The prison gates closed behind him with a heavy clang.

Adrian Kingsley walked down the dim corridor, his polished shoes echoing against the cold concrete floor. His face was expressionless, his dark eyes colder than winter itself.

The prison guard stopped outside a small cell.

"Mr. Kingsley, she's been waiting for you."

Alice Carter slowly raised her head.

Three years in prison had stolen her beauty. Her once-bright eyes were dull, and her body had grown thin and frail. Yet the moment she saw the man she had loved for more than ten years, her lips curved into a faint smile.

"You came."

Adrian didn't answer. He placed a document on the table between them.

"Sign it."

Alice lowered her eyes.

It was a divorce agreement.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips.

"So... even after everything, the only thing you wanted from me was freedom."

"You brought all this upon yourself," Adrian replied coldly. "You drugged me and forced me into marriage. You tried to kill Ava. Prison was your punishment. This marriage should have ended years ago."

His words pierced her heart more painfully than any knife.

He wasn't wrong.

She had loved him so desperately that she had crossed every line.

She had believed that once she became his wife, he would eventually love her back.

Instead, she lost everything.

With trembling fingers, Alice picked up the pen and signed her name without hesitation.

She gently pushed the papers back to him.

"Congratulations, Adrian."

"You finally got your freedom."

For the first time, Adrian looked into her eyes.

There was no obsession.

No pleading.

No desperate love.

Only peace.

Somehow... that frightened him.

Alice stood up slowly.

"If there is another life," she whispered, "I will never force you to love me again."

Before anyone could react, she turned and ran.

"Stop!"

Bang!

Her forehead struck the concrete wall with terrifying force.

Blood flowed down the wall as her body collapsed to the floor.

"Alice!"

The divorce papers slipped from Adrian's hand.

He rushed forward, catching her lifeless body in his arms.

For the first time in ten years...

The man who had never shed a tear for her felt his world collapse.

"Alice... wake up..."

His voice trembled.

But the woman who had loved him with her entire heart would never answer again.

Darkness swallowed her.

...

Alice suddenly gasped and opened her eyes.

She stared at the familiar ceiling of the Kingsley Mansion.

Her hands instinctively touched her forehead.

No blood.

No prison.

No pain.

Her gaze fell on the calendar beside the bed.

It was one year after her marriage.

She had returned.

This life...

She would never beg for Adrian's love again.

Alice Carter once believed she was the happiest woman in the world.

She was born into the prestigious Carter family and grew up surrounded by love.

Her grandfather adored her.

Her parents rarely refused her requests.

Even her uncle's family treated her kindly.

From childhood, Alice had been spoiled.

As long as she wanted something, someone would find a way to give it to her.

Because of that, she grew up believing that nothing was impossible.

Until she met Adrian Kingsley.

The heir of the Kingsley family.

Handsome.

Cold.

The man every woman admired.

The moment Alice saw him at a business banquet, she fell in love.

For two years, she chased after him without caring what others thought.

She sent him gifts.

Waited outside his company.

Found excuses to meet him.

No matter how cold Adrian was, she refused to give up.

Everyone in the upper-class circle knew Alice Carter loved Adrian Kingsley.

It became the biggest joke among the wealthy families.

...

Finally, Alice gathered all her courage.

At another banquet, in front of dozens of guests, she confessed her feelings.

"Adrian... I like you."

The ballroom fell silent.

Everyone looked at Adrian, waiting for his answer.

His expression didn't change.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't love you."

"Please don't waste your time on me."

Those calm words shattered Alice's heart.

She stood there as everyone whispered around her.

It was the first time in her life that she had been rejected.

...

That night, she returned home in tears.

Her aunt, Victoria, gently comforted her.

"Don't cry."

"Adrian is too outstanding."

"If you give up now, another woman will take him away."

"The Kingsley family has high standards."

"If you don't fight for your happiness, you'll lose him forever."

Victoria never told Alice what to do.

She simply planted fear in her heart.

Alice believed every word.

She became terrified that Adrian would disappear from her life forever.

...

Blinded by love and desperation, Alice made the worst decision of her life.

She secretly drugged Adrian.

She thought that if they crossed that line, he would have no choice but to marry her.

Instead...

Adrian discovered everything.

The disappointment in his eyes was something Alice could never forget.

He looked at her as though she were a complete stranger.

Someone shameless.

Someone he could never trust.

The incident caused an enormous scandal.

To protect both families' reputations, the Carter and Kingsley families arranged their marriage.

Alice got what she had wanted.

But it wasn't the beginning of a happy ending.

It was the beginning of a nightmare.

...

For three years, Alice lived as Adrian's wife.

But Adrian never accepted her.

He never treated her like a real wife.

He never loved her.

Alice refused to give up.

She followed him everywhere.

She argued with him.

She demanded his attention.

She desperately tried to make him love her.

Every attempt only pushed him farther away.

Then Ava appeared.

As Adrian's secretary, she always seemed gentle and considerate.

Little by little, misunderstandings filled their marriage.

Whenever Alice argued with Ava...

