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Chapter 2

Adrian’s POV

Time in prison didn’t feel like normal time.

I was still caged by the walls and strong doors, which made me stop counting as days went by.

It's been nine months already, but every single night, that fateful day keeps on replaying in my head—his shocking betrayal hurts, and he has never visited me or sent a letter since that night.

Could it be that Martin abandoned me here alone to be accused of a crime I didn't commit? My mind raced with these thoughts, flashbacks to what led me here, and the hope I'd carried for nine months.

I didn't even realize when the door creaked open… The loud clang echoed inside my cell, and I stood up on my feet immediately.

Two officers stood in front of me with their cold faces; one of them stepped inside the cell with a very stern face like a carved stone, while the other officer waited outside, tapping a baton against her leg impatiently.

“Miss Adrian, get up; you have a visitor,” he said. “Someone is waiting for you.”

I froze.

A visitor?

It had been almost ten months since I entered this place. No one had ever come. Not even my aunt—she disappeared the day I was sentenced, as if I never existed. I had long accepted that I was forgotten.

But now… Someone was here to see me?

My heart jumped. “Martins?” I asked.

“When you get there, you will see.”

Martin! He probably has changed his mind and has come back for me and his unborn child even though he never knew I was pregnant. Maybe when he found out, he would take us back home.

I pulled myself away from the iron bed, completely ignoring the sharp pain in between my legs, but I wasn't sure it was labor; the date the doctor gave is in three weeks' time. But for days I’ve been feeling tight under my stomach—little signs of labor—but I ignored it.

They fixed a handcuff on me, and I struggled with my legs and followed them down the hall to the visiting room. My stomach was heavier under the thin prison clothes I wore.

“Walk faster,” one officer snapped, shoving my shoulder roughly.

I stumbled, almost reaching the floor, but I caught myself and continued walking.

“You only have fifteen minutes left, and you haven’t gotten to the visitor's room. If you waste time, you won’t get the replacement for it,” she barked in anger.

That was life here—no kindness, no patience, no mercy. Just orders, punishment, and pain. In this prison, I've been beaten, mocked because of pregnancy, and starved of sleep most nights.

Months ago, I was stabbed in the leg by a fellow prisoner for no reason. Every day I pay for a crime I know nothing about.

The door to the visiting room opened, and I was pushed inside by the officers… My breathing hitched immediately.

He was there…

Martin was seated at the metal chair and had that ever-dangerous smirk on his face. He was cleaner and more handsome. His hair was well cut. His eyes had that same cold look I had forced myself to ignore so many times before.

"Adrian," he called my name softly.

I froze. My chest tightened. I wanted to run to him and thank him for coming to see me and knowing we're having a baby, but the glass separated us from touching each other.

But beside him sat Amelia, my cousin's sister.

She never liked me at all. She always mocked me when I was living in her house and was so cold to me.

But wait… Why was she here with him?

Anyway, I cared less; all I knew was that Martin was here, and I felt happy seeing him again!.

But I was still confused because I already knew that Amelia and Martin were never on good terms in the past, but here they are together. Maybe they are finally getting along. Maybe this was a good sign.

I sat slowly on the metal chair across from them. My hair was scattered; it fell on my face.

Then I touched his hands, but he pulled away.

“Martin, I’m so happy you came,” I said, feeling relieved. “I knew you would come to see me.”

“I knew that you’d come to see me. I knew you couldn’t just leave me like that, right? But at the same time I don’t know why you have to put the blame on me. I love you so much, Martin.”

He chuckled.

“We’re having a baby, Martin. Look…” I can feel our baby always kicking, and I will give birth soon. And, you know, I can’t wait to be your wife. Thank you so much for coming to bail me out. Let’s get out of here…please.”

But then his facial expression changed. The piercing eyes seemed cruel, which made my heart skip, but I smiled.

“Oh really? Why are you smiling like a fool?” He said with a voice dripping with mockery, “You think I am here to bail your ass out, bitch? It seems like you did not understand why you were arrested years ago…”

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. My smile faded. “What are you saying?

He leaned back in his seat. “Well, I had cocaine slipped inside your bag while you were asleep,” he said, his voice slicing through me like a knife.

The world stopped spinning. My throat got dry. “W…What?”

He turned to Amelia, and they laughed at me.

