only ruin your image.”

Sabrina affectionately linked arms with me and said, “Sister, that’s not right. No matter what, we’re still family. Besides, you haven’t seen Dad since you got out.”

At the mention of Dad, I fell into silence. After a long pause, I finally nodded. Only then did Reid and Wesley seem to relax.

The chauffeur brought over Reid’s luxury car. He opened the door for Sabrina with practiced ease.

Just as I was about to step in, Sabrina smiled sweetly and said, “Sister, my dress is a little too big. Why don’t you take another car instead?”

Reid, already seated in the front passenger seat, frowned and added, “Today’s Sabrina’s birthday banquet; her dress must be handled with care. I’ll call a car for you—”

“No need.”

Before he could finish, I had already turned and walked off on my own.

Reid looked stunned for a moment, but Sabrina gently tugged his sleeve.

“Let’s go, Reid. We’re already running late.”

Whatever hesitation lingered on his face vanished in an instant.

He turned to the driver. “Let’s go.”

The car sped away without a second thought.

Every driver in the household had suddenly become “busy.” And I, his so-called wife, couldn’t even get a ride.

Unable to hail a cab from the villa and with the sky growing darker, I had no choice but to walk.

Rain began to fall, the droplets soaking my dress. By the time I reached the banquet, drenched to the bone, it had already been going on for a while.

Reid and Sabrina stood side by side, their smiles radiant, the very picture of a perfect couple.

Dad stood with them, a satisfied smile on his lips, nodding as if proud of the scene before him.

The guests surrounding them showered them with compliments, calling them a match made in heaven.

And? I stood at the entrance, soaked to the skin, my dress dripping water, looking like a drowned rat.

The stir I caused at the door caught Dad’s attention.

He strode over, his face dark with anger. Without a moment’s hesitation, he began to scold me, his words sharp and merciless.

“Who let you come here?”

“This is your sister’s birthday banquet. Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?”

“A convict like you, if I were you, I’d have killed myself by now. If you had any decency, you’d divorce and step aside.”

“I’ve already announced today that Sabrina is my daughter. Why are you still clinging to Reid?”

“Dad, I am Reid’s rightful wife!”

“Sabrina is just a poor student we helped out; how could she be your daughter?”

A loud, stinging slap landed on my face, the force leaving my ears ringing.

In that instant, I became the center of attention at the banquet.

“Disgrace!” Dad bellowed.

Sabrina flinched like a frightened rabbit, darting into Reid’s arms for comfort.

And my son, who had once been so tender and close to me, didn’t even spare me a glance.

His small body stood firmly in front of Sabrina, shielding her from me.

“You’re just a convict. What right do you have to question me?”

“If you had even half the sense of Sabrina, you would’ve died in prison instead of making a fool of yourself here!”

The crowd watched closely, some raising their phones, capturing every moment.

I covered my face, consumed by a flood of humiliation that seemed to drown me.

Reid hesitated, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

“Father…”

“Reid, Chairman Hardin is here. Let’s go greet him.”

“But—”

“Sister Brielle is still Dad’s biological daughter. She’ll be fine.”

Reid hesitated, but ultimately, he allowed Sabrina to pull him away.

With his arm around her, they walked toward the guests, not once looking back.

I stood there, trembling under the mocking stares of the crowd.

That child I had raised with my whole heart didn’t even pause; it just cast me a look of disdain and rushed after Sabrina.