“Diana Tate Patterson, my name is Attorney Frank Edwards, and I will be the one representing you. Now I need you to tell me the entire truth—”

“I didn't kill him,” The words left Diana Tate’s lips in a broken whisper as a cold shiver rocked down her spine.

“Remember, Mrs. Patterson, I am your lawyer, and so I am on your side, so I need you to be very honest with me now and tell me the truth,”

“The truth is, I didn't kill my father,” As the cold feeling reached her chest, she forced herself not to remember that precise moment that changed her entire life.

“Mrs Patterson, I know you're still in shock of everything that happened last night, but I could be able to get you a lighter sentence if you just confessed—”

“For the last time, I didn't kill my father,” Hot tears rolled down her eyes, as her lips trembled against each other. “They did. Antonia Saunders and her daughter, Emily killed my father,”

He leaned back against the chair. “Your sister—”

“Stepsister,” Diana corrected. “My step-mother and her daughter killed my father,”

“Mrs. Patterson, you are aware, you are being charged with first-degree murder for killing your father and an attempted murder on your step-sister's life,”

Her lips parted in shock as more tears burned her eyes. She swallowed through the pain in her chest, leaning forward.

“I swear I didn't touch her. She tried to kill me, right after they killed my dad, pushing him from the office in his own company.” The memory still burned through her mind. It was as if she was still stuck in that moment where she watched helplessly as Antonia and her daughter pushed him right after he had collapsed.

Diana still couldn't believe it. How one night could change her entire world. Just yesterday her father was alive and happy and excited for the party last night to celebrate Tate Group's anniversary. She didn't know it would only end in his death.

She sniffed as tears rolled down her eyes.

“Please believe me, I could never murder my father. I had no reason to—”

He cut her off. “Maybe because last night, Mr Tate had planned to announce at the party that he was stepping down, leaving the company for your step sister,” He pulled out a document from his bag. “This was the speech he had prepared for last night,”

As he handed the paper to Diana, she read through it and didn't need an expert to know that it was fake.

Her eyes shot back to the lawyer. “This is a fake. Dad wasn't just planning on announcing during last night's party that he was making me the new CEO of Tate Group, he has transferred his entire shares to me. Antonia somehow found out, and—”

“The prosecutor's office has footage of you arriving at the company last night, a few minutes after he did. You abruptly left the party you claimed was to announce your appointment and followed him to the company; why?”

“He left the party in a hurry, I was worried about him. So I followed him,”

“We caught you arguing with him in one of the footage,”

“We never argued. And when I arrived at his office, Antonia and her daughter were already there, they were the ones arguing with him. Didn't you watch the footage,”

“We did Mrs Patterson. Unfortunately, some of the security cameras were down but we did see Antonia and her daughter arrive at the scene after your father's murder. You are the only prime suspect in this case,”

“Those footage have been fabricated. I swear I'm telling you the truth, Antonia and her daughter killed my father,” Diana screamed, banging her hands against the table separating them. “Antonia Saunders killed my father; please, you have to believe me,” She yelled in tears.

“I'm sorry Mrs Patterson, but everything points to you,”

“Why are they stopping my husband from seeing me? I need to speak with Gabe Patterson. Please call him,” She screamed.

“There's no need for that. Mr. Patterson came with me, and he's waiting outside,” Frank Edwards pulled up from his chair and adjusted his suit. “I'll come by again tomorrow,” He said before strolling to the door, and as he pulled it open, she saw her husband, Gabe standing outside the door.

Frank sent a final glance at her before he left. Diana stood up from her chair and ran straight into her husband's arms, tears pouring down her eyes.

“Gabe, Dad…” She broke down in tears. “Dad's dead… He's…” She choked on her sob as she noticed a figure leaning against the doorway. It was Emily. “What the hell is she doing here?” Diana pulled away, her eyes sparking with hate and rage as she shifted it to Gabe, demanding an answer.

“Diana, you need to be calm,”

“Calm? She and Antonia killed my father. And they set me up. I am in here because of them,” Diana yelled as Emily entered the room and locked the door with an evil sneer on her lips.

“Diana—” He started but she cut him off.

“Are you not listening, they are the ones that need to be locked up. You need to believe me, Antonia and Emily killed my father,”

“I believe you, Diana,” Gabe's large hands gripped my shoulders firmly. “I know Antonia and Emily were the ones who pushed Mr Tate last night. I also know they have been poisoning your poor father for years now, and last night, after finding out your father had revised his will, and transferred all his shares to you, they had no choice but to kill him before he made the announcement public at the party,” Gabe sighed, withdrawing his hands and he sauntered to one of the empty chairs, taking a seat.

Diana was left frozen in her spot as his words kept echoing in her ears. Antonia and Emily had been poisoning her father. All these years?

A shiver ghosted through her, and slowly, her gaze traveled to Gabe. “You knew? All this time? Why didn't you… How on earth do you know about that?”

