Kaitlyn POV

Everything around me screamed collapse, but my little baby Jake's voice stopped me. I looked at him and drew strength from his tiny presence. Even though my other child had died, I still had to be strong for the one who survived.

Tears fell hard, with Mrs. Harper by my side, who had helped me so much. She knew everything that had happened to me, the cruel plot that had been forged against me. I didn't know why yet, but I would find out the whole truth, eventually.

I kept staring at my baby. He was a miniature version of Martin.. the same Martin who had betrayed me, who threw the divorce papers without a second thought. Surely, everyone had been involved in taking my child before he even had a chance at life.

I breathed slowly, ready to make a life-changing decision. My child had to be kept away from me. Jake shouldn't grow up behind these prison walls, suffering.

Douglas was certainly seeking revenge on Martin, and he had chosen a partner like me to help him. He had chosen well. I had so many reasons to want revenge. Most importantly, my child would grow up with Douglas as his father in a place far better than behind bars.

I looked at Mrs. Harper, my voice catching in my throat, and said firmly, "You can help me. I want you to go to Mr. Douglas and tell him I want him to come visit me."

Mrs. Harper smiled immediately. "Well done, Kaitlyn. You have to be strong. Douglas is the best choice. He won't just be a good father; he'll be a strong partner to help you reclaim your rights."

Douglas had paid Mrs. Harper to take care of me. He had even assigned her to monitor my condition.

I knew the massive feud between Douglas and Martin. Marrying him wouldn't just be a shock.. it would be the final blow that would make Martin fall. But this was only the beginning.

It wasn't long before Douglas Carter entered my prison hospital room, his gray suit matching the sharpness in his eyes. Everything about him radiated power and authority. He smiled and walked slowly, flanked by a group of men and guards, with one man carrying papers.

I was about to speak, but before I could say a word, he nodded toward the man holding the papers and said, "This is our marriage contract, Kaitlyn. You have to sign it, and then we get married first, then we settle everything else."

What? I was truly shocked. He was prepared for everything, not even asking for my opinion, as if he already knew the reason he had been called here. He expected me to accept his offer to be his wife.

A storm of thoughts hit my head as I stared at Douglas. He was smarter than I had imagined. I finally understood why he always won any competition against Martin. Today, he had shown me why he was the best.

He motioned the man forward again, and I just stared. He hadn't asked me anything, but I drew in a breath and calmed myself. I handed my little baby to Mrs. Harper, picked up the pen, and signed.

Douglas did the same, taking the pen and signing, then smiled at me. "Congratulations, Mrs. Douglas Carter. From today, you are my wife."

Marriage didn't matter to me. This contract would only last for a while, then I would end it. An agreement to end once my revenge was complete.

Douglas stepped closer, sitting on the chair next to my bed. He pulled out a small velvet box and showed me a ring. Without giving me a chance to object, he slid it onto my finger.

The silence stretched between us until he spoke, his words firm and commanding: "Now you're my wife. I will take care of you, protect you. I know we have a long road ahead, but you must trust me, Kaitlyn."

He continued in a determined voice, "All I will do is make sure your prison time lasts no more than a year. You won't stay here long, and in the meantime, I will care for your child, register him under my name, and give you all the rights you need."

I nodded without saying a word. Meanwhile, Douglas motioned to a man, and a woman in her fifties entered. Douglas stood and said, "She will be your child's nanny. She will take care of him."

I looked at Mrs. Harper holding my baby. She was a good woman who had cared for my children over the past months. I knew what I had to do. "Mrs. Harper must be the nanny. You can take care of my baby."

Mrs. Harper protested, "But Kaitlyn, I'm about to retire. I don't think I'm at the right age to take care of him."

I looked at her with painful eyes, tears stinging. "Mrs. Harper, you witnessed every moment of my pregnancy. Please agree to work at Douglas's house as the nanny."

She hesitated, but Douglas solved it in two words: "If you accept to take care of the child, I will give you a lot of money, and I'll help your son work in one of my companies."

It wasn't Douglas's offer or my pleading that made her agree.. it was her love for my child. She looked at him in her arms, tears streaming, and said, "I'll agree only for him. I hope I can take good care of him."

Douglas stepped in, finalizing it. "There will be many people helping you, including Ceza, who is trained in childcare."

Douglas had been ready, as if he had arranged everything in advance. I felt a little relieved, knowing my child had a good mother to care for him. But the thought of my newborn being taken from my arms was painful, like someone had ripped my heart out.

Mrs. Harper placed Jake in my arms and left with Douglas and the others, giving me time to say goodbye. He had to be away to be safe.

I knew I would see him.. Douglas had promised he would always bring him for visits but it wasn't enough for a mother who had suffered years of infertility. One child had died, and now the other would be taken from me. I kept crying, holding him close to my chest, kissing him over and over. He was tiny and warm.

Kaitlyn POV

"Forgive me, my little one..." I whispered into his tiny ear, my tears soaking his soft face.

"Forgive your mother for leaving you to grow up away from her arms. But this prison... this concrete grave... is no place for a flower like you."

The room was empty now, except for the echo of my muffled sobs and the scent of my baby that filled my chest.

I hugged Jake tightly, as if I could pull him into my chest and make him part of me again, bring him back into my womb where he would be safe from Martin's betrayal and Ashley's cruelty.

Every kiss I pressed to his forehead carried a lump in my throat. Every touch of his tiny hand reminded me of the other child I never even got to say goodbye to.

They had stolen everything from me.. my honor, my freedom, my husband and now they were taking my first moments with my son. But I looked at the diamond ring on my finger, that cold, foreign piece of metal Douglas Carter had placed there to claim ownership of my future.

