Chapter 2

Adrian's POV

Time in prison didn't feel like normal time.

I was still caged by the walls and strong doors, which made me stop counting as days went by.

It's been nine months already, but every single night, that fateful day keeps on replaying in my head-his shocking betrayal hurts, and he has never visited me or sent a letter since that night.

Could it be that Martin abandoned me here alone to be accused of a crime I didn't commit? My mind raced with these thoughts, flashbacks to what led me here, and the hope I'd carried for nine months.

I didn't even realize when the door creaked open... The loud clang echoed inside my cell, and I stood up on my feet immediately.

Two officers stood in front of me with their cold faces; one of them stepped inside the cell with a very stern face like a carved stone, while the other officer waited outside, tapping a baton against her leg impatiently.

"Miss Adrian, get up; you have a visitor," he said. "Someone is waiting for you."

I froze.

A visitor?

It had been almost ten months since I entered this place. No one had ever come. Not even my aunt-she disappeared the day I was sentenced, as if I never existed. I had long accepted that I was forgotten.

But now... Someone was here to see me?

My heart jumped. "Martins?" I asked.

"When you get there, you will see."

Martin! He probably has changed his mind and has come back for me and his unborn child even though he never knew I was pregnant. Maybe when he found out, he would take us back home.

I pulled myself away from the iron bed, completely ignoring the sharp pain in between my legs, but I wasn't sure it was labor; the date the doctor gave is in three weeks' time. But for days I've been feeling tight under my stomach-little signs of labor-but I ignored it.

They fixed a handcuff on me, and I struggled with my legs and followed them down the hall to the visiting room. My stomach was heavier under the thin prison clothes I wore.

"Walk faster," one officer snapped, shoving my shoulder roughly.

I stumbled, almost reaching the floor, but I caught myself and continued walking.

"You only have fifteen minutes left, and you haven't gotten to the visitor's room. If you waste time, you won't get the replacement for it," she barked in anger.

That was life here-no kindness, no patience, no mercy. Just orders, punishment, and pain. In this prison, I've been beaten, mocked because of pregnancy, and starved of sleep most nights.

Months ago, I was stabbed in the leg by a fellow prisoner for no reason. Every day I pay for a crime I know nothing about.

The door to the visiting room opened, and I was pushed inside by the officers... My breathing hitched immediately.

He was there...

Martin was seated at the metal chair and had that ever-dangerous smirk on his face. He was cleaner and more handsome. His hair was well cut. His eyes had that same cold look I had forced myself to ignore so many times before.

"Adrian," he called my name softly.

I froze. My chest tightened. I wanted to run to him and thank him for coming to see me and knowing we're having a baby, but the glass separated us from touching each other.

But beside him sat Amelia, my cousin's sister.

She never liked me at all. She always mocked me when I was living in her house and was so cold to me.

But wait... Why was she here with him?

Anyway, I cared less; all I knew was that Martin was here, and I felt happy seeing him again!.

But I was still confused because I already knew that Amelia and Martin were never on good terms in the past, but here they are together. Maybe they are finally getting along. Maybe this was a good sign.

I sat slowly on the metal chair across from them. My hair was scattered; it fell on my face.

Then I touched his hands, but he pulled away.

"Martin, I'm so happy you came," I said, feeling relieved. "I knew you would come to see me."

"I knew that you'd come to see me. I knew you couldn't just leave me like that, right? But at the same time I don't know why you have to put the blame on me. I love you so much, Martin."

He chuckled.

"We're having a baby, Martin. Look..." I can feel our baby always kicking, and I will give birth soon. And, you know, I can't wait to be your wife. Thank you so much for coming to bail me out. Let's get out of here...please."

But then his facial expression changed. The piercing eyes seemed cruel, which made my heart skip, but I smiled.

"Oh really? Why are you smiling like a fool?" He said with a voice dripping with mockery, "You think I am here to bail your ass out, bitch? It seems like you did not understand why you were arrested years ago..."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. My smile faded. "What are you saying?

He leaned back in his seat. "Well, I had cocaine slipped inside your bag while you were asleep," he said, his voice slicing through me like a knife.

The world stopped spinning. My throat got dry. "W...What?"

He turned to Amelia, and they laughed at me.

Tears blurred my eyes; I felt broken. "You...you did this to me, Martin? You let me take the blame and stay in the prison for your crimes? I loved you! I thought we were getting married!?"

Martin only shrugged as if my pains meant nothing.

