OLIVIA

As I stood in the cell, my thoughts went to my grandma. What would happen to her now that I was locked up? My chest tightened as I thought of her and her fragile health. Hearing about my arrest might kill her.

Nick turned to the officer. “She’s to have no visitors and isn’t allowed outside. Let her rot in this cell. She can die here for all I care!”

My heart shattered into a million pieces. I felt hot and struggled to breathe. How was my grandmother going to know that I was all right if I couldn’t have visitors? This would kill her! My throat felt like it was closing, threatening to cut off my air supply. I wanted to give up so badly. But then I looked at the satisfied gleam in Sandra’s eyes. Determination flooded back into me. I wasn’t going to let that witch win.

By then, I was drenched in sweat, my eyes wide as saucers. I was sure I looked pale as a white sheet.

The nice policeman looked terrified. “Sir, she can’t breathe. Should I call the doctor?”

Maybe I should tell Nick I’m carrying his baby? “Nick, actually—”

“Why would you call a doctor?” Nick asked, snapping at the officer. “She’s faking to manipulate me—she’s a master at doing that.”

Tears continued to stream down my face. This was the man who once couldn’t stand to see me hurt, and now he was the one causing me the most pain.

What did Sandra do to my husband to change him so much? I wished I knew what she used and how, considering she had Nick eating out of the palm of her hand within six months.

I should have never have asked her to stay with us when she returned from abroad. I should’ve helped her find her own place to rent. If I had known her true intentions, I would’ve kept my distance. But I had thought I was helping my best friend. I had even begged Nick to give her a job at his company.

He eventually caved and put her a job in the finance department. Working there, she managed to make it look like I had stolen from my husband, and he had believed her.

“Sandra?” I said, wanting to plead with her, once again, to tell the truth.

Nick turned to me, shielding her with his body, further piercing my heart. He was so protective of her already.

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” He tilted his head to the side, daring me to say another word. I swallowed the words trying to escape. “You’ve hurt this woman enough. You have no right to speak to her now. And I swear to God, Olivia, I’ll make you pay for this.”

I wanted to speak, to beg him to hear me out. I wanted to ask him to not to tell my grandmother about this, to lie and say I was traveling or something. He knew how delicate her health was, and this was going to kill her.

Suddenly, the music on the radio at the guard’s station stopped, and a reporter’s voice came on. After a brief introduction, I heard words that made it feel like my world was truly spinning out of control. “The wife of the owner of Jones Enterprises was arrested this evening. The missus of the Jones family and former Financial Manager of the company is accused of stealing millions. Sources say that Mr. Jones called the police and had her arrested. We’ll bring you more as the story develops.”

“No! Nick, please, no! My grandmother will hear this! I don’t want her getting sick again. You know how fragile she is. Please, Nick please, go and see her. Make up something—tell her it’s all lies. Tell her I’m okay.”

My heart was breaking. My grandmother was all I had now that I’d lost him. I couldn’t let her to die; I still needed her.

“You love to run that mouth of yours, don’t you?” Nick sneered. “Say one more word, and I’ll personally make sure that your precious grandmother learns firsthand what it’s like to have a thief for a granddaughter. I’ll show you both a side of me you’ve never seen before.”

I opened and closed my mouth, too afraid to speak. Instead, I opted to let my eyes do the pleading, But Nick merely spun around and walked away.

I watched until he turned the corner and then broke into a choking sob, a lump in my throat making it hard to breathe. The man who had been my everything, who couldn’t go an hour without checking on me, was now my tormentor. It felt like I was dying—maybe I was and I just didn’t know it.

The officer noticed and rushed over with some water. I couldn’t understand why he was helping me, but I was grateful. I needed it.

“I don’t know what you did to cross a man like that,” he said, handing me the bottle, “but it seems you’ve made a big mistake.”

With trembling hands, I accepted his offer, then gulped the water down. My hands shook so hard that the water spilled down my chin, soaking my chest. I gave the officer a sad smile. “What I did was to help my best friend,” I said, “and she turned him against me. If I’d known she was going to do that, I never would have helped her.”

I laughed bitterly. I was no longer the protected and loved wife of the Jones family. Now, I was the laughingstock of New Village, the wife who was sent to jail by her own husband for stealing millions. I was pitiful, indeed.

