My boyfriend of seven years, the man I loved with all my heart, was the one who personally sent me to prison. Just because his first love, Chloe, was assaulted by some thugs a few days before her wedding. He was convinced I was behind it, seeking revenge. I endured unimaginable torment in that prison. After seeing me reduced to a shell of my former self, my father jumped from a building, taking his own life right then and there. That night, I gave up all hope of living and plunged into the icy cold sea. Yet, Liam, a man who never believed in anything beyond himself, completely shattered. “If only Aria could live,” he screamed, “I’d give my own life for hers!” Women’s prisons are never as peaceful as they seem on the surface. On my very first night, I was dragged out of bed. Before I could even react, a heavy slap landed across my face. My ears rang with a deafening buzz, then came the second, the third… They only stopped when my mouth was full of blood, and I collapsed onto the floor. I struggled to lift my head, looking at faces I didn’t recognize, unable to speak. One of them looked at me, a sneer twisting her lips. “What are you staring at, huh? Mr. Hayes said to take good care of you, you disgusting homewrecker.” I trembled all over, my body aching, but my heart aching even more. Mr. Hayes? Liam? No wonder there was such a commotion and no guards came running. He’d obviously made sure of that. He hated me that much. Was I truly wrong to have loved him? But I couldn’t die, not yet. I still had my father; he was waiting for me. I couldn’t let him suffer the unbearable pain of burying his own child. I endured three years of that inhuman existence. But fate offered no kindness. The day I was released, Liam was there. I dragged my battered, broken body, ravaged by suffering, slowly towards him. The man I once loved to my core now stood before me like a devil, and I couldn’t even meet his gaze. Liam gripped my chin, forcing my head up to meet his eyes. “Aria Sterling, long time no see.” That chilling indifference in his voice made me tremble uncontrollably. He smirked. “What, are you scared of me? Didn’t you once love me to death?” I knew he was angry, and I scrambled to explain. “Liam, I know I was wrong. I stopped loving you a long time ago. Please, just let me go.” “But Chloe… she’s still traumatized because of what you did. How can I possibly forgive you for that?” He released my chin and motioned for his bodyguards. They grabbed me by each arm and hauled me outside. I screamed in fear. “Liam, please let me go! I truly know I was wrong!” They acted as if they hadn’t heard me, dragging me behind a car. They tied my hands with rope, binding me to the back bumper. Liam got into the car, the engine roared, and I was forced to stumble and run. Once we reached the bustling downtown area, the car slowed. Liam pulled out a speaker, cranked the volume to max, and started playing a looping message: “Aria Sterling, the former heiress of Sterling Enterprises, is a shameless homewrecker who framed her best friend to marry into the Hayes family.” Instantly, countless people poured out, surrounding the car. Liam simply stopped, letting everyone point, whisper, and gossip about me. I was terrified. Then, someone threw an egg, hitting me square on the head. Soon, more eggs, trash, and water bottles rained down on me. “The Sterling heiress is a homewrecker, how shameless!” “I heard before, she broke them up. To stop Chloe from marrying the Hayes heir, she hired some thugs to hurt her.” “This is exactly what she deserves.” Tears streamed down my face. If I truly were as malicious as they claimed, then this torment would be nothing but what I deserved—what goes around comes around. But the truth was, I was completely innocent. To this day, I had no idea about Chloe’s encounter with those thugs. I begged them to stop, to shut up, but all I got in return was endless curses and insults. The day I was released, Liam ambushed me at the prison gates. He handed me a white flower, his eyes gleaming with sinister malice. “This white flower suits you perfectly. Your father, Mr. Sterling, the former CEO of Sterling Enterprises, jumped to his death after watching that video of you. You were locked away, oblivious, and there was no one to claim his body. So I, out of the kindness of my heart, had him cremated.” His words pierced me like blades. My mind reeled, my heart felt like it had been struck by a sledgehammer, making it impossible to breathe. My father, who had loved me to his bones, had left me forever in such a tragic way. I remembered. When I first entered prison, they filmed the videos of me being humiliated. So, my father had been dead for three years. So, I had no family left. My phone suddenly lit up. It was a scheduled text from my father, timed perfectly for my release. Five simple words: “My dearest Aria, wishing you peace.” My father had died seven days after I went to prison. “Aria Sterling,” Liam called my name. “If you truly want to atone, I can