The court was going to announce its verdict. My fiancee, Yvonne Quinton, told me to stop pleading not guilty and just sign the confession papers.

"I know you're innocent, but Christopher's frail. I can't let him go to prison." She held my hand and cried her heart out. "This is for your own good, Shawn."

I signed the confession papers. In my previous life, I refused to take the fall for Christopher Welson. In the end, I was sent to prison anyway. The furious Yvonne sent her men to torture me until I became sterile.

Now I had a second chance in life. She could have her wish.

The next day, the whole world found out I'd leaked top business secrets, and Christopher was the eyewitness.

"Yeah, it's him! I saw him sneaking into the Leidermann Group!"

The court opened its session in the afternoon, but the plaintiff, Rachel Leidermann, dropped all charges.

To everyone's shock, she took out a diamond ring and asked. "Will you marry me this time around, Shawn?"

Cunning

The moment I signed the papers, a gleam of triumph shone in my fiancee, Yvonne Quinton's eyes. But when I looked at her, she put on a mask that told me she too felt conflicted.

"I'll get the best lawyers for you, Shawn. Even when you're in prison, I'll do my best to get you an early release."

I held down my sardonic smile. Coolly, I said, "Spare me."

She pretended to worry. "Shawn, I know you don't like this, but you can't just give up. Your parents…"

She wouldn't stop talking about how she was worried about me. I'd have believed her, but my previous life told me she was a snake.

When I refused to sign the papers in my previous life, she turned on me. She forged evidence that would slam me in prison. She bought out some inmates, and they took away my right to be a father.

I had nothing but hatred for her. She told Christopher Welson to steal Leidermann Group's secrets, but I had to take the fall. Me, an innocent person.

"Shawn?" Her voice pulled me back to reality. "You don't look so good. What's wrong?"

I balled my fists, and my nails clawed into my flesh. "It's nothing." I forced a smile. "Prison scares me, that's all."

She tried to hold my hand, but I moved away quietly. That surprised her a little, but the delight of getting my confession papers overwhelmed her. She carefully tucked them away into her suitcase.

"I'll hand these over to the judge when the session opens in three days." She promised, "I'll make sure no one knows about this."

I nodded coolly. Then, I was bailed and awaited my trial.

…

When I left the court, she opened the car door for me and held her hand against my forehead, just like the way I did for her for the last three years.

Alas, nothing was the same anymore. Even so, she still acted the part of a caring lover. The look she gave me was nothing short of tender.

"I'll take you home, Shawn."

'Home?' I sneered quietly. The villa that was supposed to be the chest that stored our memories had no place for me. I knew that much.

And my instincts were true. The first thing that hit me when I got home was the scent of another man's cologne.

Everything inside was changed. I was a minimalist, but the decor was nothing short of loud and gaudy.

The wedding portrait that was supposed to be in the center of the living room was shoved into the storeroom like some sort of miscellaneous item. Dust was its blanket now.

She noticed me staring at the portrait. A hint of awkwardness flickered on her face, but she composed herself right away. "It's all Christopher's idea, Shawn."

To Court

"You know he's unstable. His sickness…"

I looked away dispassionately and made a beeline for the bedroom. Once again, the stench of cologne assailed my nose and took over my world.

Underpants lay haphazardly on the tousled bed. Underpants that were not mine. The bedside cabinet had intimate photos of Yvonne and Christopher.

I swiveled around. The air around me was sharp and biting. "You slept in my bed?"

Panicked, Yvonne said, "It's not permanent! I'll make him move once he's bet—"

"Spare me," I interrupted. "I'm just here to get my stuff." I hurried to the wardrobe, but it was filled with designer clothes for Christopher. My clothes were stuffed in a suitcase and tossed into a random corner.

"Shawn, please." Yvonne held my hand. "I know you hate this, but…"

I flung her hand away and grabbed my suitcase. But before I could leave, I was hit with a push notification.

"Shocking news! Erstwhile heir of Pearson Group signed confession papers, admitting his crime of stealing Leidermann Group's top secrets."

The comment section was filled with nothing but shock.

"The Locke heir stole business secrets?"

"I can't believe he did that! And I thought he was taking the fall for Christopher!"

"He should go to prison!"

My eyes trembled, and I stared at Yvonne in disbelief. I signed the papers as she wanted me to, but she couldn't even bother to keep one simple promise. And she made that promise herself!