My laughter turned into sobs once more.

“Oh, miss,” the officer said, “People can be cruel. I’m sorry you’re learning that the hard way.”

Someone clapped, and the officer turned to look. Sandra stood there, smirking.

“You’re good, Olivia,” she said. “I’ll give you that. Now you’ve managed to convince this idiot that you’re the victim. What did you promise him? A roll in the hay? Because we both know you’ve lost everything. Your body’s all you have left.”

Hearing her voice made me want to reach out and strangle her. “I’m not like you,” I spat.

The officer left, giving us privacy I didn’t want.

“Oh, you still think you’re better than me? Even after everything I’ve taken from you?” She cackled, clearly enjoying my misery.

Why hadn’t I seen her for who she truly was? “You’re vile,” I said, “and this isn’t going to last. I’ll get out of here, clear my name, and then I’ll come after you with everything I’ve got.”

She stopped laughing, her expression hardening in a way that shook me to my core. “Listen here, Olivia. This isn’t high school or college. I’ve grown up, lived, and seen things. I’m not the same Sandra from back then. I’ve changed. And I swear, if you dare come after me, I’ll do more than just frame you for theft. I’ll kill you.”

OLIVIA

I sat in the dark jail cell, thinking about my baby and how he was going to survive in a place like this. I didn’t care about myself—they could keep me there for as long as they wanted—but my baby didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to be born in a jail or suffer for my sins.

It was only the second day of my incarceration, and the police were keeping their word to Nick about not letting me out. But I thought they were taking it too far; they hadn’t given me food since I arrived.

It was good that nothing stayed in my stomach anymore. I’d been starting to have morning sickness. But I still felt hungry, even though I knew whatever I ate would come back up again.

“Oh, my baby,” I said, caressing my stomach, “I’m so sorry you’re going through this, that you’re going to start your life into this world like this. But I swear to you, I will protect you. Your father will never know you exist, and he’ll never hurt you or me ever again. He’s done enough.”

The cell door opened. I stood as Nick’s best friend, Ethan, came into view.

“Oh, Olivia. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I just found out what happened, and I gave Nick a piece of my mind. But he won’t budge. He won’t even show me the proof he claims to have against you. He refuses to drop the charges and get you out.”

I smiled sadly. “It’s all right, Ethan. I’m just glad you’re here. I need your help.”

He sighed, pity in his eyes.

“Don’t pity me,” I said. “I’ll be fine. I just need your help me with something, but don’t tell Nick.”

He frowned. “Olivia, he only let me to see you today. After this, he won’t let me come back.”

“Then let’s make it count,” I said with a nod. “I’m pregnant. It’s still early, but I’m afraid I’ll lose my baby in here. Please, help me.”

His eyes widened in shock. “Olivia... Nick doesn’t know, does he?”

I shook my head.

“That moron. How could I be friends with someone so stupid? That woman you call your friend has him eating out of the palm of her hand, and he just can’t see it!” He started pacing, but we didn’t have time for his anger.

“Ethan, please. Forget about Nick. Karma will deal with them both. I have to worry about my baby.”

He stopped and peered at me, concern in his eyes. “All right. I’ll see what I can do. I’ll try to get you some prenatal vitamins to keep the baby healthy and then see about bribing a guard to get you that medicine and tell me when you go into labor.”

Relief flooded me. “Thank you, Ethan. Please, check on my grandmother from time to time. Let her know I’m okay, and tell her not to stress or worry about me.”

He gave me that pitying look again.

“Stop looking at me like that. I’ll be fine. Just help me with this, and everything will be all right.”

“I don’t know how you do it, Olivia. I don’t know how you can be so positive when you are in a situation like this.”

I had no choice. I couldn’t afford to fall apart—I had a baby and my grandmother to think about.

“Time’s up, Mr. Lewis,” an officer informed Ethan. “You only get ten minutes, and not a minute more.”

“I’ll do as I promised,” Ethan said. “I’ll do everything I can to be able to see you again. Stay strong, Olivia.”

I smiled faintly and nodded. After he left, I felt a small surge of hope that my baby was going to be all right. Ethan was a man of his word. He would find a way to help me.

I lay down on the thin mattress in the corner, curled into the fetal position, and thought about everything that had happened in such a short period of time—how my best friend had betrayed me, and how I had let my marriage fall apart completely, all without even knowing it. I fell asleep with those thoughts in my head.

