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597words2026-01-26 09:05

In the third year of my relationship with Daniel Reed,I"committed murder."
He personally destroyed my future,sending me to prison.
Two years in prison,I endured inhumane abuse,but Daniel never visited,not even once.

Not until I was paroled for stomach cancer did I hear the news of his engagement.
I let go.After my release,I avoided him,but he knelt before me,begging.
"Anna,can we start over?"
...
The day Daniel sent me to prison,I felt like the whole Internet was codemning me.
They cursed me to die,demanding a death penalty.

In the prison cell,the head of inmates,Carla"Blade"Torres,grabbed my hair and dragged me to the center.
"Look at this—the reporter who went to prison for corruption two years ago."
"If not for her,my little brother wouldn't have made bad investments, he wouldn't have killed himself!"
I curled up on the floor,coughing blood.

My wounds throbbed.Two years in prison,I was beaten almost everyday.
There's no law in prison—only the fittest could survive.
I had been beaten to internal bleeding,I had had my fingernails ripped out,I had been stripped naked and forced to run through the cellblock.
But the physical pain couldn't compare to the pain in my heart.
I would never forget the day Daniel sent me to prison,his cold gaze as he walked away without looking back.
"1306,your lawyer's here."
The guard's baton clanged on the bars,halting the brewing assault.I struggled to my feet.
Every step tugged at my wounds,but no one cared.
Carla stuck out her foot,tripping me.I crashed to the floor again,laughter eruptted around me.
Amid the jeers,I crawled up and satggered out.
In the cramped visitation room,Nathan Cole sat quietly at the table,there was an apologetic expression on his face when he saw me.
"Your case..."
He didn't finish,but I knew my charges wouldn't be overturned.
Daniel, as a prosecutor,had personally ensured that I would be put.
The evidence against me was ironclad.
Murder,destroying evidence durings investigation—either charge could keep me locked up for life.
I lowered my head and curled my lips to a smile,even the slightest movement of muscles like that sent pain all over my body.
"Thank you.You've done a lot for me these two years."
"It's the least I could do.If not for your father,I would have been dead at 13."
Nathan didn't leave.He hesitated,then pulled an invitation from his briefcase.
The gold-embossed card read:
Wedding Invitation.
Groom's name—Daniel Reed.
My face stiffened,nearly dropping the card.
"He's...getting married?"
Daniel once said I was his one and only love.Before prison,we were just engaged.Now,he had broken his promise,marrying another woman.
"Want to call him?"
I nodded,then shook my head,but Nathan was too quick,dialing before I could stop him.
"What is it?"
A steady,pleasant male voice came through.
My grip on the phone tightened,knuckles white,my voice trembling.
"It's me.I heard you're getting married?"
"What about me?"
Silence stretched to eternity, I thought he'd hang up.
"Anna Clarke,you should know—when Sophie Lane died,we were done."
Yes,we were done.
Trust,like a mirror,once shattered,could never be mended.
But I didn't commit corruption.I didn't kill anyone.
Two years ago,I was an upright journalist.
Daniel was a prosecutor,fierce against injustice.
We were partners in both work and love.
He was assigned a major corruption case.The suspect was cunning,and we had only caught theminor criminals—the real culprit's identity remained hidden.
"Don't worry.Together,we'll unmask this corrupt politician."
I cupped Daniel's face,smiling to reassure him.
The case was strange.The deeper we dug,the murkier the truth became.
We had investigated countless cases together and never once did we fail.I was confident we would succeed again.
Daniel kissed me back,our breaths mingling.
"Then I'll thank you in advance,Ms.Clarke."