Chapter 1
Five days after giving birth, I went to prison–for a crime my husband committed.
Eight years behind bars.
When I was finally released, my son cried his heart out.
“I don’t want this beggar mom!
“I want Elie! She’s pretty!”
It turned out that the man who once loved me more than life itself had fallen for my best friend.
Marcus said calmly, “Elie’s done so much for us over these years. We can’t let her down.
“She gave up being Mrs. Laurence out of respect for you. Kaia, you should be grateful.”
My son viciously cursed, “I’d rather have died in the womb than be born by you!”
I smiled, lips trembling.
“No need to kick me out,” I whispered.
“I’ll leave tomorrow–on my own.”
***
288 (Vouchers
Stepping out of the prison gates felt like stepping into another world.
By the black Maybach parked on the side of the road stood a tall man, a little boy, and my best friend, Elie Schmidt.
I walked over slowly, my eyes falling on Kyler Laurence, my son. But he shrank back behind Marcus like he’d seen a
monster.
“She looks like a beggar! There’s no way she’s my mom!
“My mom should be a beauty like Elie!”
Marcus looked at me with indifference.
“Get in the car.”
Elie forced a smile and stepped forward, taking my hand.
“Kaia-”
“Elie, in what role are you standing with them?” I cut her off indifferently.
0.0 %
11:09
Chapter 1
1288 Vouchers
She fell silent, eyes reddening as she turned to Marcus like she was asking for help.
Marcus stepped up to me and muttered in an irritated tone, “Can we talk about this later?”
Then he took Elie’s hand and got in the car without looking back.
It wasn’t until the car drove off that Marcus’s assistant came over and said politely, “Mrs. Laurence, Mr. Laurence asked me to take you home in this car.”
I stared at the car disappearing in the distance and laughed at myself.
“Mrs. Laurence? Do I still look like Mrs. Laurence to you?”
Marcus and I had been each other’s first love.
From school days to wedding vows, we’d been through everything together for over a decade. Eight years ago, I near- ly died giving birth to Kyler.
But just five days after he was born, Marcus drove drunk and crashed into someone, leaving them in a vegetative
state.
Even after paying a huge settlement, the victim’s family refused to back down–they insisted he go to prison.
At the time, Marcus was in the middle of a fierce fight with his brother over the family inheritance.
Desperate, he begged me to take the fall and promised that once he secured the inheritance, he’d do whatever it took to get me out.
I was madly in love with him then and didn’t want to see him struggle, so even in my fragile state, I took the blame for everything.
But eight years changed everything.
The love of our youth had turned into resentment. The husband I once loved was having an affair with my best friend, and even the son I risked my life to give birth to looked at me with disgust.
Lost in thought, I didn’t notice the car had stopped until we pulled up to the Laurence’s villa.
I opened the door and walked in, only to hear Kyler’s heart–wrenching scream from the living room.
“I don’t want her to be my mom!
“Daddy, kick her out!”
His words hit like a knife to the heart, cutting so deep I could barely breathe. My eyes stung, and the pain in my chest felt unbearable.
As I stepped into the living room, Kyler was sobbing so hard he could hardly catch his breath. The housekeeper was panicked, quickly rushed over, and carried him upstairs.
In the living room, the wedding photos Marcus and I once took were long gone, replaced by photos of Elie and cheer- ful family photos of the “happy family of three.”
26.7 %
11:08
Chapter 1
Elie stepped in front of me, then suddenly dropped to her knees with a dramatic thud.
288 ¡Vouchers
Tears streamed down her face as she said, “I’m sorry, Kaia… I was the one who intruded on your perfectly stable life.
“This is all my fault. If you want to blame someone, blame me.
“But… but I truly love Marcus. And I’ve always treated Kyler like my own son…”
By the fifth year in prison, Marcus had rarely brought Kyler to visit me.
Deep down, I knew something was wrong, but all I could do was lie to myself.
I had considered the possibility that Marcus couldn’t stay loyal and had fallen for someone else, but never in a million years did I think that someone would be my best friend!
My heart felt like it was being torn apart. I looked down at Elie, gritting my teeth.
“You really have no shame.”
“Enough!”
Before I could say another word, Marcus stormed over. His eyes were full of concern as he gently pulled Elie into his arms. Then he turned to me, his voice ice–cold.
“These past eight years, Elie gave up her acting career for me and for Kyler.
“She’s cared for both me and Kyler in every possible way, so we can’t let her down.
“She pitied you–your family went bankrupt, and your parents died in a car accident. That’s the only reason she gave up the title of Mrs. Laurence for you.
“Kaia, you should be grateful.”
73.0 %
