Chapter 8

The butler pulled up the hallway footage.

Everyone watched in silence.

A woman wearing the same pajamas as me slowly walked toward Kathleen's room late that night.

She had my height. My hairstyle. My build.

The hallway was too dark to see her face.

But everyone believed it was me.

“No.” I shook my head desperately. “That wasn't me because I never left my room. I swear someone is setting me up.”

Connan slowly turned toward me.

Disappointment filled his eyes.

“You've disappointed me again,” he said coldly. “You hurt Kathy, you lied straight to my face, and now you've stolen from her. I really thought prison would've changed you, but instead you've become even worse.”

Kathleen quietly slipped beside him and gently held his arm.

“Connan, I don't want to be heartless because she's still my sister,” she said through her tears. “But stealing is still a crime, and if nobody corrects Giselle now, I'm afraid she'll only keep hurting more people. Maybe... we should let the police take her back because it might be the only way she can finally change.”

The second I heard Kathleen mention the police, every drop of blood in my body turned cold.

“No...” I couldn't breathe as terrifying memories came rushing back. Dark prison cells, broken ribs, cold concrete, rotten food, sleepless nights, and women laughing while they beat me until I couldn't move.

I couldn't go back.

I'd die there.

Somehow, I found the strength to crawl across the floor. Every movement pulled at the wounds the electric chair had left on my body, but I didn't care until I reached Connan and grabbed the leg of his pants with both trembling hands.

“Connan...” My voice cracked as tears streamed down my face. “I'm begging you, please don't call the police and don't send me back. I can't survive that place again.”

I'd never begged anyone before.

Not even in prison.

But here I was throwing away every last piece of my pride just hoping he'd feel sorry for me.

Connan looked down at me, his expression softened.

Then Kathleen quietly stepped closer and gently touched his arm.

“Connan...” Her voice was soft and full of concern. “I know you still care about Giselle, and I understand because she's my sister too. But if she keeps stealing and nobody stops her, she'll only hurt more people, and when the media finds out, they won't just laugh at her. They'll humiliate you, Black Dragon, and the entire Hawksley family, and I don't want that to happen.”

Connan remained silent for a long moment.

Then his eyes slowly turned cold again.

“I'll give you one last damn chance,” he said as he looked down at me. “Admit you stole the necklace, apologize to Kathy, and promise you'll never pull this kind of shit again. If you do that, then maybe I'll let this go.”

Maybe.

Just maybe?

My heart already felt dead. Now it shattered into dust.

I slowly let go of his pants and forced myself to meet his eyes.

“I didn't steal anything.” My voice was weak but steady. “I won't confess to something I didn't do, even if nobody believes me.”

His face instantly darkened.

“So that's your answer.” He let out a cold, mocking laugh. “You're still this damn stubborn after everything that's happened. I've given you chance after chance, but you keep throwing them away, so don't blame me for what happens next.”

He turned toward the police officers waiting nearby.

“Take her,” he ordered without another glance at me. “If she wants to learn the hard way again, then let her rot in a cell until she finally learns her lesson.”

The handcuffs clicked around my wrists again just like ten years ago.

I didn't look at Connan anymore. I didn't look at Kathleen either.

I didn't want to see the tiny smile she was trying so hard to hide.

...

The moment I arrived at the detention center, everyone already knew.

“The murderer's here,” one inmate sneered as laughter echoed through the cell block. “Looks like somebody missed prison so much she came crawling back.”

Someone shoved me from behind.

Another woman punched my shoulder.

Someone kicked my legs out from under me.

I hit the floor hard.

They didn't care that my body was still covered in wounds from the electric chair.

They aimed for those exact spots.

Every punch reopened another injury. Every kick stole another breath.

Blood slowly soaked through my bandages.

A huge woman grabbed my hair and before I could react, she slammed my head straight into the concrete wall.

Bang!

Everything went black for a second.

A mouthful of blood burst from my lips as I coughed violently, and warm blood splattered across the floor. The ringing in my ears grew louder and louder until the whole world slowly faded away.

…

The first thing I heard was the scream of ambulance sirens.

Everything around me felt blurry as voices echoed somewhere nearby.

“Her blood pressure is dropping! We're losing her, so get the OR ready now!”

“She has severe internal bleeding, and she needs emergency surgery immediately. Where are her family members, and who's her emergency contact?”

I wanted to open my eyes, but I couldn't. The sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose, cold medical instruments brushed against my skin, and someone carefully pulled a blanket over me.

A doctor spoke urgently. “Her internal injuries are severe, so call her husband right now. We don't have time to waste!”