"Oh please, stop crying like a baby," her voice sounded like venom as she drew closer. "It doesn't suit you, slutty pregnant whore! You look pathetic. You're just stupid for spreading your legs for the wrong man."

Her words cut deep; my body trembled. My lips parted, but no words came out.

She smirked, "You want the truth, darling? Martin isn't marrying you; he's marrying me."

I blinked, not understanding. "What are you saying?"

She smirked and glanced at Martin, then turned back to me.

"I and Martin are getting married," she repeated. "He is way too big to mingle with someone like you. And trust me, my fiancé can't get married to an ex-convict who has such a bad reputation."

"You're lying."

"No darling," she said with a sweet tone, "We're here to invite you to our wedding. Consider it... a courtesy visit."

My world crashed. "You're marrying my fiancé?"

Martin looked away, expression cold.

He didn't flinch.

Then Amelia turned to him and kissed him passionately in front of me, rolling her tongue in his, and they gave out a cruel laugh.

Enough!" I screamed as I hit my hand on the table; I couldn't stand both of them kissing. It irritated me and broke my heart.

Amelia giggled. "She's losing it," she said mockingly.

Martin smirked. "She was always just a mistake."

I burst into tears. "Martin, you do this to me after everything I've done for you? You both are monsters. After going to jail for you? For love!"

Amelia rolled her eyes. "You went to jail because you're stupid. He never loved you. He loved me. He was using you to cover for him. You took the blame, and we took the money."

I froze.

She went on proudly, "He and I were together for three years while you thought he was yours. You were nothing but a toy."

"Three years? After all we have been through. All the sacrifices I made, and right now... you're telling me that you're getting married to your cousin sister?"

She laughed. "Stupid orphan, you'll rot in jail."

Her words destroyed me. My vision blurred with tears as rage surged through me. My hands slammed against the metal table.

"You stupid woman! How dare you..."

I felt so much pain in my stomach that I sat down on the chair.

"No..." I screamed, breathing heavily.

"Say something, Martin!" I begged. "Even if you hate me, please don't hate your child. Please... come back for our baby."

He stood up, disgust in his eyes. "That bastard isn't mine. I used you, Adrian. You're just a dirty criminal now."

My heart stopped. "No... that's not true. That night, you said you loved me-"

He cut me off. "That night? I drugged you, Adrian. I left you there. Someone else paid me to use you. I sold you. And now do you know your record? A drug dealer. A criminal. And that's what you are."

"No... no," I shook my head violently, "that's not true. You used me?"

He laughed. "You were just a bet. A stupid one."

"You and Amelia would regret your actions, I promise you." I screamed, crying.

Then a sharp pain hit me between my legs. I cried out in pain-not just from heartbreak, but from the sudden burst of contraction. My water broke.

The officers rushed in as I screamed.

"She's in labor! Get her to the infirmary now!"

They lifted me to the stretcher. My cries were heard through the hallway as they carried me away.

Amelia's cruel laughter followed behind me.

The pain was at its peak; it made my body convulse. I screamed and pushed. The nurse's voice was sharp in my ears: "Push, Adrian! Breathe! Don't give up!"

Through the pain I was passing through, one truth crashed into my mind. Martin had lied to me; he sold me. He said the child isn't his. A stranger had taken my innocence, and Martin had left me for Amelia.

Tears and blood mixed up as the contractions tore me apart with force.

"Arrrrrhhhh!" I screamed, pushing with all my strength.

"I won't let you worry. I'll take care of you," I told myself. "Baby, I can't wait to have you. We'll go through this phase together, and one day we'll have our revenge."

"Breathe and push, Adrian!" the nurse urged. I tried, sweat running down my face, and pushed again.

The doctor shouted about blood pressure and surgery, his voice sounded urgent. But I kept pushing.

And through my tears, through my pain, I made a promise:

"Martin... Amelia... "I'll return stronger, take back everything you stole, and make you feel my pain. I swear I'll have my revenge."

And that was when I felt so weak I passed out.

Chapter 3

Adrian's POV

I finally opened my eyes, looking around to know where I was. Everything felt strange; the ceiling above was white in color.

Antiseptic and methylated spirit smells filled the air. My head throbbed softly, and my throat was dry from screaming and swallowing every pain. For a while I didn't remember why I was brought there or what had happened.

Then slowly I remembered. Martin. Amelia. The pain. The birth. The baby.

I remembered the doctor saying something about doing an operation. I moved my hand to check my lower tummy, but I was relieved that I didn't give birth through cesarean section. Somehow I made it through the delivery.

