Secret Admiration: Finding True Love After Prison

Chapter 1 Be Released

"Meryl, get yourself a job and be a good person out there." the prison guard said as he opened the gate.

Meryl Stone nodded absently. Finally. She never thought she'd survive those three brutal years.

Rain drizzled from the gray sky as she stepped out of the prison. The biting wind made her shiver and she hugged herself for warmth. Suddenly, a sleek Porsche Cayenne pulled up beside her.

Seeing the license plate made her face drain of color.

The window rolled down, revealing a man's cold, emotionless face- Dalton Aniston, the man she had loved for seven years, her fiancé.

The same man who had made sure she ended up in prison!

"Why are you limping?" He asked, his voice icy.

Meryl's eyes stung with unshed tears. Didn't he know why she was limping? From her first day in prison, she had been beaten by the other inmates. They said Dalton had paid them to make her suffer.

"Get in," Dalton commanded, his arm resting casually on the window frame. His custom suit highlighted his tall, imposing frame, and he radiated a cold, aristocratic aloofness.

Meryl recognized the impatience in his voice, just like that of her parents'.

felt bad at first and wanted to make up for lost time. But Lydia, who they'd raised for 14 years, messed things up. She got them to push Meryl away bit by bit. By the time Meryl turned

her. They said, "Look, Lydia might not be our real kid, but she's been with us forever.

do this to Lydia? She's got class. You're nothing like

didn't even let her explain. Just sent her to jail

never believed

turned on

Seeing her still frozen

It looked like it had been slashed with

turned away and called,

assistant, Elias Sterling, got out of the driver's seat and approached her.

Elias reached out

down, covering her head, her voice breaking. "No, please don't

She used to be so vibrant and full of life, known for her beauty. Now, the light in her eyes was gone, replaced by fear and dread. Three years in prison

Dalton, but his face

for anyone. Three years in prison, and

the car, carefully keeping her distance

she huddled in a corner, still shivering from the rain and cold. Her head felt foggy,

bump, causing Meryl to lurch