The clanging of the cell door woke me up. “Here. This is for you.” The officer glanced around before tossing a small plastic bag into my cell. “From Mr. Lewis. I won’t always be around, but when I am, I’ll take care of you.” He closed the door and left.

I rushed to the plastic bag and found both food and vitamins inside. Tears welled in my eyes, grateful to Ethan for what he’d done. I quickly ate the food, took the vitamins, and drank water from the tap.

Lying back down, I caressed my belly. “Everything’s going to be okay, baby. I promise.”

OLIVIA

NINE MONTHS LATER

Prison had been hard, not just because I was pregnant but because of how I was treated. But I was grateful for one thing—Ethan kept his word. The guard he’d bribed continued to bring me vitamins and took care of me as promised.

But when he wasn’t around, the others would conveniently “forget” to feed me. There were days I was so hungry that my stomach ached. One day, I yelled until someone finally came. But instead of food, I got a beating.

They beat me so badly that I had a black eye and bruises all over my arms and legs. But through it all, I protected my baby. Even after the beating, they didn’t give me any food. From that day on, I learned to stay quiet when that officer wasn’t around.

I rationed my food, eating small portions and saving some in case I didn’t get any the next day. I was skin and bones, and I worried about my baby. Was he getting enough nutrients? Would he be born healthy?

The thought of my baby suffering only made my resentment for Nick grow. I hated him more with each passing day.

My belly was huge now, heavy. Today, I woke up feeling uncomfortable and exhausted. I didn’t touch my breakfast when the guard brought it. A dull pain throbbed in my back, coming and going. Every time it hit, I froze, holding my breath until it passed. I thought I might be in labor, but my water hadn’t broken.

Still, something was wrong. Impatiently, I waited for lunch, hoping to ask the guard to contact Ethan and bring a doctor. I couldn’t lose my baby—not after everything we’d been through together.

I drifted in and out of sleep. The pain kept getting stronger, more frequent. On several occasions, I bit my bottom lip to prevent from screaming. Finally, the cell door opened. I was leaning against the wall, breathing through the pain. But at that moment, it felt like some entity out there in the universe was finally on my side.

Suddenly, my water broke.

The guard’s eyes widened in shock. “I’ll get Mr. Lewis!” He dropped the plate of food he was carrying and ran off.

I gripped the bars, pulling on them so hard I thought they might break.

The guard came back, panting. “Mr. Lewis is coming.”

“Thank you,” I managed to say.

He just stood there, helpless. “Please, keep the baby in. I don’t know what to do. Wait for Mr. Lewis!”

If I wasn’t in so much pain, I might’ve laughed. He clearly had no idea that once the baby decided to come, there was no stopping him. But I hoped he would hold off; this cell was no place to have a baby.

After what felt like forever, with me lying on my back and feeling the baby coming, the cell door opened once again. “Olivia! I’m here. I’ll take you to the infirmary.” Ethan rushed in with a doctor.

The doctor took a quick look and said, “She won’t make it to the infirmary. The baby’s crowning. He’s coming now.”

At that moment, my resentment for Nick hit a new level. My baby was going to be born in a filthy cell all because Nick believed some woman he barely knew over me. He had condemned me to this suffering.

“Olivia, you have to push,” Ethan said. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, but the baby’s coming now.”

His voice pulled me back to reality. It wasn’t about Nick anymore. It was about my baby. I pushed as hard as I could. I pushed with everything I had. Soon after, my baby’s cries filled the air, and tears streamed down my face. The doctor handed him to me.

“Is he okay? Is he healthy?” I asked, staring at him. He was so small.

“I’ll need to examine him, but he looks good—just a little underweight but good.”

I smiled through my tears. “His name is Samuel. Give him my last name, not Nick’s, and keep him safe. Take him away from here, Ethan.” My heart broke as I handed him over.

“You can hold him for a little longer,” the doctor offered, but I shook my head.

He’d been born in this dirty cell. I didn’t want him to spend a second more in here. “No. Take him away and check him out to make sure he’s healthy. And remember, Ethan—don’t ever tell Nick.”

I sobbed as I watched Ethan leave with him. “Nick, you’re going to pay for this. I swear it.”