Then I turned my head slightly, trying to sit up, but I felt heavy like a cloth deep in the water, making it wet. There was an IV line running into my hand, and also the beep of a machine was heard in the room. One was closer to me, calm and steady. My head was still spinning, but I was searching for the most important thing.

Then my eyes found it, the baby cradle, and I was relieved.

My baby! I looked at the cradle bed beside me, but it was empty... My baby is supposed to be there. Where is my baby!?

My heart skipped.

I cleaned my eyes with my hands. Maybe I wasn't seeing clearly, but it appeared empty. The cradle's white bedsheet was neatly spread and untouched. There was no tiny body wrapped and kept inside it. I didn't hear the cry of a baby anyway.

A cold fear ran through me. Where is my baby? What happened to my baby? My heartbeat increased.

Then the door opened and a nurse entered with a smile. Calm and looking cheerful, holding some files. I turned quickly to her, almost falling off the bed.

"Nurse!" I called out desperately in panic. "Where-where is my baby? Where's my child?" My voice cracked into a plea.

The nurse walked in and got to my side, then she smiled as though that smile could soothe the storm raging in my chest.

"Relax, Adrian," she said gently. "It was a girl."

Immediately after I heard her say that, I breathed out in relief... a girl... My little girl. My lips trembled as I whispered to myself, "Thank God. Thank God my baby is here." I forced a smile, and tears rolled down.

Ever since I got pregnant with my baby, I've thought of carrying my baby in my arms, touching her soft hair, and feeling her close, but my dreams were cut short.

As I looked at the cradle again, I realized that it was empty and my baby was supposed to be there.... Fear clawed at me again.

"Where is she?" I asked, my voice shaking again, "Did you take her to the doctor? Why isn't she lying next to me?"

The nurse's expression shifted instantly, and at that moment her smiles faded. Her eyes showed that of sadness. Her shoulders dropped instantly.

"Adrian, I'm sorry, your baby had a breathing problem, and we couldn't save her," she said. "We tried to save her, but she didn't make it."

Her words hit me like knives. My heart froze, trying to take in what she'd just said.

"What?!" My screams were heard all through the room. "My baby?! No-no! You're wrong. My baby can't be dead! No... no... she's the only thing I have in this world. Please! I want to see my baby!"

My voice rose into a sob that filled the whole room. I tried to get off the bed, but pain shot from my stomach, tearing from inside, but the nurse held my shoulders firmly.

"I want to see her!" I cried, my voice raw with grief. "She's alive! I want to see where she was buried. Please, I beg you, let me just hold her."

The nurse shook her head. Her pitying eyes dropped to the floor. "We're so sorry. The moment when we found out that she was dead, the police came and took care of everything," she said quietly. "They buried her. We're sorry you weren't able to see her before... before it happened. Please accept my condolences."

Her words made all the noise fade away. I only heard my heart beating. She was buried? She was buried without her mother?

"No! No!" I screamed, holding the white sheets. My whole body shook with despair.

The nurse tried to calm me down. She tried to comfort me in her arms, but that didn't help. I wished I was awake to see my baby. The thought of my little baby dead broke something inside of me.

As my sob slowed down, something deep inside me said with a faint voice that the nurse was lying and my baby was alive.

My heart tells me my baby is still alive, staying with new people far from here. Sometimes I felt my baby was close to me; other times I felt she was close to my bed crying.

But I was hopeless as I sat here, and there was nothing I could do. The next day they took me back to prison, but this time they showed me pity. They gave me a softer bed and showed me a small kindness because I had just given birth and lost my baby. But prison was still prison. Cold. Lonely. Quiet in chains.

I couldn't eat anymore and didn't feel like waking up the next day. I spent most nights looking at the ceiling. Losing my child is bad, but the worst is I couldn't do anything to save her.

Maybe this was how I was meant to rot in here...alone. The only thing I had in this world was gone. Emptiness filled me in.

Every night, I lay down on my bed with tears, and I prayed:

"Dear God," I said, "protect my baby. I know my baby is still alive. Somewhere. I can feel her. Please... please keep her safe for me." I cried myself to sleep believing that one day I will get the revenge I deserve.

***

Meanwhile, somewhere far away...

A car stopped beside the trees in the dark. Then, a woman walked out of a car; she was wearing a black hoodie.

"Darcy's whore had given birth to the heir of the Rodrigos..." she whispered with venom in her voice. , "I won't allow that baby to rot in jail or worse, be raised by a criminal mother...never!"

