Chapter 1

As I walked out of the prison gates, a guard called after me. "You earned an early release for good behavior. Go home and be with your family, and don't come back."

Then, he held out his hand and said, "You've got another shot at life. Make it count."

I shook it and stepped into the outside world.

Jessica Wright stood outside the prison gates with our daughter, Penny Joyner, holding her hand. Neither of them looked happy to see me.

Jessica glanced at her watch, clearly impatient. "I don't know why they had to release you today. You ruined the holiday."

Penny looked up at me with innocent eyes. "Dad, you're nothing but trouble."

I stood there in the same worn-out clothes I had worn before going to prison.

For a brief moment, I actually wanted to go back inside.

But I hadn't seen my grandmother, Martha Penn, in three years. I needed to see her before I could feel at ease.

"Now that you're out, let's not bring up the past." Jessica glanced at me, her eyes filled with disdain for my appearance.

"I'll help you find a job. Just keep your mouth shut," she said.

She was referring to the fact that I had taken the fall for her first love, Caleb Moore. I looked at her blankly. "I want to see Grandma."

If Jessica hadn't used Grandma's illness to manipulate me, I never would've gone to prison for Caleb.

Grandma had raised me on her own. Just when life was finally getting better, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer.

The doctors said they caught it early, meaning she had a strong chance at a full recovery. However, the treatment was very expensive—though that alone wasn't enough to make me willingly take the blame for Caleb.

It was Penny's words that had destroyed the last bit of hope I had left.

Just like now, she had looked at me with the same innocent expression and said something both naive and cruel. "Dad, why won't you help Uncle Caleb? You don't make money, and you never buy me dolls. Why can't Uncle Caleb be my father?

"Dad, please help him just this once. Uncle Caleb will take good care of Mom and me."

The look on her face back then was identical to the one she wore now.

At that moment, she tugged on Jessica's sleeve and kept whining, "Mom, I don't want Dad. He stinks! I don't want him at my party!"

Jessica sighed helplessly, picked her up, and tried to comfort her. "Penny, don't say that."

Then she frowned at me. "Jake, it's Christmas dinner tonight. Since you're out, come with us."

I took a step back and shook my head. "Jessica, I want to see Grandma."

Jessica suddenly snapped. "Did spending three years in prison teach you nothing? I dropped everything at home just to pick you up.

"Mom and Dad are waiting for you at home. Can't you at least do this for me?

"Listen—if you don't come with us for Christmas dinner today, don't expect me to tell you where Martha is."