give you a chance.” Three years of hellish prison, and my father’s life—yet, he still didn’t think it was enough. I suddenly found it all absurd, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Dad, in three days, it’ll be your death anniversary. How about your daughter comes to join you? Lost and distraught, I turned and stumbled towards my home. Every step felt like treading on knife blades, a piercing pain. But the moment I stepped inside, I saw the person I loathed most in this life. Chloe called out to me. “Aria,” she said, her voice dripping with false concern, “what happened back then, you abandoning me, it was understandable. Luckily, those thugs didn’t hurt you. I only just found out Liam sent you to prison; he never told me before. He truly went too far, and I apologize on his behalf. I’m so sorry.” Before I could react, Liam spoke first. “Chloe, you’re just too kind. That’s why she always bullied you. You don’t need to apologize to her. Everything she’s going through now is what she deserves.” Tears instantly welled in Chloe’s eyes. “Aria, Liam just loves me too much, don’t be angry. We’ve already bought this place. How about we just give you the house?” This was my home. Why would I need someone else to ‘give’ it to me? Gazing at the empty living room, my heart instantly twisted in agony. Every inch of my skin throbbed, as if countless blades were mercilessly churning inside me, threatening to tear me apart. It no longer looked anything like it had three years ago. Chloe slowly pulled a document envelope from her bag and tossed it onto the coffee table with a mocking smile. “Here’s the deed to your house. Now it’s back where it belongs. To me.” I stared intently at that document envelope. Three years of prison, countless dark and endless nights. The humiliation of being ‘specially cared for’ by fellow inmates countless times—all of it transformed into a raging inferno of fury. I rushed over, snatched the deed, and *RIIIP*, tore it in half. “What the hell are you doing?!” Liam roared, lunging forward. He raised his hand and, *smack*, slapped me hard across the face. The force of the slap made my head ring, and a trickle of blood instantly oozed from the corner of my mouth. “You ungrateful brat!” Liam’s eyes were filled with disgust and rage, as if he were looking at a repulsive cockroach. “I’m here today to make you sign the share transfer agreement for the company my father left you. Don’t play high and mighty with me; you lost the right to bargain with me a long time ago!” Clutching my burning cheek, I stared at him in disbelief. So, he hadn’t just come to humiliate me today; he wanted my family’s assets. I let out a cold laugh, my voice trembling but undeniably firm. “Liam, don’t you dare dream! I won’t sign it. This is what my father left me. I’d rather die than give it to you!” Seeing this, Chloe immediately adopted a pathetic, vulnerable look. Tears welled in her eyes, and her voice wavered with a sob. “Aria, please just sign it. I’m pregnant now, and raising a child costs money. Plus, Liam’s company has had some project issues lately, and we’re struggling with cash flow. Please, just pity us and help us out.” I looked at her hypocritical face, a wave of nausea washing over me. I coughed violently, each cough feeling like it would rip my organs out. Blood continuously seeped from the corner of my mouth, staining my clothes. During my three years in prison, I was tormented in every conceivable way by the people he’d ‘looked after.’ My body was already riddled with damage, now like an oil lamp flickering, about to go out at any moment. “You two… don’t you dare dream…” I managed to gasp out the words, my body swaying precariously. Liam looked at my state, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, but it quickly turned back to cold indifference. “Fine, seeing you in this state, I don’t expect you to sign today. I’ll talk to you another time.” With that, he turned to leave. But Chloe quickly grabbed him, whining, “Liam, just give me a little more time. Let me talk to Aria again. Maybe she’s just having a moment.” Liam hesitated, then finally nodded. “Alright, I’ll wait for you outside.” The moment Liam was gone, Chloe dropped her pathetic act, a vicious grin spreading across her face. “All these years, even though Liam was by my side, his thoughts would drift to you occasionally. Do you know how much that hurt me? Three years, and I still haven’t truly reached his heart. Aria Sterling, you disgusting woman, you don’t deserve his love.” I looked at her coldly, no emotion stirring within me. “I don’t care to.” Chloe was enraged by my words. She shrieked and lunged at me, yelling, “Aria Sterling, how could you hurt my baby?!” Just as she was about to reach me, she suddenly stumbled sideways, deliberately making it look like I’d pushed her. “Ah!” She shrieked in pain, collapsing to the floor. Her hands clutched her stomach, a look of agony on her face, and slowly, blood began to seep from between her legs, staining the floor crimson.