A faint, tiny cry of a baby broke the night silence as footsteps approached her with the sound of a stroller rolling on the floor.

The nurse stopped in front of her, pushing a baby who was crying in a stroller... Her hands trembled as she handed over the stroller to the woman. The woman pulled out a fat envelope filled with money while the nurse smiled in excitement.

"This is extra for the money I sent you," the stranger in the hoodie said. "This is for doing a perfect job."

"Thank you, Madame, here is the baby," the nurse said. "I made sure no one saw me coming out, and please, madam..." Don't ever mention my name if anything happens. I only did this for the money."

The woman in the black hoodie came closer to the nurse. "Don't worry. Just keep your mouth shut. Remember the plan: her baby died from a breathing problem. If you talk... you'll regret it."

The nurse's face lost its color as she nodded her head. She took the envelope and ran away into the dark.

The woman stood there for a while looking down at the tiny baby wrapped up in white sheets that was inside the stroller. The baby was calm and sleeping now.

"No one would ever know your mother was a criminal, a whore, or that you're still alive," she whispered, "not while I'm still breathing."

She reached for the baby, gently carrying her out of the stroller, then rolled the stroller quietly into the car ... She ignited the car engine, which hummed quietly, and drove off at speed into the lonely roads.

The child was laid down sleeping peacefully while she was surrounded with lies.

Taken far away from her mother, far away from the truth that would one day return.

Chapter 4 – Adrian's POV

Three years later

It has been exactly three years and a month since my baby died.

Three long, difficult, and painful years.

Some nights I wanted to end it all. Suicidal thoughts were in my mind. I even tried. But every time, the guards found me before it was too late. Maybe life still wanted me here-for a reason I didn't yet understand.

That morning, I was sitting on the prison floor after the daily exercise when the heavy iron door creaked open.

The sound always made me freeze. But this time, something was different.

Two officers walked, and one removed the handcuffs on my wrists. I frowned.

"What's going on, officer?" I asked.

They didn't answer my question. It was clear to me when one simply gave me a folded set of clean clothes-normal clothes, not the gray prison uniform. Unbelievable.

I remained calm, but my heart was pounding. Although I didn't dare say a word, I knew I felt hopeful again.

They walked me down to the entrance of the prison close to the main gate, and in nearly four years, today my eyes took a brief look at sunlight, and a cool breeze brushed my face.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, as if I'd been choking for years.

I wasn't the same woman who had been dragged in here, broken and naive... Right now, I am a changed person and determined to get vengeance... Being in prison had changed me a lot in so many ways;

Now I am stronger.

Harder.

Different.

Love had destroyed me once.

Now only one thing kept me alive.

Revenge.

At the gate, the female officer removed the cuffs completely. The sound of the metal clicking open echoed like freedom. For the first time ever, she smiled at me.

"Miss Adrian Martinez," she said softly, "congratulations. You're out on parole."

My heart skipped. "Parole?" I whispered.

She nodded. "A billionaire paid for your release. He does that for prisoners he thinks deserve another chance. You're lucky he picked you."

A billionaire? My lips parted in shock. I didn't even know anyone that rich.

The officer handed me a brown envelope. "Here's your file-your employment record, ID, and updated CV. But remember," she warned, her voice turning firm, "you must find a job soon. If not, you'll be sent back to prison. And you know how cruel it is in there."

Her words were sharp but honest. I nodded quietly. "Thank you," I managed to say.

The big gate opened, and when I moved out of the prison yard, I headed to the main road with the documents in my hand...

Then I saw people walking freely. Cars passed by, I heard music playing in the distance, and also children laughed, but I had the feeling it was not real.

I stood there, looking up with tears filling my eyes. "I'm free."

But freedom didn't mean peace. It meant starting over-with nothing.

---

Two weeks later

The money that I saved years ago is almost finished. And I can't afford to go back to my old house. I got a shabby apartment; it had cracked walls with leaking walls, but I had to manage my life before I looked for a job and fixed things.

I knew I wouldn't last another month without work.

I took my CV and went to the bar where I once worked as a dancer before everything went wrong. The owner looked at me for a moment, then frowned when he saw the word "ex-convict" on my paper.

"Get out," he said harshly. "We don't hire drug dealers and ex-convicts here."

"Please," I begged. "I just need a chance-"

He cut me off, throwing the paper back at me, which fell to the ground. "You'll scare away my customers. I can't afford trouble."

