"Eileen, your time is up. You're free to go now."

The gates of prison groaned open with a harsh metallic sound.

Eileen Hewitt drew in a quiet breath and walked out.

In her hand was only a flimsy plastic bag holding a few faded clothes and some scattered coins.

It was all she had left to her name. It was not even enough to pay for a trip back to the city.

After four years in prison, she was still dressed in the same clothes she had worn when she first came in. They now hung slack on her body.

The July sun blazed above her. As she walked by the side of the road, sweat soon drenched her back.

Her pace was sluggish. Fatigue dragged at her, and her mind kept circling the question of where she could possibly go.

Should she go back to the Hewitt family's residence?

That family that had made her carry the blame for someone else, thrown her into prison, and refused even to cover her lawyer's fees.

Suddenly, a piercing horn blared from behind Eileen.

She moved aside on instinct, but the black luxury car stopped right beside her.

The window slid down and exposed a face she knew all too well. Jason Hewitt, her eldest brother.

"Eileen?" Jason sounded shocked. "Why are you here?"

Forcing down the disgust rising in her chest, Eileen ignored him and kept walking.

She had only gone a few steps when he blocked her path with his car.

"Eileen, it has been four years. You can't even say a word to me now?"

"What answer would make you happy? Were you hoping I'd stay in prison for a few more years?" Eileen gave a cold, mocking laugh.

Jason's brows drew together. "I meant, why didn't you let us know you are out so we could come pick you up? We're family."

"You wanted me to inform the Hewitt family?" Eileen looked him dead in the eye until he was the one who looked away. "The same family that sent me to prison?"

Jason was clearly struck by that. His expression went rigid.

"That's enough. Get in the car. I'll drive you home. You're out now, so learn to behave and stop making trouble from now on," he said.

Those words sparked fury inside Eileen.

Her voice turned icy. "Before you tell me to stop making trouble, maybe think about who started all of this in the first place."

Jason's expression darkened. "Eileen, that's in the past. There's no need to bring it up again."

"In the past? Maybe for you. For me, those four years in prison have left a wound in me that will never heal."

Eileen got inside the car. A heavy silence fell.

Jason became visibly uncomfortable. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel.

"Natalie has carried that guilt all these years. She cried at home repeatedly. She said that if not for her, you would never have—"

As he spoke, his voice lost some of its edge.

Eileen cut him off, her tone freezing over. "Jason, you and I both know who sent Stella down those stairs. I was never the one at fault. It was Natalie!"

Four years ago, she had said the same thing countless times. Even so, every member of the Hewitt family had believed Natalie Hewitt, her parents' adopted daughter, and refused to hear her out.

"That's enough! Eileen, shut up!" Jason snapped. "The evidence was there, and the court already gave its ruling. Why are you still denying it?"

"A stairwell with no surveillance and a few so-called witnesses. That is your idea of evidence?" Eileen asked mockingly.

Jason pressed his lips into a tight line. His expression hardened further.

"Eileen, you've changed," he said in a low voice. "You were never like this before."

"Anyone would change after four years in prison. If you doubt that, you can go experience it yourself," Eileen shot back evenly.

Jason looked angry, but he did not keep arguing with her.

As though something had just come to mind, he shifted to another topic. "By the way, today is Natalie's birthday. You can come home and attend the party. It's your birthday, too."

"It's surprising that you remember today is my birthday," Eileen said. "During these four years, did any of you ever visit me on my birthday? Did any of you ever bring me a birthday cake?"

Jason went quiet once more. He had no response to that.

The car sped down the highway toward the city. Eileen stared out the window as her thoughts wandered back to four years ago.

She had been switched at birth and brought up in a rural town for eighteen years.

That day was the first birthday she had after returning to the Hewitt family. It was also the day she turned eighteen.

Yet her family's attention had been fixed only on Natalie. Hardly any of it had gone to her.

Back then, Eileen had tried to comfort herself. She had thought her parents and brothers only needed time to accept her.

In the middle of the party, her high school classmate and close friend, Stella Wade, came looking for her. Stella said she had something important to reveal to Eileen about Natalie.

At that moment, Natalie suddenly appeared out of nowhere, her face darkening, having clearly heard their conversation.

