Secret Admiration: Finding True Love After Prison

Chapter 6 Raking up the Past

"Yeah, I did time." Meryl's eyes scanned the crowd, finally landing on Lydia.

Lydia reached out to grab her hand. "Meryl, stop saying that. I just spoke without thinking, okay?"

Meryl pulled back, avoiding Lydia's touch, yanking her hand away.

Suddenly, Lydia stepped on the hem of her dress and fell to the ground.

The fall was hard, and shards from a broken glass on the floor hadn't been cleaned up yet.

Dalton immediately rushed over, pushing through the crowd to help Lydia up.

Her hand was a bloody mess, with shards embedded in her skin.

Dalton's eyes blazed with anger as he glared at Meryl. "Meryl, you never learn! I warned you..."

Meryl's heart skipped a beat. She knew Dalton didn't care about her, but seeing him protect another woman still hurt.

"What did I do? I just pulled my hand away. She fell on her own."

Seeing their hands clasped together, Meryl felt a pang of irony. She lowered her gaze, gently touching a spot on her chest where a pendant hung, a gift from someone long ago.

countless moments of despair, she had clung to that pendant to get through

she looked up again, her

and continued, "Yeah, I was in prison, but

pale as

Meryl's past, Bianca also

watching Lydia apologize and try to cover it up, she believed i was just a slip

up and couldn't believe

to get out of hand, Bianca tried to smooth things over. "Meryl, you've had too much to drink. Let them

ago, if I had really kidnapped Lydia, I could have made her disappear without a trace. Why would I leave

slap

from his study,

this nonsense right now!" he

stung, but Meryl didn't

injuries. If those men really wanted to hurt her, they would have done it when they first grabbed her. Why take her to an abandoned factory? It doesn't add up." The crowd was stunned, eyes widening

room as people glanced at Lydia, who

years. Now, Meryl was airing their dirty laundry in front of everyone, turning them into a spectacle. His one daughter ended up in prison, and the other was nearly assaulted all because of a bitter feud between sisters. It was the kind of scandal that made for juicy gossip in high society. Tears streamed down Lydia's face, her

out a cold laugh, thinking, "Can't handle

to her own

because she had refused to admit her mistake, and they thought she was beyond help.

believed this might be the only way to set Meryl straight, fearing she would

Camille, who