She noticed the news on the screen and gave me an awkward look. "I can explain. I mean, I wanted to keep it a secret, but you know how sick Christopher is. He's also a suspect, and I couldn't let this hurt him, so…"

My disappointment could go no further. All I had was calm indifference. "It's fine." I hid my emotions and tucked my phone away. "The trial is in three days."

Yvonne heaved a sigh of relief and held my hand in false solidarity. "I'm glad you can stand in my shoes. I'll take care of your parents while you're in prison."

It took me everything not to throw up. I pulled my hand away and moved to another room.

…

Night came. I called someone I'd not called in a long, long time. It went through, and I took a deep breath.

"Ms. Leidermann? I'm Shawn Pearson. We need to talk. In person."

…

The next morning, I woke up early and dressed myself, but I ran into Yvonne before I could leave.

She noticed that I was well dressed, and her forehead creased. "It's early. Where are you going?"

"Business." I changed my shoes and avoided meeting her eyes.

She held the doorknob and said darkly, "You shouldn't be running around. It's not the time. You're awaiting trial. If someone recognizes you…"

I refused to talk to her. Coldly, I said, "Move away."

Her face fell. She grabbed my wrist. "You'd better know your place, Shawn!"

She let go of me unceremoniously and clapped her hands. A pair of men in black showed up. I thrashed and struggled, but they held on to me tightly.

Yvonne said coldly, "I think I've been too kind to you."

Then she ordered, "Tie him up and lock him in the underground chamber. He's not to be released until court is in session!"

The men in black tied me up. I wanted to get away, but there was nothing I could do.

Defiantly, I shot Yvonne a glare and raised my voice.

Imprisonment

"That's illegal imprisonment, Yvonne!"

The darkness in Yvonne's eyes turned thicker. "You made me do this, Shawn."

…

The underground chamber was dark and humid. The only source of light was the lightbulb dangling overhead, spilling yellow light into the air.

Yvonne was standing at the entrance, with light shining from behind. Her face was masked in shadow. Coldly, she said, "You'll stay here until the trial."

Her men shoved me into the chamber. I staggered and crashed into the wall. A stab of pain shot up my shoulder. I inhaled sharply and gave her a withering look.

Her eyes darted as she told her men to untie me. Then she took out a diamond-encrusted watch from her pocket. "Shawn…" Her voice was filled with guilt. "I asked for a custom-made one for you. It's… compensation."

She presented the watch to me. The diamonds shone with a nearly blinding gleam under the light.

I looked at her icily, but I did not take the watch. "Is this supposed to be something to keep me from running away?"

Yvonne froze up, and she heaved a sigh. "I just want you to know I still love you."

I snickered. "You love me so much that you want me to take the fall for your lover and lock me up in an underground chamber."

She froze again. Before she could say anything, Christopher's voice tumbled down the stairs. He hurried over and snatched the box. "Oh, nice watch. Did you get this for me, Yvonne?"

That stunned Yvonne. "Christopher, it's…"

"I don't care! It's mine now!" Christopher wore the watch, grumbling. "He's going to prison anyway. A watch like this is wasted on him."

She looked at me, then at him. With all her love, she relented. "Fine, take it if you want."

Even though Christopher had already gotten what he wanted, he wasn't going to let it go that easily. He frowned. "But if I get his present, what about him? Maybe…" He stopped and let a smile curl his lips. Then, he took off his old watch and presented it to me.

"How about you take this instead?"

Yvonne ignored the blatant and obviously malicious gesture and treated it like an act of goodwill. "He thinks about you so much, Shawn. I know you two can get along."

I stared at the watch. It was cheap and did not even gleam under the light. A sneer pulled at my lips.

Yvonne continued, "Oh, Christopher's not feeling too good, and…" She paused. "And the doctor did say it's going to be hard for you to get anyone pregnant, so I'm canceling our marriage."

I was prepared for this, but that statement still pierced my heart anyway.

"But don't worry. I'm not heartless. When you come out of prison, I'll get you a job and a place to stay. After all, we were…"

I interrupted coldly, "And what makes you think I'd trust a single word you say, Yvonne?"

Christopher wrapped an arm around Yvonne's waist and shot me a look of scorn. "Know your place. Yvonne's kind enough to pity you. No one's going to marry a useless man."

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. The pain kept me awake. It told me not to do anything rash. Not yet. It was not the time to retaliate.

…

It was the dead of the night, but the dungeon's door creaked open. I raised my head, a frown creasing my brows.

Christopher came in. He looked at me like I was beneath him, and a smug smile dangled on his lips.