Three Years Prisoned for Him, I Married His Uncle after Freedom

I took the fall for Gabriel and spent three years in prison for him.

When I was sentenced, he held my hand, sobbing uncontrollably. he swore that he’d marry no one but me, promising to wait for me until the day I was released.

On the day I got out, he didn’t come to pick me up. I walked over ten kilometers on foot to his family’s old estate, just to attend his mother’s birthday banquet.

When I arrived, I saw him holding another woman in his arms. He didn’t miss the chance to mock me. “A woman who’s been to prison thinks she’s worthy of marrying into *The Prince Family*?”

That’s when I realized—he had fallen in love with someone else during those three years.

Heartbroken and numb, I turned around and agreed to the arranged marriage my parents had set up.

On the day of my wedding, I sat before the vanity mirror, touching up my makeup in my wedding gown.

Suddenly, Gabriel barged in with his friends, laughing hysterically.

“Nora, are you that desperate to be my dirty little mistress? You even stole The Prince Family’s wedding gown to force me into marriage? How shameless can you be?”

Before I could respond, his uncle rushed in. He immediately draped his jacket over me and slid a wedding ring onto my finger.

At that moment, Gabriel’s face turned pale.

***

“This wedding dress is a custom design commissioned by the Prince Family,” the makeup artist said with excitement. “It’s said that the ninety-nine diamonds adorning it were specially sourced from all over the world, handpicked by the head of the family. Ms. Waller, your groom must really cherish you—”

Before she could finish, the door burst open with a deafening bang.

Gabriel Prince strode in, clad in a sharp groom’s suit, his face twisted in fury. Without a second thought, he grabbed me and yanked me off the makeup chair.

“Nora,” he spat, “you’re just an ex-con. Do you seriously think I’d still want you?”

His voice was laced with contempt. “You’re so shameless. I tossed out a careless joke and you had the audacity to take it seriously?

“And now you’re stealing my family’s wedding dress to force me into marriage? How much lower can you sink?”

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed in the room as Gabriel’s friends gathered by the door, their smirks filled with ridicule.

“Isn’t this Ms. Waller, the one who’s been chasing after Gabe for over a decade?” one of them sneered. “Didn’t she even kill someone for him? Spent three years in prison, just got out recently.”

“She really did time, huh? And now she thinks she can push the Prince Family into marrying her? Doesn’t she care about ruining their reputation for generations?”

“Exactly. Trash is trash. And to pull this stunt on Gabe and Ellie’s wedding day? Absolutely disgusting.”

“She really did time, huh? And now she has the audacity to try and force the Prince Family to marry her? Does she even care how it’ll stain the family’s legacy for generations?”

Their jeers pierced through the room like knives, each word cutting deeper than the last. My chest tightened, like a soggy wad of cotton was suffocating me from the inside.

Three years ago, it was Gabriel who begged me incessantly, swearing he’d marry me the moment I got out of prison. He wore me down, pleading until I finally relented and agreed to take the blame for him.

Even when he broke off our engagement after my release, I didn’t say a word. I turned away quietly and accepted the marriage my family arranged for me.

And now? How had the story twisted so much that I’d become the one shamelessly forcing him to marry me?

With the wedding about to start, I had no patience for an argument.

Pulling free from Gabriel’s grip, I swallowed my anger and calmly said, “Gabriel, I had no idea today was your wedding to Ellie. Besides, who you marry or whether you marry at all has nothing to do with me. Because today, I’m getting married too.”

The crowd around us erupted with laughter, loud and mocking, as if I’d just told the punchline to the most ridiculous joke.

Gabriel caught on quickly, smirking as he joined in with a derisive chuckle.

“You? Getting married? Don’t make me laugh. Who would want you?”

He sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. “A woman like you—fresh out of prison—I wouldn’t even take you as a bedwarmer. You’d bring nothing but bad luck.”

His words cut like a blade, stripping away any semblance of dignity. Emboldened by his cruelty, his friends chimed in with their own jeers.

“A bedwarmer? Not a bad idea! Gabe, if you’re done with her, let the rest of us have a turn!”

“A murderous ex-con? Now that’s a thrill! She’s probably a wild one in bed!”

The scorn in Gabriel’s eyes burned even brighter, as if the idea of making me his mistress was some grand favor I should feel grateful for.