By the time Eileen made it back to the stairwell, Stella had already fallen down the stairs. She was lying in a pool of blood.

Everything that came after felt like a nightmare.

The police found Stella's blood on Eileen's sleeve. Several guests said they had seen the two of them arguing. Some even swore they saw Eileen push her.

Eileen tried to defend herself, but no one believed a word she said.

The Hewitt family accused her of trying to frame Natalie for everything. Her father even hit her in front of everyone.

In the end, she was sentenced to four years in prison.

"We're here. Watch your attitude. Today is Natalie's birthday. Don't ruin it," Jason suddenly said.

His voice yanked Eileen out of her memories.

At Jason's warning, Eileen felt the rage in her chest nearly explode.

She swore to herself that every one of them would pay for those four years.

When Natalie, who had been talking with her friends, heard movement behind her, she assumed Jason had come back.

She turned around, wearing a bright smile. But the instant she saw Eileen, she froze in place.

The instant Natalie caught sight of Eileen, the smile on her face stiffened.

A trace of alarm flickered through her eyes, but she buried it almost at once.

"Eileen? You are out of prison?" she asked.

"Today was the day Eileen got released. I happened to run into her on the way here, so I drove her back. She is still part of the family, after all."

Jason rushed to explain, worried Natalie might get upset.

"Eileen, you've gotten so thin in prison. I'm sorry..."

Natalie's voice shook faintly, and her eyes were quickly filled with tears.

Eileen looked at her and gave a scornful laugh.

Natalie still wore that same weak, pitiful look. She had fooled everyone with that act.

Beside them, Jason's expression hardened at Eileen's mocking laugh.

He shot her a glare. "Eileen, Natalie is speaking to you. Why are you not replying to her?"

Natalie lightly pulled at Jason's sleeve. "Jason, please don't speak to her that way..."

Without warning, she stepped forward and flung herself into Eileen's arms, sobbing.

"I've missed you so much all these years. Every single day, I worried about how you were doing in there..."

Eileen fought down the impulse to shove Natalie away. The costly perfume clinging to Natalie was in cruel contrast to the coarse clothes rubbing against Eileen's skin.

All around them, the guests began murmuring, their voices growing louder by the second.

"So she's the Hewitt couple's real daughter, and she actually went to prison?"

"Seriously? You didn't know? That whole thing caused a massive scandal back then. They said she pushed the Wade couple's daughter down the stairs. The girl nearly died."

"But she looks so pretty and kind. It's hard to imagine her doing something like that."

Every whispered word landed in Eileen's ears. Each one cut into her like a knife driven straight into her chest.

After four years behind bars, she had already turned into a laughingstock among Oraland's upper class.

A bitter ache surged through her, but she forced it back down.

She eased Natalie away from her and stared straight into her eyes.

"You were worried about how I was doing in prison?" Eileen's voice was not loud, yet it brought the entire room to an immediate hush. "Natalie, do you truly care about my life in prison? During those four years, why didn't you come see me even once?"

Her voice remained calm, but every word sliced clean through Natalie's lie.

Natalie went still for a beat. Panic flashed across her face before she put on that wounded expression again.

"Eileen, I thought seeing me would only make you feel upset. It was all my fault..."

Eileen gave a cold laugh. "You're right. It was all your fault. If not for you, I would never have gone to prison."

Her eyes swept over every member of the Hewitt family, sharp as a knife. "Not one of you dared to visit me because you couldn't face the person who took the fall for Natalie. You were scared I might change my testimony."

Her words landed like a bomb.

The whispers around them instantly grew louder.

"What? Did she really take the blame for Natalie?"

"No way. Natalie is such a kind person. She has to be lying!"

"Enough. All of you, stop talking!"

Jason's voice slashed through the noise, his irritation impossible to miss.

He stepped in front of Natalie, shielding her, and glared at Eileen.

"Eileen, you just came back, and you're already making a scene? Today is Natalie's birthday. I already warned you in the car."

Eileen looked at him coldly. "It's also my birthday today. Do you still remember that, Jason?"

Jason looked caught off guard for a moment, but his face quickly turned stern again.

