Chapter 3 – The Last Goodbye

The heavy prison gate slowly opened.

Three months.

It was finally over.

Alice stepped outside with slow, unsteady footsteps.

She had imagined this day countless times.

But after losing her grandfather and Aaron while trapped inside those prison walls...

Freedom meant nothing.

...

A black Rolls-Royce waited outside.

Alice recognized it immediately.

Adrian Kingsley.

He stood beside the car, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit.

His expression remained as cold as ever.

Without greeting her, he handed her a document.

"Sign it."

Alice lowered her eyes.

The words Divorce Agreement came into view.

For a long moment, she said nothing.

Then, a quiet laugh escaped her lips.

Three years of marriage...

Countless tears...

Endless humiliation...

Everything had ended with a single piece of paper.

She took the pen without hesitation.

Her hand trembled slightly as she signed her name.

Alice Carter.

She handed the document back to Adrian.

"You finally got what you wanted."

Adrian accepted the papers silently.

He didn't thank her.

He didn't apologize.

He simply turned to leave.

"A-Adrian..."

He stopped.

It was the first time she had spoken his name without pleading.

When he turned around, he saw her smiling.

Not the smile of the woman who had chased him for years.

But the smile of someone who had nothing left to lose.

"I hope..."

"In my next life..."

"I never meet you again."

She slowly looked past him at the towering prison wall behind her.

In three months...

That wall had witnessed every tear she shed.

It had heard her cries when she learned of her grandfather's death.

It had watched her break apart when she received the news that Aaron was gone.

There was nothing waiting for her outside those gates.

No home.

No family.

No reason to keep living.

Before anyone realized what she intended to do...

Alice suddenly turned and ran.

"Mrs. Kingsley!"

The assistant shouted.

Adrian's expression changed.

"Alice!"

She didn't stop.

With tears streaming down her face, she closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa..."

"I'm sorry, Aaron..."

A loud bang echoed through the prison entrance.

Alice collapsed beside the wall.

Bright red blood spread beneath her.

Adrian froze for a heartbeat before rushing toward her.

"Alice!"

He knelt beside her and carefully lifted her into his arms.

For the first time in three years...

His hands trembled.

Alice slowly opened her eyes.

The man she had loved with all her heart was finally holding her.

How ironic.

She looked at him quietly.

There was no love left in her eyes.

Only regret.

"I regret..."

"Meeting you."

"And loving you."

A single tear slipped down her cheek.

Her hand slowly fell away from his sleeve.

The light faded from her eyes.

Adrian stared at her motionless face.

His mind went completely blank.

For the first time...

He realized he had lost her forever.

But it was already too late.

Darkness swallowed Alice's consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again...

She was no longer standing outside the prison.

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