Chapter 2 - Prison Hell

-LIANA-

Tell me. Please tell me.

That this is all a dream.

The flashbulbs still burned behind my eyes when the prison gates slammed shut, heavy iron gnashing like teeth. The echo lingered, bouncing off concrete walls, a warning I couldn’t ignore.

Just hours ago, I had stood beneath chandeliers, diamonds scattering light across marble floors. Now, concrete pressed in from every side. The air was thick with sweat, bleach, despair,a suffocating cocktail that clawed at my lungs.

My midnight gown, heels clicking over marble, vanished. In its place: a coarse orange uniform that scraped against my skin like sandpaper.

I glanced at my wrist. Red blisters had begun to form, sharp reminders of my sudden fall from luxury. From perfection to punishment. From life to survival.

The stench of fear was everywhere. Sweat and bleach mingled with something raw, animalistic. My first thought wasn’t for myself,it was for the life growing inside me.

The baby. My baby. Innocent. Fragile. The only piece of me Cassian couldn’t touch.

⸻

CLACK!

The camera shutter rang out, sharp, unforgiving.

A mugshot. The flash burned, cold and merciless.

Then the fingerprints. Ink grinding into my skin. A strip search that left me hollow and humiliated, my cheeks on fire. I refused to cry. I refused to give them that victory.

When they shoved me into the cell, my knees buckled. Silence devoured me,not polite silence like at the gala, but feral, suffocating silence.

I let my hand drift to my stomach. Still flat. Still secret.

Cassian’s voice echoed in my head, venomous as ever: Prove it’s mine. Or end it.

What if I had agreed? What if I’d ended the pregnancy? Would he have abandoned Scarlett like he swore?

No. That bitch wouldn’t have let him.

Tears pricked, but I swallowed them down. Not here. Not in front of predators.

Because the cell wasn’t empty.

A group of women watched me from the bunks, their eyes sharp, hungry, calculating.

One of them,a tall woman, scarred, exuding violence,stepped forward. Without warning, she shoved me against the bars. Pain shot down my spine.

“Well, well,” she sneered. “Thought this place was only for people like us? Looks like Scarlett sent us a toy.”

Scarlett. My blood iced.

The others laughed, sharp and cruel. From the shadows, someone hissed, “Scarlett’s gift.”

I straightened, voice trembling but unbroken. “Stay away from me.”

They cackled louder. “Look at you, pretending to be tough. Let’s see how long you last.”

“In here, you are not a billionaire’s wife. You will never touch that pipe dream again. Start licking the right feet.”

I shivered at her words.

⸻

Every sound in this place was amplified: the drip of water, the scraping of shoes on concrete, the faint moan of someone suffering in the next cell. I counted the echoes. Every step, every breath measured.

Hours later, guards dragged me out. Hope clawed at my chest. Maybe court. Maybe freedom.

But when I saw her, my stomach twisted into knots.

Scarlett.

She glided into the visitation room like it was her runway. Silk hugged her body, diamonds glittered at her throat, heels slicing the silence. Every movement screamed victory.

“Well, well,” she purred, honey-laced venom in her voice. “Look at you, Liana. Caged. Exactly where you belong.”

My fists curled against the table. “Why are you here?”

Her perfume suffocated me. She leaned in, lips curving into a smile too sharp to be human.

“To watch the moment you break,” she whispered. “Cassian doesn’t want you. The world believes you’re a traitor. And that baby you’re clinging to?” Her eyes glittered. “It will never have a name. Never a father. Because Cassian will never claim it.”

My chest constricted, but I kept my face still. No satisfaction for her.

She slid a folder across the table with manicured fingers,the divorce papers Cassian once hurled at me like garbage.

“Sign them now,” she hissed. “Or rot until you do. Either way, he’s mine.”

Then, lower, poisonous: “Enjoy your kingdom of steel, Liana. Bars suit you better than diamonds.”

With that, she was gone. Her perfume lingered like a curse.

⸻

I sat frozen long after, trembling with rage, humiliation, grief. Beneath it all, something hotter burned,unyielding fire.

AAAAAAHHH! I screamed, tossing the papers into the air.

I couldn’t break. Not for her. Not for him.

I pressed my fists to the table and whispered: Survive. Protect the baby. Remember every betrayal.

Because one day, they would pay. In blood.

Damn you, Scarlett. Damn you.

⸻

Back in my cell, night smothered me. Sleep refused.

Footsteps scraped against concrete. Shadows thickened.

The scarred woman returned, flanked by two others.

“You don’t belong here,” she snarled, blocking the exit. “So we’ll teach you how to survive.”

Her hand clamped around my wrist, rough and unrelenting.

Panic flared,but I shoved back with everything I had. We crashed into the bars, pain tearing through my shoulder. I fought like a cornered animal, every swing fueled by one thought: protect the baby.

Shouts echoed down the hall, guards rushing,but the fists didn’t stop.

Iron. Blood. Desperation.

Vision blurred, heat flooding my skull. I gritted my teeth, forcing every ounce of focus into keeping my baby safe. Fear roared,but beneath it, a stubborn fire refused to die.

⸻

I began to adapt.

I watched patterns, memorized routines.

Guards’ steps.

Shifts in the bunk hierarchy.

Weaknesses in those who thought themselves untouchable.

I cataloged every face, every movement, every hint of cruelty. Knowledge became armor. Knowledge became power.

I imagined escape. Not yet. Not today. But I saw the possibilities. And I promised myself,every day, every hour,that survival wasn’t enough. Revenge would come. And it would be exquisite.

I whispered into the darkness: I will survive. I will protect you. I will make them pay for every lie, every shove, every humiliation.

I won’t die here. Not me. Not my child.

⸻

Hours stretched. I lay on the narrow cot, listening. The water dripping in the corner became a metronome, counting down patience, endurance, strategy. Every faint sound,moan, scream, footstep,became information.

I traced my hand over my stomach. Life inside me. My spark. My reason to fight. My reason to rise from this hell.

I didn’t know how long I would last. But I knew one thing: when the world had forgotten me, I would return,untouchable, armed with fire, cunning, and fury.

And one day… Scarlett and Cassian would see the woman they tried to destroy,and tremble.