"Even so, you have no right to falsely accuse Natalie in front of everyone. She may not be related to you by blood, but she is still our sister. What happened back then is in the past. The evidence was clear. The court already gave its verdict. There is no reason to drag it up again now."

"Eileen, if I've upset you, I'll apologize with a piece of cake. Please don't be angry..." Natalie turned and walked over to the dessert table. She cut a small, delicate slice of cake and held it out to Eileen.

To anyone watching, she looked thoughtful and sweet. But Eileen caught the faint smugness hidden in her eyes.

A rush of fury surged up from inside Eileen, nearly breaking through her restraint.

Under everyone's stunned gaze, she took the cake. Then, she threw it straight onto Natalie's head.

A strange, fierce satisfaction spread through her.

For the first time in four years, she had finally gotten back at the person who had made her suffer, but this was far from enough...

White cream slid down Natalie's hair, destroying the careful styling she had spent so much time on.

"Ah! My hair!"

Natalie stood there in a daze, frosting all over her, looking utterly disgraced.

At that very moment, a young, striking man rushed in from outside.

It was Landen Hewitt, the third son of the Hewitt couple and now a famous young actor.

He had specially made time to come to Natalie's birthday party. He had never expected to walk in on a scene like this.

"You ex-con, how dare you do this to Natalie?"

At the sight of Natalie being humiliated, Landen clenched his jaw and swung a hand toward Eileen's face.

Eileen reacted at once, shifting aside and dodging the slap with ease.

Four brutal years in prison had taught her how to defend herself.

Landen's strike missed. He froze briefly. Then, his face darkened with rage.

"You... you actually dare to dodge? I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of the Hewitt family today!"

"So you still think I'm someone you can push around whenever you please?"

Eileen looked him right in the eye, her voice thick with sarcasm and disappointment.

Landen parted his lips, but no words came out. He turned instead to Natalie and gently wiped the frosting from her face.

"Natalie, are you okay?" he asked in a gentle voice.

Natalie nodded and held back her tears. "Landen, I'm fine. Eileen just got out. It's only natural that she's upset with me. This is my fault, but I truly meant well..."

Eileen let out a cold laugh. What a flawless little performance.

"That's enough," Jason said at that moment.

His expression turned grim, and anger flashed in his eyes. "Eileen, if you have complaints, take them out on me. The Hewitt family will make it up to you for those years in prison, but don't let your emotions upset Natalie—"

"No need to say anything else," Eileen interjected evenly. "If my presence here makes everyone so uncomfortable, I'll go."

She turned to leave, but Landen caught hold of her arm to stop her.

"Go? You humiliated Natalie today, and now, you think you can just walk away? No way!"

Eileen looked at him with cold contempt. "Let go of me."

"I won't!" Landen snapped. "You owe Natalie an apology!"

Eileen did not say another word. She simply wrenched her arm free with force.

Jason stepped between Landen and Eileen, his face growing even darker.

The Hewitt family had already been embarrassed tonight. With so many guests watching, this should never have become such a spectacle.

Jason lowered his voice, and the threat in it was unmistakable. "If you keep this up, don't blame me for showing you no mercy."

"Mercy?"

Eileen let out a quiet laugh, but there was not a trace of humor in her eyes. "Jason, the day you sent me to prison with your own hands, you already showed me no mercy. Whatever sibling bond we had was gone. Starting today, I have nothing to do with the Hewitt family."

Her words brought the whole room to silence. Even Natalie lifted her head in shock, and a flicker of unease crossed her eyes.

"What are you saying? You think you can just walk away from this family? Are you really willing to do that?" Landen did not believe a word of it. His voice was full of mockery. "I don't trust it, unless you—"

"Unless I give up everything from the Hewitt family?" Eileen finished the sentence for him, determination glinting in her eyes. "Fine. From this moment forward, I sever every tie with the Hewitt family. There is nothing left between us."

"Good. Very good." Jason gave a cold, mocking laugh, and his anger only grew stronger. "Since that is what you want, then I have fulfilled my duty as your brother. The Hewitt family owes you nothing now. You may leave."

Eileen did not waste a single word on him. She turned around and walked straight for the door without the slightest pause.

Halfway out, she suddenly thought of something. She had nearly no money. She did not even have enough to pay for a ride.