Just then, Liam, having heard the commotion, burst in. He saw the scene and roared, “Aria Sterling!” The next second, my vision went black, and I completely passed out. When I woke up again, Liam was gone. I tried to sit up, but my whole body ached as if it were falling apart. I decided then and there that I had to leave this place, go somewhere Liam Hayes could never find me. I needed money, and I needed to leave fast. Dragging my body, which felt like it was about to fall apart, I found a job at an upscale club. Carrying a tray of drinks, I pushed open the VIP room door and saw Chloe with her friends. I turned to leave, but Chloe called out to me. “Isn’t this the former heiress of Sterling Enterprises?” she sneered. “Look how low she’s fallen, reduced to selling drinks and faking smiles here.” The others instantly surrounded me. Chloe continued, “You just won’t go away, will you? Are you still trying to cling to Liam?” “Chloe, I’m just here to earn some money. Once I have enough, I’ll leave.” She pointed to the drinks on the table. “Alright then, drink all of these, and I’ll give you fifty thousand dollars.” Fifty thousand dollars. Enough to leave this place. I grabbed a bottle and chugged it down. One bottle after another. Finally, I couldn’t drink anymore, and I threw up everything. The bottle in my hand dropped to the floor, shattering into pieces. Chloe picked up a bottle and smashed it against her own head, then shrieked, “Liam! Aria’s gone mad with drink! She said I stole you from her and tried to smash this bottle over my head!” I struggled to lift my head and saw Liam standing in the doorway. He must have arrived without me noticing. He kicked me to the ground, then brought the bottle straight down on my head. *CRACK!* My head exploded with searing pain, blood gushed out instantly, blurring my vision. Chloe’s friends screamed and ran away. Liam looked down at me. “Aria Sterling, you dare threaten Chloe? You’re asking to die!” Chloe hid in Liam’s arms, crying. “Aria, I truly love Liam. I can’t live without him. Please, please don’t fight me for him.” Liam kicked me again, hard, then comforted Chloe in his arms. “Don’t be scared, I’m here. She won’t hurt you again. I’ll take you to the hospital first.” After Liam and Chloe left, a kind stranger helped me get to the hospital. Eventually, with no money for treatment, I snuck back home. Groggy and disoriented, I woke up, unsure how long I’d slept, only to discover I couldn’t see out of my right eye. I wasn’t scared. Instead, I smiled. It was better this way. At least I wouldn’t have to see Liam anymore. I gave up on the idea of earning money; all I wanted was to leave this place quickly. I pleaded with my landlady to give me back the remaining rent. The landlady grumbled and cursed, saying she’d never seen someone so young be so petty, asking for a few hundred bucks back. I knelt and begged for a long time before she finally agreed to refund the money. With the cash, I bought a ticket for the next available train. Anywhere to get away from here would be fine. At the station, I sat quietly in the waiting area. The announcement for boarding came on, and I happily stood up, only to find my path blocked. Without a word, they grabbed me and started dragging me outside. I struggled in fear. “Who are you? Let go of me!” They acted as if they didn’t hear me. I bit down hard on one of their wrists. The man cried out in pain and let go, then kicked me hard in the stomach. I was thrown to the ground, the pain in my stomach making me curl into a fetal position. I felt a gush of warmth between my legs, followed by a pool of blood spreading on the ground. One of them panicked. “How are we going to explain this to CEO Hayes?” The other said, “CEO Hayes said to get her there by any means necessary. In a daze, they dragged me into a car. After a long time, I was brought to a hospital. They took me into a blood drawing room. The nurse saw my condition and gasped in horror. “She’s bleeding! Get her to the emergency room immediately!” “No!” one of them barked. “CEO Hayes said Miss Chloe needs a transfusion, so draw from her. If there’s any delay, none of us can afford the consequences.” The nurse had no choice but to take out the equipment and start drawing my blood. The moment the needle pierced my skin, I couldn’t feel the pain anymore. I watched my blood drain away, little by little. Liam, if this is what you want, then I have nothing left to say. This is probably all I have left to give. My vision gradually blurred, and in the last instant before consciousness faded, I saw Liam rush in. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed, Liam sitting beside me. Seeing that I was awake, he spoke coldly. “You’re pregnant.” I froze. Could it have been that one time, when he forcibly took me despite my desperate cries, that I conceived his child…? I hadn’t even fully processed that news before his next words pushed me straight into hell. “You dared to sleep with another man? Typical Aria Sterling! But the baby’s gone now. The doctor said your uterus was severely damaged, and you’ll never be able to have children again.” The baby was gone… I could never have children again… I sat up, pounding on him with my fists like a madwoman. “Liam, what do you want from me? What have I ever done to you that you treat me like this?!” Liam raised his hand and slapped me. “Because of what you did to Chloe back then, dying a thousand times wouldn’t be enough to atone. But why would I let you off that easy? Making your life a living hell—now *that’s* interesting.” Seeing my pain, he actually smiled. “You’ll never be as good as Chloe. Only your suffering can atone for the mistakes you made back then.” With that, he turned and left without looking back. I was tired. Living was truly exhausting. I just wanted to sleep, peacefully, forever. After leaving the hospital, I arranged to meet Liam on the bridge where we first met. When he saw me, his face was grim. His first words were a warning. “Aria Sterling, don’t even think about getting any ideas.” I smiled, just like the day we first met. “Liam, I once loved you very much, so much that I lost myself. Later, I realized your heart only belonged to Chloe, so I broke up with you. I didn’t hire those people to hurt Chloe. You didn’t believe me, and there was nothing I could do. You sent me to prison, indirectly caused my father’s death, and stripped me of my right to be a mother. I can’t take revenge for any of that. Now, all I want to tell you is that falling in love with you was the biggest regret of my life. If there’s another life, I pray I never meet you again.” With those words, I turned and jumped into the sea. “No!” Liam’s voice came from behind me, laced with a rare panic. Tears streamed from my eyes. Finally, I could get some real sleep. Liam fumbled for his phone to call for help, but his hands shook so violently he kept entering the wrong password. In a fit of rage, he threw his phone, screaming my name over and over again… Liam suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized for a long time. Chloe stayed by his side every day, never leaving. Liam looked at Chloe, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions. He remembered the things I had said. Could it be that those thugs really had nothing to do with me? But Chloe’s every word implied I was involved. Chloe pouted. “Liam, you haven’t really talked to me for days. Didn’t you hate Aria the most? Didn’t you want her to die? Now that she’s really gone, you should be happy.” Liam frowned. “Who said I wanted her dead? I just wanted to punish her.” Chloe asked, her voice tearful, “Are you… are you falling for her?” Liam said impatiently, “How could I?” Even so, Liam secretly sent out search parties, again and again, to the area where I had jumped, but all came back empty-handed. Chloe sensed Liam was growing increasingly distant. One day, she suddenly fainted. Liam rushed her to the hospital. The doctor told him Chloe was pregnant. When Chloe woke up, she clutched Liam’s hand, overjoyed. “Liam, this is wonderful! We’re having a baby! I’m going to be a mother!” Liam froze, then murmured to himself, “She was going to be a mother too… but because of me, she can never be a mother again.” Chloe gently shook his hand. “Liam, what’s wrong? You’re going to be a father. Aren’t you happy?” Liam smiled, but as he smiled, tears streamed down his face. “I’m going to be a father…”
He should have been happy, having a child with the woman he loved most, yet his thoughts drifted to me. The next day, Liam went to the hospital to see Chloe. As he reached her hospital room, he was about to push the door open when he heard her talking to someone. “Chloe, you need to be careful. What if Liam finds out the baby isn’t his?” Chloe’s voice was filled with smug satisfaction. “Liam will never know. Even if he did, I could just twist a few words and fool him. Just like before, I only had to hint a few things, and he believed Aria Sterling hired those thugs to defile my innocence.” “You really are ruthless, staging the whole thing yourself.” “He liked Aria Sterling so much. If I didn’t go to such extremes, how would he ever have looked at me? Aria Sterling completely overstepped her bounds. Who was she to love Liam? He belongs only to me. She deserved to die!” Liam felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. The hand poised to push the door open slowly retracted. He had been wrong all along. He had blindly believed Chloe, thinking I was the one who had harmed her. Under her manipulation, he had hurt me again and again. He had personally thrown me into prison, letting the inmates torture me. He had tied me up and paraded me through the streets, then shown the video to my father, driving him to suicide. He had forced me to donate blood to Chloe. With nowhere left to turn, I had chosen to end my life. Each and every one of these injuries, these torments—they were all his doing. He thought of the words I spoke before I