He Waited Outside My Prison

After I caught Ethan cheating with my intern, Chloe, things went wild. In the heat of the moment, she fell and got seriously hurt.

Because of that accident, Chloe lost her ability to have children, and I was sent to prison for two years.

But Ethans torture didn't stop there.

The day I was released, he drove to the prison entrance, planning to drag me straight to Chloe to beg for her forgiveness.

Only, he never saw me. He only saw the other inmates walking out of the iron gates.

As the crowd thinned out, Ethan grew impatient. He grabbed a random woman by her arm and demanded, "Where is Elena?"

It had been nearly six months since anyone had uttered that name. The woman looked at him in shock.

"Elena?"

"She passed away from an illness six months ago."

Ethan didn't believe her.

His grip tightened, his voice dripping with sheer disdain.

"What did Elena pay you to make up this pathetic lie?"

The woman, already annoyed at being grabbed by a stranger, scoffed.

She violently shook off his hand. "You are freaking crazy."

She walked away, and Ethan didn't chase her.

He clearly didn't take her words to heart. He just sneered.

"Using death to hide from me? Pathetic. I will find you, Elena."

With that, Ethan got into his sports car.

The engine roared, and I found myself sitting in the passenger seat beside himas a ghost.

As the streets outside became familiar, it hit me.

Ethan was heading to my apartment.

I let out a bitter, silent laugh.

When it came to me, Ethan had zero trust.

Two years ago, he refused to believe I was innocent. Now, he refused to believe I was dead.

But I was truly dead. I couldn't even defend myself anymore.

A sharp ringtone broke my train of thought.

Ethan picked up a FaceTime call. Chloes face popped up on the dashboard screen.

Before I died, she had been transferred to a branch office in another city.

Every time Ethan went to visit her, I was locked inside his villa.

It had been two years since I last saw her.

She no longer wore those cheap, faded clothes from when we first met.

Now, she was draped in Chanel and Cartier, her cheeks rosy.

Clearly, Ethan had been taking great care of her.

"My transfer is finally over, babe!" Chloe squealed through the screen. "No more long-distance!"

Ethan smiled warmly.

"You worked so hard these past six months. Let me take you out for a fancy dinner when you get back."

"Whats your flight number? Let me book the ticket for you."

Chloe looked like the happiest girl alive.

"No need, silly! You always treat me like a baby. Focus on driving, okay? I have a client meeting in a bit."

"Alright. Take care, and make sure you eat properly..."

Ethans voice was incredibly gentle. I used to hear that same voice years ago.

I thought I had numbed myself to this pain.

Yet, my ghostly eyes still welled up.

The car stopped outside my old apartment building.

Ethan jumped out of the car. Within two minutes, he was at the lobby.

By some twisted fate, he ran right into my sister, Lily, who was walking downstairs.

I hadn't seen Lily in six months. I stared at her, taking in every detail.

She no longer looked pale and exhausted like she did before my death. She wasn't crying her eyes out anymore.

Indeed, she was doing much better without me dragging her down.

When I was sick, Lily was the one who stayed by my side through the chemotherapy.

She watched me wither away and die.

Seeing Ethan now, the hatred in Lilys eyes was blinding.

But remembering my dying wishfor her to live a life free of hatredshe tried to walk right past him.

But Ethan blocked her path.

"Where is Elena? How long is she going to hide?"

Lily ignored him, but then Ethan barked, "Tell her to get the hell out and apologize to Chloe!"

That was the breaking point. Lily snapped her head back, her body trembling with rage.

"How dare you even speak Elena's name? If you hadn't sent her to prison without a second thought, she wouldn't have died!"

"And besides, the only one who needs to apologize is youthe cheating bastard!"

Ethan froze.

Maybe Lily's words brought back the memory of the day I caught them.

Catching him was an accident.

That day, I was folding his laundry when I found a bright red lipstick stain on his collar.

Lily saw it too.

We had grown up together, relying only on each other.

She couldn't stand seeing me get hurt. She immediately hired a private investigator.

When we got the hotel room number, Lily tried to calm me down.

But all my sanity evaporated the moment I pushed that hotel door open.

Two naked bodies were tangled on the bed. The girl was Chloethe intern I had mentored like my own family.

My mind went completely blank. I grabbed a heavy vase from the entryway and threw it at them.

"How could you do this to me?!" I screamed.

Ethan shielded Chloe with the duvet.

His eyes held no guilt. Only fury.

"Elena, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I should ask you that!" I cried, my voice breaking. "You met Chloe through me! You knew she was my intern!"