"Wait." Eileen came to a stop and turned back to look at Jason. "I do not have any money. Can you lend me a hundred dollars? I will pay you back in the future."

The request clearly caught Jason off guard. "You do not even have a hundred dollars?"

"No, I don't," Eileen replied evenly. "For the past four years, you have not given me a single cent."

Her words pierced straight through whatever composure Jason had left.

He said nothing for a moment, then took a bill from his wallet and held it out to her. "Take it. And do not come back here again."

Eileen took the money without thanking him and turned away once more.

Outside the house, the sunlight was still harsh and bright. A faint redness had crept into her eyes.

Today was her twenty-second birthday. It should have been a day to celebrate, yet it had become the day she cut herself off from everything in her past.

Eileen drew in a slow breath, trying to steady the storm inside her.

She swore that, one day, she would take back everything that had been owed to her over the last four years, and she would do it on her own terms.

With the hundred-dollar bill in her hand, her first thought was to book a ride, but she stopped herself.

She had nowhere to go.

After thinking for a while, she slipped a hand into the worn pocket of her clothes and pulled out an old scrap of paper.

A phone number was written on it.

Patricia Flynn, an elderly woman she had met in prison, had given it to her before she died. She had said it belonged to someone Eileen could rely on after her release.

Eileen walked over to the roadside and borrowed a phone from a passerby.

The call was answered almost at once. A calm male voice came from the other end of the line. "Hello, who is this?"

"Hello. I am a friend of Patricia Flynn," Eileen said in an even tone. "She gave me this number before she died."

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then, the man's voice grew serious.

"Please wait a moment." After a short verification, the voice returned to normal. "Patricia did leave instructions behind. Please tell me where you are. I will send a car to pick you up."

Ten minutes later, a black high-end car pulled up in front of Eileen.

A middle-aged man in a crisp suit got out and gave her a careful once-over. "Are you Patricia Flynn's friend?"

Eileen gave a small nod. "Yes."

The man dipped his head. "Please, get in. My boss is waiting for you."

The car soon rolled off at an unhurried pace. A short distance away, someone had seen the entire scene.

Marc Stewart, Jason's driver, had been smoking near the entrance when the scene caught his eye.

"Was that Eileen? She just got into a limited-edition Rolls-Royce?"

He gaped in shock, yanked out his phone to take a photo, and called Jason at once.

Inside the house, the birthday celebration had resumed, but the mood had clearly cooled down a bit.

Jason's phone began to ring. When he saw Marc's name, he knitted his brows and stepped away to pick up the call.

"What is it?"

"Mr. Hewitt, I just saw Eileen get into a Rolls-Royce. It's one of those limited models. There are only 100 in the world." Marc spoke in an urgent voice.

"A Rolls-Royce?" Jason did not buy it. "You've got to be wrong. How could someone with no money at all have such a car picking her up?"

"It's real. I took a picture. I'll send it to you right now."

Not long after, Jason received the photo.

In it, Eileen stood beside the car while a suited man held the door open for her with clear respect.

Jason's face shifted at once.

Meanwhile, the car made its way down the city's main road. Eileen sat by the window, watching the view slide past.

Four years had gone by. The city had changed greatly, yet some things stayed exactly as they had been.

Silence filled the car. The driver glanced at Eileen now and then through the rearview mirror but did not speak.

Eileen stayed quiet, too, wondering about Patricia's real identity.

During those four years in prison, the old woman had never spoken of her past. She turned every visitor away, yet she taught Eileen countless things no ordinary person would ever know.

"May I ask how long you've known Patricia?" The driver was the one who finally broke the silence.

Eileen kept her eyes on the scenery rushing by. "Four years."

"Where did you meet?"

"In prison," Eileen answered briefly and did not say anything beyond that.

At last, the car came to a stop in front of a towering office building. The driver stepped out and opened the door for Eileen. "Please follow me."

Eileen went with him into the elevator. They then headed straight for the top floor.

When the elevator doors slid open, a spacious office came into view.

A middle-aged man in a dark suit stood before the floor-to-ceiling window with his back to them.

"Mr. Gilbert, Patricia's friend is here," the driver said softly.