“Because I have been doing the same to you for two years now,” His lips stretched into a cold, sinister smile, and for a second, he looked nothing like the sweet-hearted Gabe she fell in love with in college. He looked a lot like the devil himself.

“What? You've been what?”

“What? You've been what?”

“Poisoning you, and that's not all. I was also responsible for your previous miscarriage and the one before that; I mean, come on, who the fuck do you think you are to have my child,” He pulled up from his chair.

“Gabe?”

“Don't look so shocked yet, sweetheart. You haven't even heard the rest of it,” He strolled over to where Emily had been standing with a dark, satisfied smile on her face. His hands fell on her waist, and her eyes on Diana, and without warning, he kissed her.

A breathless gasp left Diana's lips. Her legs trembled and they staggered a few steps behind, colliding against the table.

Diana couldn't believe what was happening. She could have easily believed anything but what was happening right in front of her.

“This isn't real. This couldn't be real. Two years. We've been married for two years…”

“And those two years have been the worst years of my life,” He pulled a little from Emily. “Gosh, do you know how exhausting it was pretending to love you?”

“Come on, babe, you shouldn't be so hard on her; remember, she just lost her father and is about to spend the rest of her life in jail,” Emily cooed, placing a kiss on his lips before taking a seat.

“How long?” A tear slipped past Diana’s eyes. “How long have you been screwing this whore behind my back—” Before she could complete her words, Gabe's hand collided harshly against her cheek, forcing her neck sideways.

“Don't you ever call Emily a whore, you worthless bitch,”

“Goodness Gabe. I think you just broke her jaw. You shouldn't have hit her so hard. She only asked an innocent question,” Emily frowned, but her eyes flashed evilly. “So let's see. You both met in college and have been married to him for two years, and I have known him longer than that, we were sweethearts in high school. Yup, eight years. Gabe and I have been dating for eight years,”

Diana's eyes widened, and tears burned her vision. “Why? What did I ever do to you to deserve this kind of betrayal, Gabe? I loved you,”

“And that itself was a crime,” He strolled closer to the table, picking up the brown folder he came with. “It's nothing personal, Diana. It's just business. I never loved you, I love Emily. You were just a plan for us to get our hands on the Tate empire. With your father dead, and you rotting in here, Emily and I are free to get married and inherit everything that foolish old man wanted to leave you,” He pulled out a paper. “These are divorce papers, and the other one states that you are leaving me in charge of everything you own, sign them,”

“Do you honestly think I'd leave everything to such a scumbag as yourself? You're nothing, Gabe. Before I met you, you were nothing but a piece of trash, and I swear as soon as I get out of here, I'll ensure every one of you pays for your crimes,”

Emily burst out laughing. “Do you really think you are ever leaving this place? Frank Edwards works for my mother, and in the first trial, he is going to ensure you are convicted for murder and attempted murder in my life. The only way you could ever escape this hellhole is your death, so give up the idea you're ever leaving this place, I'll make sure you rot in here, bitch,”

“I don't know how you'll ever be able to sleep well at night after everything you've done. Dad loved you and treated you as his daughter,”

“Trust me, Diana, I sleep just fine. And don't kid yourself, he meant nothing to me. He was just one of the men my mother married, and he has served his purpose, and besides, if he didn't go poking around, he'd still be around for a while, but he had to find out exactly what he shouldn't, and revise his will leaving mum and me nothing. Come on, even you would be furious. Now sign the damned papers, Gabe and I have a funeral to plan,”

Diana swallowed the hard lump in her throat and picked up the pen on the table. She signed the divorce papers, tossed them on the table, and picked up the second. “If you think I'd sign these, you're insane. I'll get out of this fucking place, and I'll send you both including Antonia to hell, I swear on my life,”

Instantly, Emily was up from her chair, storming to Diana. She gripped Diana's hair hard. “You're going to sign the darn paper, Diana,”

Diana pushed her stepsister off her, slapping Emily, and immediately Gabe grabbed Diana by the neck, slamming her against the wall. Before Diana could recover from the harsh impact against her body, Gabe's fist collided with her face, forcing her to spill out some blood.

“You know what? Fuck these papers, we don't need them if she's dead,” Diana’s eyes widened at Emily's words, and she looked over to Gabe to find him smirking.

“You are right, darling. We don't need her. She's better off dead. Guards!” Gabe yelled from the door, and quickly, some female prison guards rushed in. “You know what to do,”

Diana was dragged to the door by the guards when Emily gripped her chin. “Take a good look at me, Diana, and remember this: you are nothing, and I, Emily Saunders won. I got to keep Gabe and your precious company is now mine. Remember that even while in hell!” Emily's last words weighed in Diana's very soul as she watched them leave.

Diana was beaten up badly and tossed into a cold room. It was completely dark and she had been locked for hours. She had no idea what time it was or how long she'd been down there.