"You knew I treated her like a little sister! How could you both do this to me?!"

Ethan choked on his words.

Chloe quickly slipped on her robe and got on her knees in front of me.

"Im sorry, Elena. I know its wrong, but I love Ethan..."

Before she could finish, my palm slapped hard across her face.

"How dare you, Chloe! After everything I did for you!"

The next second, Ethan lunged forward and slapped me across my face.

The force of his blow sent me spinning. My cheek burned.

I stared at him in utter disbelief.

"You... you hit me for her?"

Ethan and I had been together since college.

After he took over his familys firm, he took me to every gala to make me feel secure.

When I had a high fever, he stayed up all night at my bedside.

We never had major fights, and in our three years together, he had never laid a hand on me.

For a split second, regret flashed in Ethan's eyes.

But it was gone instantly. He grabbed Chloe and walked out, leaving me with cold, brutal words.

"You have no right to judge me, Elena. Not after your cozy pictures with your ex-boyfriend got leaked all over Snapchat."

He was talking about the photos.

I had met up with my ex-boyfriend, Leo, just to discuss a business project. Someone took photos and used AI to make them look incredibly intimate.

The moment those photos leaked, the design firm was filled with nasty rumors.

Everyone called me a slut.

I had asked Ethan if he believed me. He nodded back then.

Even when I noticed him avoiding physical contact with me afterward, I still chose to trust him.

But the truth was, he never believed me.

His affair with Chloe was just his sick way of getting revenge.

I laughed. I laughed until tears streamed down my face.

Just like Lily was doing right now.

"You cheated on her for 'revenge.' You didn't believe a word she said. You sent her to prison and ended up killing her!" Lily screamed at Ethan.

"You were the one who ruined everything! Why is she dead while you get to live perfectly fine?!"

Ethan frowned, his voice cold.

"You two really went all out with this lie just to avoid saying sorry, didn't you?"

"I thought two years in prison would teach her a lesson. I guess shes still as manipulative as ever."

Lily knew exactly what he was referring to.

She wiped her tears and stood up for me.

"Elena never lied to you! The design portfolio Chloe used to win the Grand Plaza bid? Those were Elenas original designs!"

That happened so long ago. I thought I had forgotten the pain, but hearing it again made my chest ache.

Back then, Ethans parents found out about the affair and forced him to apologize to me. They made him promise to cut ties with Chloe.

I knew I shouldn't have forgiven him, but I couldn't let go of our years together.

So, I accepted his apology.

After that, Ethan really did stop seeing Chloe.

I thought we could go back to the way we were.

But reality slapped me hard.

To get promoted to Senior Designer, we had to submit an original portfolio.

I spent six months in the studio, drawing, rendering, and revising.

But right before the submission deadline, the HR manager told me Chloe had already submitted an identical portfolio under her name.

I lost my mind. I cornered Chloe in the office.

I threw the printouts at her face. "Is this how you build your career, Chloe? Stealing my work?!"

Chloe squeezed out fake tears. "Elena, I don't know what you're talking about."

My fists clenched. "You are my intern! Who else had access to my desk and laptop?!"

"I didn't do it! You're just projecting your anger because of Ethan! But Ethan and I are over!"

Before I could reply, Ethans voice cut in from behind.

"Elena, have you not had enough?"

"I cut ties with her. Why are you still bullying her?"

"I'm not!" I protested. "She stole my"

"Enough!" Mr. Davis, the managing partner, walked in.

After hearing both sides, Mr. Davis looked at me. "Elena, where is your proof? Can you prove these files are yours?"

I had the raw CAD files on my USB drive.

But before I could even grab it, Ethan spoke up.

"I can prove it. I saw Chloe working on these designs at my place."

Ethan was a major shareholder of the firm, and everyone knew we were engaged.

With him backing Chloe, no one believed me.

Chloe walked away scot-free, while I was fired for "academic fraud and malicious slander."

I remember standing in the pouring rain that day, screaming at Ethan.

"Why are you doing this to me?! What did I do wrong?!"

Ethan looked at me like I was trash.

"Your mistake was stealing Chloe's work and playing the victim."

That was the moment I realized Ethan trusted Chloe more than me.

I became the most hated person in the industry.

Lily was the only one who believed in me.

And now, two years later, she was still the only one defending me.

But Ethan still didn't believe her.

Lily had no strength left to argue.

She looked at her watch and made up her mind.

"You want to see her so badly, don't you?"

"Come with me."