Chapter 1

Five years later.

Rain poured down the day Tessa Wrenford was released from prison.

Wearing a tattered yellow shirt, she limped through the prison gates, her expression numb. Her face was gaunt and sallow, marred by two intersecting scars across her forehead and brow.

She stood outside the gates, unsure where to go.

Five years. It felt like a lifetime. Everything beyond those walls seemed foreign to her, as though the whole world had abandoned her.

Born into wealth and privilege, she had once been Ravenport's most celebrated socialite.

Now she was a convicted killer fresh out of prison. She walked with a limp, had lost the use of one hand, and even her once-stunning face had been disfigured.

Without an umbrella, Tessa wandered through the rain.

As she passed a puddle, she lost her balance and fell hard, landing face-first in the muddy water.

She barely reacted. Just as she struggled to get up, a pair of polished leather shoes appeared in front of her.

A sudden sense of dread washed over her.

Slowly, she raised her eyes, her gaze traveling up his long legs to his tightly set lips.

The moment she recognized that handsome face, her entire body began to tremble.

Beckett Lockridge!

As though unaware of her terror, Beckett slowly bent down and planted his foot on her shoulder, looking down at her with cold contempt.

"What's wrong, Miss Wrenford? Cat got your tongue? It's been five years, and you can't even say hello?"

Tessa could almost hear her bones crack beneath his shoe. Humiliated and terrified, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to speak.

"M-Mr. Lockridge. It's been a long time..."

Beckett's eyes narrowed at the sound of her rough, hoarse voice, and a slight frown crossed his face.

Five years in prison had left her almost unrecognizable.

The girl who used to follow him around in a red dress now had two long scars across her face. Her voice was ruined, and she seemed to have a limp.

Tessa had once been Ravenport's rose, beautiful and forever out of reach.

But looking at the woman sprawled in the mud, he could barely recognize the proud, glamorous socialite she had once been.

For a brief moment, something stirred inside him.

But Tessa had killed Josie. Even suffering like this wasn't nearly enough to make up for what she'd done!

Beckett stared down at her for several seconds before speaking coldly.

"You're finally out of prison, and you're not going home? It's been five years, Miss Wrenford. Don't you want to see your parents?"

At the mention of her parents, Tessa's heart tightened.

Five years ago, Beckett had personally sent her to prison. Before she was taken away, he'd warned her that if anyone from the Wrenford family dared contact her during her sentence, he would show Wrenford Holdings no mercy.

That was why she hadn't dared go anywhere near her family home, even after her release. She was terrified of bringing more trouble upon her parents.

She had no idea why he was bringing them up now.

She was about to speak when Beckett raised a hand.

At his signal, his bodyguards stepped forward and hauled her into a car.

The car sped through the city, but instead of heading to the Wrenford residence, it stopped near the busiest pedestrian overpass downtown.

Tessa's unease deepened.

Before she could figure out what was happening, she was dragged out and thrown to the ground.

Then she heard a familiar voice.

"Please, have a heart! Can you spare us a little money?"

The voice hit her like a bolt of lightning.

Tessa began trembling uncontrollably.

She slowly lifted her head and saw, not far from the overpass, the two people who had once loved and cherished her more than anyone else.

Her parents.

Dressed in rags, they were begging passersby for money, repeatedly bowing their heads to the ground.

Their movements were practiced. They had clearly been begging for a long time.

But what devastated Tessa most was the sight of their legs.

They were huddled on the pavement, their pant legs hanging empty.

Had they both lost their legs?