All she could feel was the cold eating through her and the pain in her bones. Diana wished this was a dream she'd wake up from, but it wasn't. Her father was murdered, and she was ruined. Antonia, Emily, and Gabe had everyone in their pockets and even the law was against her.

Diana sobbed against the hard humid ground in silence. From the first time her father had brought Antonia and Emily home, Diana knew they'd end up destroying everything she'd loved. If only their paths never crossed the Saunders then maybe this tragic fate could have been avoided.

Diana was startled by the silent opening of the door, and she looked up to see one of the prison guards at the doorway.

Without saying a word, she was taken out of the cell.

“Where are you taking me to?” Diana's question was met with an uncomfortable silence and soon they reached the single door in an empty hallway. The guard's gaze fell on Diana before she was pushed into a room.

It was dark with no light turned on, but moonlight rays filtered into the room from the window, falling on the chair at a corner of the room.

Diana clutched the sides of my stomach tightly, realizing she wasn't alone. She could see the figure sitting on the chair. A man. But she couldn't see his face.

“Who are you?” Diana fought the urge to take a step backward. She wondered who he was, maybe he was the one Emily had sent to kill her.

“My name is Killian Blackford, and I truly wished we were meeting under different circumstances, Mrs Patterson,” The man spoke; his voice was deep and rich and had a lasting effect on her skin. Strangely, the name sounded so familiar but Diana's brain was too messed up to think.

“It’s Diana Tate now, my divorce is in process,” She remained fixed on her spot.

Diana couldn't see his face clearly but she could almost imagine the smile that touched his lips. “I guess, my congratulations are in order,” He said, leaning forward on the table.

“How do you know me? I don't think we've met before,” She asked and he remained silent for a few seconds before responding.

“It's a long story, but that's for another day. We don't have much time, and we have something important to discuss. I think you should be seated to hear this,” He pointed at the empty chair opposite him.

“What could we possibly discuss about?”

“A mutual enemy,” He said, and Diana raised a confused brow. Before she could say a word, he did. “Antonia Saunders,”

The breath Diana didn't know she had been holding left her lips, and slowly, she strolled closer, settling on the empty chair opposite his.

“How do you know Antonia Saunders?” Diana narrowed her eyes, trying to get a glimpse of his face, but it was impossible in the darkness.

“We don't have much time for that either,”

“Then why —”

He interrupted her. “I believe you, Miss Tate. I believe that Antonia and her daughter, Emily Saunders, together with your husband, Gabe Patterson, schemed and connived to kill your father and framed you up for the murder just so they could get their hands on the Tate empire. And I also know they are going to ensure you rot in here, or even worse, they might get rid of you permanently,”

His words shocked her. He was the only one who believed her so far. “Who are you really?”

“I am someone who can help you get out of here,”

“How?” Diana asked.

“I have my ways, Miss Tate,” His eyes gleamed in the darkness. They were the color of the deep ocean. Calm, yet deadly.

“And what do you hope to get out of this?” There was always something in return.

“You,” His abrupt answer shocked Diana again, but then he chuckled slightly. “I meant I need your help in return, to destroy Antonia Saunders and send her straight to hell. And something tells me that's exactly what you want as well,” He parted his lips to speak when his phone buzzed. He glanced at it and from the light reflecting on his face, she could see the slight frown.

“Is something wrong?”

“No,” He glanced up at her, “But unfortunately, our time is up for today. We'll talk more tomorrow,”

Diana stood up at the urgent knock on the door. She was about to open the door when she paused and turned to the man. “You're right, though, I want the same thing as you. I want to see Antonia and Emily Saunders, along with Gabe Patterson, in hell,” She said before leaving the room.

As Diana stepped out, she found a different female guard standing outside the door. She looked around but couldn't find the guard that brought her there.

The guard grabbed her arm and dragged her away. After a few turns, Diana realized they weren't headed to the cell.

“Why aren't we headed to the cell,” She turned to the guard.

“Because sweetheart, tonight is the day you go to hell,” Her lips curled darkly, and Diana was pushed into another room, and the next thing she felt was a sharp pain piercing through her flesh. “Antonia sends her greetings,”

Diana gasped, looking down at the stab wound in her stomach. The woman pulled out the knife and stabbed Diana repeatedly until she collapsed against the cold floor, soon soaked in a pool of her blood.

Diana could feel her life slowly escape her. She couldn't believe this was how she finally died. All alone, like a worthless criminal.

Diana felt the tears that rolled from her eyes as her entire life flashed before her eyes and she realized everything had been reduced to nothing.

This wasn't fair. She couldn't just end up like this. Antonia, Emily, and Gabe didn't deserve to live happily after everything they'd done. If only she could get a second chance to make them pay for their betrayal and crimes.

She'd make sure they regret the day they crossed paths with Diana Tate. She'd avenge her father's death. She would if she could.

One final tear rolled out from Diana's eyes, and she felt the cold hands of death snatch her away.