Two Years Gone, Mercy Gone With It

"Calista Stone, you're free to go," a prison warden said tersely from the entrance of Calista's unlocked cell.

Calista stared at her in astonishment before stepping forward. "Has my request for medical parole been approved?"

She had submitted several requests, but each one had been rejected without a valid reason.

The prison warden said, "Just get going like I told you to. No questions allowed!"

Calista was left without an answer. She cleaned up a little and left after collecting her phone and a diamond necklace, both of which had been confiscated when she'd first been imprisoned.

The central diamond on the pendant carried a trace of blood that seemed to have seeped into the gemstone. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Monroe, had given it to her on the day everything had gone wrong. It seemed the blood that had splattered everywhere from Elizabeth's head injury after falling down the stairs had gotten on it.

Calista had been having an argument with Caroline Lynch when things had gone awry. Caroline had tried to push her down the stairs but had accidentally gotten Elizabeth instead.

Someone had called the police after the incident, and Calista had been forced to take the fall after her family had weighed the pros and cons.

At the time, she had been proud and headstrong. She had followed the police away without hesitation, not expecting that she would be sentenced to three years in prison.

Two years had passed since then, but she felt like she was stepping into another lifetime as she walked past the prison gates.

A plain, nondescript car was parked outside. When the driver saw her, he immediately got out. "Mrs. Halston, I'm here to take you home."

"Maurice? What is…" Calista trailed off.

The Halston and Stone families had plenty of expensive cars. So, why had Maurice Brown driven his own car?

Maurice explained, "Mr. Halston said that my car is low-profile enough. It wouldn't be appropriate to drive any of the family's cars to prison because they'd be tainted by the bad luck here."

So, it was all about bad luck. But had any of the Halstons or Stones thought about the reason behind Calista's time in prison in the first place? It also explained why none of them had visited her during her two-year stint.

After getting into the car, Calista listened as Maurice told her that the only reason she had been released early was that the Stones and Halstons had figured out a way to get her out on medical parole.

Her actual request for medical parole had been rejected time and time again, yet the fake request they'd put in for her had gone through without a hitch.

However, Calista sensed something amiss. After all, why hadn't they done anything to get her out earlier if they were capable of this? She wondered why they had chosen that precise moment to do so.

…

Calista and Maurice soon arrived at the Halston residence. Calista had mixed feelings as she looked at the familiar house, which was still the same as in her memories. It had once been her and Isaac Halston's marital home, and it was where they had welcomed their son, Anthony Halston.

Calista had been so focused on ensuring that Isaac's career took off that she hadn't taken good care of herself during her pregnancy. Consequently, Anthony had a weak constitution after being born, and Calista had transitioned to being more of a stay-at-home mom.

As soon as she entered the house, she got a glimpse of the current situation. Her husband, Isaac, her father, Martin Stone, and her second-oldest brother, Connor Stone, were talking about something. They didn't notice her.

Anthony had his back to her. They'd been apart for two years, and he'd grown up a lot. Despite that, Calista immediately recognized him. Her eyes reddened when she saw him.

When she was in prison, she had begged to see Anthony more than once. However, her family had turned her down each time, saying that it wasn't appropriate for a child to be brought there.

Calista forced back her tears as she watched Anthony turn around. Only then did she see that he was holding a huge tub of ice cream. Her expression changed drastically, and she tensed. Didn't Isaac know that Anthony had asthma and couldn't have ice cream?

She was about to charge over and stop him when a woman's gentle voice rang out. "Tony, how's the ice cream?"

Caroline appeared with a tray of drinks.

Calista's expression instantly darkened. How could the real culprit who'd hurt Elizabeth two years ago have the audacity to show her face in her home? How dare she hang around her son!

As anger surged within her, she heard Anthony say affectionately, "It's delicious because you bought it for me, Aunt Caroline."

Calista was confused. Aunt Caroline? Why would Anthony call her that?

Amid her confusion, a middle-aged woman emerged from the kitchen with a plate of sliced fruit. Calista immediately recognized her, even though she'd last seen the woman when she was ten.

Her mother, Anna Bronson, had brought her along when trying to catch Martin red-handed in his affair. Anna had gotten into a brawl with his mistress, and Martin had smashed a vase on her head to stop her. Since that day, Anna had gone insane.

Even after so much time had passed, Calista still remembered the other woman's name. It was Shirley Lynch. It was hard to believe that she would once again show up in her home after 17 years.

A sudden realization dawned on Calista.

Shirley Lynch and Caroline Lynch. Was it just a coincidence that they shared the same last name?

As expected, Calista heard Caroline say, "Mom."

That word hit Calista like a bolt of lightning. Were her father's and husband's mistresses mother and daughter?

Her chest heaved with agitation when she saw how accustomed the rest of her family was to the situation. It seemed that everyone had long since accepted this.

Calista wondered how her brothers could live with this. After all, they knew that Anna had ended up in a psychiatric hospital because of Shirley! So, how could they act like nothing had happened when Martin brought home his mistress?

Calista was still reeling from the shock when she saw Shirley hold an apple slice to Anthony's mouth. She said, "Your mom will soon be back, Tony. Do you miss her?"

The question immediately upset him. He grabbed Caroline's hand and said, "I want Aunt Caroline to be my mom."

Calista heard him loud and clear from where she stood. Her own son wanted someone else to be his mother, and he wanted it to be the person who'd made her end up in prison!

Her ears buzzed, but she still heard Martin say, "You'll have to ask your dad if you want that to happen."

Caroline blushed at the right moment and shyly said, "Martin, don't joke about things like that."

Even Connor joined in the teasing. "Isaac and Caroline are both outstanding, and they look like a good match."

Caroline chided, "Connor, not you too!"

Seeing that, Calista wondered if Caroline and Connor were that affectionate with each other.

Her gaze then landed on Isaac. He looked more mature after two years apart, and he exuded the natural dominance of someone accustomed to power. He'd been handsome enough in his youth to enchant her, and he was even more so now.

He hadn't said a single word at all, but the familiarity he showed in accepting the fruits Caroline had held out added a hint of flirtation to the atmosphere.

Calista couldn't believe that this was the norm at home during the two years she'd been away. She felt like a fist had clamped hard around her heart as she watched the unfolding scene.

Just then, a voice rang out behind her. It belonged to Caleb Stone, her eldest brother. "Calista, you're out of prison?"

Everyone else heard him and got up, turning to look at her.