CHAPTER 4

Alicia's POV

I knew life as a prisoner wasn't easy, but I definitely underestimated how hard it was... with the same routine all day, with no date in mind that all of these would end. I wanted freedom, I yearned to leave. The clang of the cell door still echoed in my bones when I collapsed onto the thin mattress. I just finished a field work that was meant for two people... Alice and I, in return for few hours of peace.

A bitter laugh tore out of me before I could stop it. The woman on the top bunk, Alice snapped, “Shut the hell up, princess,” but I didn’t even flinch. I wouldn’t say I was used to it, but what was in my head at this time didn’t let me give a fudge. My hand slowly went back to my stomach, as I laid there, staring into the space, I would protect this child with every broken piece of me. Even if it meant dying in this hellhole without ever telling Killian he was going to be a father.

I don’t know how long I lay there... minutes, hours... before the heavy scrape of boots stopped outside my bars.

“Belmont. Visitor.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. Not again. Who could it be this time? I couldn’t face another round of Killian’s disgust or Lea’s gloating. It's been five days since they left, but their words wouldn't stop ringing in my head. It better not be them this time, I hoped because I knew was just gonna lose it.

I stood on shaky legs and followed the guard down the long corridor, wrists cuffed, the orange jumpsuit hanging loose on my frame. When I stepped into the visitation room, my eyes landed on the man waiting at the other side of the glass. Tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp cheekbones and eyes the color of dark storm clouds. His expensive but understated suit and the faint scar through one eyebrow gave him a quietly dangerous edge.

Then my gaze shifted slightly.

And my heart stopped.

Standing right beside him was a face I knew better than almost anyone. Warm brown eyes, messy curls, and that same gentle smile that had always grounded me.

Zachary James.

A sharp breath caught in my throat. For a second, the entire prison faded away. My eyes widened, and before I could stop myself, a broken, joyful sound... half laugh, half sob, escaped me. “Zach…?”

He was really here. Not a dream. Not a memory. He was standing right there, looking at me like the world hadn’t tried to bury me alive.

Zachary stepped closer, his usual calm cracking as his eyes filled with emotion. “Lia,” he said, voice thick. “God, I’m so sorry. I tried reaching you for days. Calls, texts, everything. When you went completely silent, I got worried and started digging. That’s when I found out what they did to you. I knew you didn’t do it. You could never.”

Tears blurred my vision as I pressed my cuffed hands against the glass, desperate to reach him. The sight of him after everything I’d endured made something inside me crack open. Relief, gratitude, and pure excitement rushed through me so strongly my knees nearly buckled.

Zachary was the only person I could call a friend, the one person who had never once looked at me like I was broken was here. Fighting for me.

The man beside him leaned forward, voice low and steady. “Alicia Belmont? I’m Damien Cross, Zachary’s attorney. He hired me weeks ago, the moment he confirmed you were in here.”

Damien’s storm cloud eyes held mine, but I could barely focus on him. My gaze kept darting back to Zachary, who gave me a small, reassuring nod, his hand resting on the glass opposite mine.

"It's just Alicia now, no Belmont... We divorced," I managed to say as I beckoned him to proceed.

“Zach pulled every string he has,” Damien continued. “Old connections from med school, forensics experts, even favors from the district attorney’s office. The CCTV footage was apparently doctored. My team found the anomalies and chain-of-custody violations. We filed an emergency motion this morning. The judge granted immediate release pending a full retrial. You’re walking out tonight.”

“Tonight?” I whispered, still staring at Zachary in disbelief.

Zachary smiled, that familiar warm smile breaking through the tension on his face. “Tonight, Lia. I’ve been waiting outside with a car and a medical team. I want you checked out immediately especially after what the hospital noted.” His eyes flicked briefly to my stomach, then back to my face with quiet understanding. “I know,” he said softly. “About the baby. I touched everything. I’ve arranged private care. No one else will know unless you want them to.”

A fresh wave of tears spilled down my cheeks. I didn’t even try to hide them. Seeing Zachary here, hearing him say those words, filled me with a rush of excitement and hope I hadn’t felt in months.

No one can know I’m getting out, I thought. The people who framed me had gone to great lengths to put me here. If they found out I was free so soon, they might have more tricks up their sleeves... more lies, more evidence, more ways to destroy me and my child. I needed time.

“I want to keep this quiet,” I said suddenly, my voice low but firm. “No one outside this room should know I’ve been released.”

Zachary nodded immediately, understanding flashing in his eyes. Damien studied me for a moment, then gave a single, respectful dip of his chin. “Smart. We’ll handle it discreetly.”

Zachary leaned closer, his voice fierce now. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here sooner. But I’m here now. We’re getting you out. And we’re going to burn every single lie they built around you.”

Damien slid the release document through the slot. “Sign this. I’ll walk you through the gate myself.”

My fingers trembled as I scrawled my name, but I couldn’t stop glancing at Zachary, my heart pounding with a giddy kind of joy. I wasn't thinking straight, it all still felt like a dream to me. I couldn’t believe any of these were happening.

The warden appeared. The handcuffs clicked open.

For the first time in months, I could breathe. As I stood, both men rose with me. Zachary’s eyes never left mine.

“Ready to go home?” Damien asked.

Home.

I almost laughed.