Adrian stood on Ava's side.

Whenever Alice tried to explain...

Adrian refused to listen.

Their marriage became colder with each passing day.

Alice still believed that one day she could change him.

She never imagined...

The greatest tragedy of her life was still waiting for her.

Three years after their marriage...

Alice finally understood something.

No matter how hard she tried...

Adrian Kingsley would never love her.

For three years, she had lived in the Kingsley Mansion as his wife.

But they were husband and wife only in name.

Adrian rarely returned home.

Even when they met, he spoke to her with cold indifference.

Alice endured everything because she still believed one day he would forgive her.

She didn't know...

That hope would soon be destroyed forever.

...

One afternoon, Alice personally prepared lunch and went to Adrian's company.

She wanted to surprise him.

Instead, she saw Adrian and Ava together.

The two were discussing work, and Adrian actually smiled.

It was a smile Alice had never received in three years of marriage.

Her heart tightened.

She walked into the office.

"I brought you lunch."

Adrian barely looked at her.

"I've already eaten."

Alice forced a smile.

"I made it myself."

"I don't want it."

Before Alice could reply, Ava stepped forward with her usual gentle smile.

"Mrs. Kingsley, President Kingsley has been very busy lately. Please don't misunderstand."

Those simple words sounded harmless.

But to Alice, they felt like another victory.

For years...

Ava had always appeared whenever there was a misunderstanding.

Always pretending to help.

Always making Alice look unreasonable.

Alice could no longer control herself.

"Stop pretending!"

The argument quickly moved into the company garden.

Employees watched from a distance but did not interfere.

Near the garden was a decorative pond.

Ava suddenly lowered her voice.

"You'll never replace me in President Kingsley's heart."

Alice's face turned pale.

"What did you say?"

Ava smiled.

"You heard me."

The smile on Ava's face completely shattered Alice's patience.

She reached out and pushed Ava away.

She only wanted Ava to stop provoking her.

She never imagined what would happen next.

Ava stepped backward...

Then suddenly screamed.

She fell into the pond, striking the stone edge before disappearing into the water.

For a brief moment...

Everything became silent.

Then Adrian arrived.

He rushed into the pond without hesitation and carried Ava out.

Blood slowly trickled down Ava's forehead.

She weakly grabbed Adrian's sleeve.

"I... I didn't mean to make Mrs. Kingsley angry..."

Those words were enough.

Adrian looked at Alice with eyes filled with disappointment and anger.

"Alice."

"I didn't..."

She shook her head desperately.

"She provoked me. I only pushed her. I never wanted this to happen."

But Adrian didn't listen.

"Enough."

His cold voice echoed through the garden.

"I've believed your excuses too many times."

Alice stared at him.

For three years, she had waited for him to trust her.

Even once.

But he never did.

...

The incident spread throughout the city.

Security cameras only recorded Alice pushing Ava.

They did not record Ava's words.

Several employees claimed they had seen Alice threaten Ava before the accident.

Alice knew they were lying.

But no one believed her.

The Kingsley family hired the best lawyers.

The evidence was overwhelming.

In the end...

Alice was found guilty of assault causing injury.

She was sentenced to three months in prison.

...

The prison gates closed behind her.

Alice thought the sentence would be the hardest part.

She was wrong.

...

One month after entering prison, a prison officer handed Alice a letter.

She smiled bitterly.

She thought it was a notice from her lawyer.

Instead...

It was news from the Carter family.

Richard Carter had passed away.

The letter slipped from her trembling hands.

"No..."

Her grandfather...

The man who had loved her unconditionally since she was a child...

Had left this world.

Alice rushed to the prison officer.

"Please... please let me attend his funeral."

"I just want to see him one last time."

The officer looked at her with pity.

"I'm sorry."

"Your request has been denied."

Alice collapsed to the floor.

She cried until her voice became hoarse.

For the first time in her life...

She truly understood what it meant to lose someone forever.

...

Two months later...

Another letter arrived.

This time, it carried only one name.

Aaron Carter.

Alice frowned.

Her hands suddenly became cold.

She slowly unfolded the letter.

Every word felt heavier than the last.

Her younger brother...

Had died.

Alice sat motionless on the cold prison floor.

The letter slipped from her fingers.

Tears quietly rolled down her face.

She remembered the quiet boy who rarely spoke.

The younger brother who always stayed in the background.

The brother she had almost forgotten...

Was no longer in this world.

Alice covered her face with both hands.

She had always believed there would be another chance.

Another chance to ask him how he was.

Another chance to become a better sister.

Another chance to make up for all the years she had ignored him.

But fate never gave her that chance.

It had taken him away before she could even say...

"I'm sorry."

...

When Alice was finally released three months later, the world outside had completely changed.

The Carter Mansion no longer felt like home.

The laughter she once heard had disappeared.

The people she wanted to see were gone forever.

She stood outside the gate for a long time before gathering the courage to walk inside.

But what greeted her wasn't warmth.

It was silence.

And regret.

The nightmare she thought had ended...

Had only just begun.