Tears blurred my eyes; I felt broken. “You…you did this to me, Martin? You let me take the blame and stay in the prison for your crimes? I loved you! I thought we were getting married!?”

Martin only shrugged as if my pains meant nothing.

"Oh please, stop crying like a baby," her voice sounded like venom as she drew closer. "It doesn’t suit you, slutty pregnant whore! You look pathetic. You're just stupid for spreading your legs for the wrong man.”

Her words cut deep; my body trembled. My lips parted, but no words came out.

She smirked, “You want the truth, darling? Martin isn’t marrying you; he's marrying me.”

I blinked, not understanding. “What are you saying?”

She smirked and glanced at Martin, then turned back to me.

“I and Martin are getting married,” she repeated. “He is way too big to mingle with someone like you. And trust me, my fiancé can’t get married to an ex-convict who has such a bad reputation.”

“You're lying.”

“No darling,” she said with a sweet tone, “We’re here to invite you to our wedding. Consider it… a courtesy visit.”

My world crashed. “You’re marrying my fiancé?”

Martin looked away, expression cold.

He didn’t flinch.

Then Amelia turned to him and kissed him passionately in front of me, rolling her tongue in his, and they gave out a cruel laugh.

Enough!” I screamed as I hit my hand on the table; I couldn’t stand both of them kissing. It irritated me and broke my heart.

Amelia giggled. “She’s losing it,” she said mockingly.

Martin smirked. “She was always just a mistake.”

I burst into tears. "Martin, you do this to me after everything I've done for you? You both are monsters. After going to jail for you? For love!"

Amelia rolled her eyes. “You went to jail because you’re stupid. He never loved you. He loved me. He was using you to cover for him. You took the blame, and we took the money.”

I froze.

She went on proudly, “He and I were together for three years while you thought he was yours. You were nothing but a toy.”

“Three years? After all we have been through. All the sacrifices I made, and right now… you’re telling me that you're getting married to your cousin sister?”

She laughed. “Stupid orphan, you'll rot in jail.”

Her words destroyed me. My vision blurred with tears as rage surged through me. My hands slammed against the metal table.

“You stupid woman! How dare you…”

I felt so much pain in my stomach that I sat down on the chair.

“No…” I screamed, breathing heavily.

“Say something, Martin!” I begged. “Even if you hate me, please don’t hate your child. Please… come back for our baby.”

He stood up, disgust in his eyes. “That bastard isn’t mine. I used you, Adrian. You’re just a dirty criminal now.”

My heart stopped. “No… that’s not true. That night, you said you loved me—”

He cut me off. “That night? I drugged you, Adrian. I left you there. Someone else paid me to use you. I sold you. And now do you know your record? A drug dealer. A criminal. And that’s what you are.”

“No… no," I shook my head violently, "that’s not true. You used me?”

He laughed. “You were just a bet. A stupid one.”

“You and Amelia would regret your actions, I promise you.” I screamed, crying.

Then a sharp pain hit me between my legs. I cried out in pain—not just from heartbreak, but from the sudden burst of contraction. My water broke.

The officers rushed in as I screamed.

“She’s in labor! Get her to the infirmary now!”

They lifted me to the stretcher. My cries were heard through the hallway as they carried me away.

Amelia’s cruel laughter followed behind me.

The pain was at its peak; it made my body convulse. I screamed and pushed. The nurse’s voice was sharp in my ears: “Push, Adrian! Breathe! Don’t give up!”

Through the pain I was passing through, one truth crashed into my mind. Martin had lied to me; he sold me. He said the child isn't his. A stranger had taken my innocence, and Martin had left me for Amelia.

Tears and blood mixed up as the contractions tore me apart with force.

“Arrrrrhhhh!” I screamed, pushing with all my strength.

“I won’t let you worry. I’ll take care of you,” I told myself. “Baby, I can't wait to have you. We’ll go through this phase together, and one day we’ll have our revenge.”

“Breathe and push, Adrian!” the nurse urged. I tried, sweat running down my face, and pushed again.

The doctor shouted about blood pressure and surgery, his voice sounded urgent. But I kept pushing.

And through my tears, through my pain, I made a promise:

“Martin… Amelia… "I'll return stronger, take back everything you stole, and make you feel my pain. I swear I'll have my revenge."

And that was when I felt so weak I passed out.