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'.

she came back to the Stone family. 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

be our real kid, but she's been with us forever. She's our daughter! We brought you back and gave you this fancy life. What

could you do this to Lydia? She's got class.

even let her explain. Just sent her to jail without

never believed her. Not

her fiancé turned on her, declaring

on Meryl. Seeing her still frozen in place, he snapped, "Get

ankle. It looked like it had been slashed with a sharp object, an ugly reminder

turned away and called,

of the driver's seat and approached her.

Meryl still didn't move, Elias

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

recognized her at first. 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

instinctively glanced back at Dalton, but his face remained calm and

I won't wait for anyone. Three years in prison, and you still haven't learned your

slid into the car,

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

speed bump, causing Meryl to lurch forward and fall to her