Hours passed like minutes until the iron door creaked open. Mrs. Harper entered, her eyes red from crying. Behind her, Douglas stood. He didn't enter the room fully, just lingered by the doorway.

"It's time, Kaitlyn," Mrs. Harper said, her voice trembling.

"The car is waiting outside... and Mr. Douglas has arranged everything."

My body stiffened. I wanted to scream, to kick everyone away, grab my baby, and run but run where? I was a prisoner, condemned by the man I had loved.

I looked at Douglas. He stared at me with unreadable eyes. Did he feel pity? Or was I just a pawn on a giant chessboard, part of his plan to crush Martin Thompson?

My trembling hands handed Jake to Mrs. Harper. In that moment, it felt like my soul was being ripped from my body. Jake let out a soft cry as if he sensed the separation, and my heart shattered into pieces.

"Take care of him... please," I begged, tears blinding me.

Mrs. Harper nodded and left quickly to spare us more pain. It was just me and Douglas now. He stepped forward, his expensive cologne mixing with the prison stench.

"Don't cry," he said, his voice deep and calm.

"Tears are for the weak. You are now Mrs. Douglas Carter. My wife doesn't cry... my wife plans."

I lifted my head to him, wiping my tears with the back of my hand harshly.

"Why me, Douglas? Why choose a broken prisoner to be your wife?"

He gave a faint smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Because you have something no one else does... a legitimate right to destroy Martin from the inside. He thinks he killed you emotionally, and nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing him realize that his worst enemy is the one who brought you back to life."

He came closer, and I felt the heat of his breath. "Two years, Kaitlyn... if you follow my lawyer's instructions, I will build an empire for you outside these walls. By the time you leave, you won't be the weak orphan Kaitlyn. You will be the nightmare haunting the Thompson family in their dreams."

Then he turned to leave but stopped at the door. Without looking back, he said, "Tomorrow your lessons begin. Professors in law, commerce, and languages will visit you. Prison will not be a place of punishment. It will be your training camp. Remember... Jake is waiting for you at the Carter estate, and every day you waste in sorrow is another day your child spends without his mother."

*******

Two years later...

Two years... seven hundred and thirty days behind cold walls were enough to transform the weak Kaitlyn who cried over a failed marriage into another woman; a woman forged from steel. I didn't just learn languages, commerce, and law in my cell; I learned how to tame the beast inside me, to unleash it at the right moment.

In front of the small, dirty prison mirror stood a woman I no longer recognized. My brown hair, once dull, was now long and shiny despite the limited resources.

Today was my release day.

The guard opened the door, but this time she carried no chains. "Evans... I mean Mrs. Carter, your release papers are ready. Someone is waiting outside."

I walked through the long prison corridors... When the huge outer gate opened, sunlight hit my face for the first time in forever. I closed my eyes for a moment, breathing in fresh air... air of freedom... air of revenge.

A luxurious black Rolls-Royce waited for me. Beside it stood Douglas, more handsome and powerful than I remembered. But it wasn't him who stole my breath.

Next to him stood a small boy, dark hair and eyes just like mine, dressed in a tiny elegant suit.

"Mommy?" the little boy said hesitantly, looking at Douglas as if asking permission.

I fell to my knees in the middle of the road, opening my arms as tears poured down. Jake ran to me and threw himself into my embrace. His scent... it was the smell I had lived on in my imagination for two years.

"I'm here, my love... Mommy is back, and no one will dare touch you again," I whispered, hugging him tightly, feeling a long shadow cover us.

I lifted my gaze to see Douglas watching us, holding out his hand to help me up.

"The first chapter is over, Kaitlyn. Tonight, there's a grand party waiting... a party Martin and Ashley will attend."

My body stiffened, and I looked at him defiantly. "I've been waiting for this day."

Douglas laughed for the first time, a short, cold laugh.

"I've chosen your dress and prepared everything. The car is waiting. We have much to do before nightfall."

As we drove away from the prison walls, I never looked back. I looked forward, where Martin Thompson awaited, unaware that the wife he discarded into the trash had returned to claim everything he owned... including his pride.

"Don't get me wrong."

That was the first sentence Douglas Carter spoke to me after my release.

No congratulations, no hug, not even a hint of pity. His voice was steady, cold, as if discussing a stock deal... not a woman who had just emerged from hell.

I sat in the backseat of the black car, my hands folded over my lap.

He finally turned to me, eyes sharp, void of warmth.

"Our marriage is a contract. Clear. Defined.

It ends the moment your revenge... and mine... is complete."

I didn't flinch.

I didn't feel shocked.

I had long lost the ability to break.

I answered calmly, surprising even myself: "That's exactly what I want."

He raised an eyebrow slightly not in surprise... but in evaluation.

"Good," he said coldly.

"Anything else would be an unnecessary burden."

I smirked lightly, bitterly. "Don't worry, Douglas. Between us is just paper.

Paper that means nothing... and changes nothing."

The car stopped at a red light, the glare reflecting on his stern features. He looked like a stone statue; elegant, dominant, letting no emotion pass.

"Remember this always, Kaitlyn."

He said it without looking at me.

"I save no one.

I fall in love with no one.

I repeat no mistakes."

I laughed shortly, soulless. "And I no longer believe in love."

This time he turned to me, direct, heavy gaze. "Then we agree."

Then he added, in an even lower, dangerous tone: "From today... you are my wife in front of the world.

But behind closed doors?

We are only allies."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. "Allies against Martin."

The corner of his mouth barely moved, not a smile. "Against him... and everyone who shared in destroying you."

The car moved again. From the window, I saw the city blur past.

New York was not as I had left it...

And I was no longer the woman who entered prison crying.