jumped, wondering how utterly despairing my heart must have been. Liam didn’t know how he managed to leave the hospital. Outside, it was pouring rain. He walked home, drenched. He drank himself into a stupor, and in his haze, he called my name. “Aria, how desperate must you have been to jump?” When he sobered up, he went to the hospital, dragged Chloe, and demanded the doctor perform an abortion. Chloe cried out in fear. “Liam, are you crazy?! That’s your baby! Why would you abort him?!” Liam’s eyes were bloodshot. “I always used protection. You know perfectly well if this baby is mine or not.” “I was crazy to believe your lies and torment Aria, finally driving her to jump into the sea.” Chloe couldn’t believe it. “You… you heard everything?” Liam didn’t waste any more words with her; he simply pushed her into the operating room. After the surgery, the doctor came out and told him it was successful. The baby was gone. Good. Liam walked out, when suddenly a nurse stopped him. “Mr. Hayes, I thought about it and decided to tell you. That lady who was brought in for blood earlier, her right eye seemed to be blind. And her body was already very weak; after losing so much blood that day, if she doesn’t get proper rest, she might not live much longer.” Liam stood in silence after hearing this. No wonder he thought my gaze at him felt strange; I was blind. He raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face. The nurse flinched back. “Mr. Hayes, are you alright?” Liam looked up, tears streaming down his face. The big, imposing man was crying like a child. “I was an asshole. I hurt Aria again and again. She said she won’t love me anymore. She doesn’t want me. What am I going to do…?” Liam returned home, lost and distraught. He searched every corner of the house, only to find not a single photo of me. He wanted to find any trace, any evidence that I had ever existed, but found nothing. He collapsed to the floor, remembering the days we spent together. I’d cook for him in countless ways, always trying new recipes. When he was sick in the hospital, I would stay by his side 24/7, afraid he might need something. I had loved him with all my heart, and all I got in return was a dead end. After Chloe was discharged, Liam grabbed a wine bottle and, without hesitation, smashed it into her right eye. Blood gushed out instantly, and Chloe shrieked in terror. Liam smiled. “Aria, her right eye is blind now. When you know that, will you feel a little better?” Chloe clutched her eye, screaming, “Liam, you lunatic! I’ll call the police and have you arrested!” Liam laughed maniacally. “Go on, try! I’ll just throw you into the ocean. Get out! And never show your face to me again!” Chloe was thrown out. Liam started dreaming of me every day. He dreamt I was still alive, so he continued to send search teams to the area where I had jumped. I never thought that five years later, I would meet Liam again. His hair was white, his face haggard, like a withered old man. Seeing me, his face lit up with excitement. “Aria, this is great! I knew you weren’t dead.” I didn’t want to say anything to him. I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm, his voice hoarse. “Aria, I’ve been looking for you for five years.” When I jumped into the sea that day, I was rescued by an eyewitness and taken to the hospital. During the months I spent in the hospital, I received several critical condition notices. On the brink of death, my entire past flashed before my eyes. Was I really going to end my life like this? I was not reconciled, so I fought and clung to life. I never expected that Liam would actually grieve for my loss. He had searched for me so extensively for all those years. But when I truly saw him, I only felt disgust. I looked at him coldly. “Let go of my hand.” But he held on tighter, his voice husky. “I won’t let go, Aria. I know everything now. What happened back then was all Chloe’s doing, a charade she staged. I believed her lies and wrongly accused you. It was all my fault. You can hit me, curse me, do anything you want, but please, come back to me. I can’t live without you.” Disgusted, I yanked my hand away. “Liam, you know what you did to me. How do you even have the nerve to ask me to come back?” He dropped to his knees with a thud. “Aria, I’m begging you, please give me one chance. I’ll treat you well for the rest of my life.” Seeing him so pathetic, I smiled. “Alright, I’ll give you a chance.” Liam looked as happy as a child who had just received candy. “First, dye your hair. I don’t like old men.” He was quick to act. In less than three hours, his hair was dyed. I nodded, satisfied. “Not bad, very efficient.” He smiled ingratiatingly. “For you, I’d do anything.” I didn’t believe him. “Really? Would you even give up your position as heir to the Hayes family?” Liam hesitated for a moment, then nodded emphatically. “I will.” Liam returned home and immediately declared he was renouncing his inheritance.
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