His words hit hard like a punch. But I walked out slowly, not giving up, holding back tears.

I tried going to three more places that week searching for a job. All the places I went to, I got the same cold answers:

"Sorry, we don't hire people with your record."

"It's bad for our image."

"We can't take that risk."

By the fourth rejection, I felt my hope dying, and I had no control over it.

I didn't even have enough money. I barely feed. The clothes I wore were still the ones I'd left prison in. I thought of going back to prison to eat their food at least. I thought since the world had written me off that it was better off to die.

One afternoon, I thought of ending my life so badly... I dragged myself down the street on my way to go get poison, drink, and die.

But then something happened: I stopped by the road when I saw an announcement written on a towering giant billboard in front of me.

The ad read:

"From Mr. Darcy Rodrigo, the billionaire CEO of Rodrigo's company.

Work description: Nanny for his three-year-old daughter.

Weekly payment: $10,000.

Apply at The Rodrigo Group main office."

I froze.

Ten thousand dollars?

Per week?

My mouth went dry. That kind of money could change everything. I stared at the billboard again. Mr. Rodrigo-his name sounds like the kind of man who ruled the world. And the little girl won't be hard to take care of.

Something in me lit up. Maybe... maybe this was my chance.

Without wasting a second, I ran home to get ready.

---

I took my bath immediately and changed into the cleanest clothes I had. It was a simple knee-length dress. No makeup, no jewelry. I didn't have it, so I didn't bother myself. Looking neat might work out to not looking expensive.

When I reached The Rodrigo Group building, I couldn't believe it. The skyscraper was a sleek, tall building that had glass windows. Luxurious.

I knew that working for the owner of this place was not my level, but I stepped into it anyway. My palms were sweaty as I joined the line of applicants.

But then I saw myself around women that intimidated me because my dressing was odd, like I was the applicant's house girl.

The women near me looked like models. They dressed in designer suits with matching heels. They were in heavy, flawless makeup. Their perfume filled the air with its expensive fragrance. I felt so invisible among them.

I stood at the end of the line, calm. But I could feel their eyes all over me.

One woman standing close to said with a smirk, "Are you sure you're in the right place? This isn't the cleaning staff interview."

The others laughed.

I lifted my chin and said softly, "I came for the nanny job."

Another person gave me a pity smile. "Do you know who you are applying to work for? That's Darcy Rodrigo. He's a rich single dad in the city. Every girl's dream. They would die for this job. And you..." She looked at me over slowly. "You look like a housemaid who came out from the gutters."

More laughter broke out as they made fun of me. I clenched my hands but stayed quiet.

They didn't understand. To them it was about fame, fantasy, or fake dreams. But to me it was about survival.

"Stay calm, Adrian." I murmured to myself, "You've survived worse than this."

---

Then, suddenly, the door to the main office opened. The room went silent.

Every head turned.

And there he was-Darcy Rodrigo.

He walked in holding a little girl. He was handsome. He has shiny golden hair, then a tattoo peeking just above his collar and a diamond earring glittering in his ear... He wore an expensive black suit that fit his body.

He looked like a man who carried power even when he was silent.

The women's gasp erupted.

"Oh my God, it's Darcy Rodrigo!"

"He's very handsome."

"He's looking my way! Is my lipstick okay? Is my hair okay?

They straightened their dresses and smiled like contestants in a beauty show.

Some even stood in their seductive poses and winked at him as if his gaze could crown them queen.

But me?

But I stood frozen.

I was looking at the little girl he carried on his arm. She had curly golden hair just like her father. But her eyes were just like mine.

Probably her mom is my lookalike.

I felt my knees go weak. My chest tightened.

The child looked at me, and I could swear maybe she knew me from somewhere. A strange warmth passed through me, like a forgotten memory.

Then Darcy Rodrigo's gaze swept over the line of women until his eyes met mine.

He stopped.

But I felt a strange sensation in my body the moment she stared directly at me, as if she knew me from the past...

Mr. Darcy stopped in front of us as his eyes scanned all of us in line until they locked on mine.

Those cold gray eyes refuse to leave mine as if he were staring into my soul or even stripping me naked with his eyes.

I swallowed hard; my throat suddenly went dry.... . I could feel my hands trembling by my sides.

"Don't screw this up, Adrian.... Don't you dare." I whispered to myself, but...

Why... Why is his presence so familiar?

But as I stood there, his eyes still locked on mine, one question refused to leave my mind-

Why does he feel so familiar?

And why does his little girl...

look so much like me?