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.

despair, she had clung to that pendant to

again, her

smiled bitterly and continued, "Yeah, I

as

Lydia exposed Meryl's past, Bianca also

up, she believed i was just a slip of

grow up and couldn't believe

things over. "Meryl, you've had too much to drink. Let them help you

made her

sharp slap echoed

had emerged from his study, his

this nonsense right now!" he

cheek stung, but Meryl didn't

wanted to hurt her, they would have done it when they first grabbed her. Why

as people glanced at Lydia, who

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

cold laugh,

own

because she had refused to admit

member would protect her in prison. They believed this might be the only way to set Meryl straight, fearing she would otherwise go

had been raised by Camille, who had also