Chapter 3

I gripped the phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

Now I got it.

Even the whole "heart condition" was a lie.

Vincent, you really pulled out all the stops for Charlotte.

"Can you do me a favor, Karla?" I said softly.

Karla replied without hesitation, "Say the word. I'll do anything for you."

"I need business information, personal details about Vincent and the Oliver Group. Whatever you can find. The more detailed the better."

Karla froze. "Elisa, you..."

"And about Charlotte. Dig up everything you can. Her background, her history, all of it."

I looked up, meeting her eyes. "I've got three years in here. Might as well learn something useful. When I get out, I'm going to give them a gift they'll remember for the rest of their lives."

Karla looked at me and gave an involuntary shiver. "Elisa, the look in your eyes is terrifying."

I smiled, "That's exactly what I want. From this moment on, Elisa is gone. The one who leaves this place alive three years later won't be the same Elisa anymore."

Visitation ended, and I made my way back to the cell.

The women inside were brawling, and the guards burst in, whistles shrieking.

In the chaos, someone shoved me hard, and I slammed right into the metal bunk.

My forehead got busted open, blood trickling down into my eyes.

But I didn't cry or make a sound.

Quietly, I wiped the blood from my face and made my way to the corner, sitting down.

That night, I drifted into a dream.

I saw the baby I never got to meet. It was a little girl.

She waved at me, then turned and disappeared into the light.

When I woke up, my pillow was damp with tears.

I got up, walked over to the sink, and splashed cold water on my face.

The woman in the mirror had icy eyes, and a new scar snaked across her forehead.

It looked like a writhing centipede, sprawled above my brow.

Good.

This was Elisa's tombstone.

And for the new me, that scar was a badge of rebirth.

A year later, I'd become a regular in the prison library.

Taking advantage of my time organizing the shelves, I read every book on business, law, or psychology I could find.

Every month, Karla would visit and bring thick folders of information. Oliver Group's financial reports, Vincent's itinerary, and Charlotte's history.

I committed every detail to memory.

Sometimes, Karla hesitated, as if she had something on her mind. "Elisa, Vincent... He asked about you once."

"Oh?" I said, still focused on my book, not bothering to look up. "What did he say?"

"He said if you need anything, let him know."

I laughed. "Tell him I need something he can't get in prison."

"What is it?"

"Freedom."

Karla was quiet for what felt like ages before saying, "Elisa, you've really changed."

"Everyone changes."

I closed the book and gazed out the window. High walls, barbed wire, and a sliver of dull gray sky.

"Especially when you know that the person you spent seven years loving turns out to be nothing but a devil," I added.

*****

I almost died in the spring of my second year in prison.

Scarface was out of solitary confinement, with more hatred in her eyes.

She cornered me in the showers, a sharpened toothbrush handle hidden in her hand. "Bitch, I heard you used to be some rich girl. Let's see how soft that pampered skin of yours really is."

I didn't plead. Instead, I coolly assessed my surroundings.

The security cameras were broken, and the guards were switching shifts. For the next five minutes, I was completely on my own.

Five minutes was plenty of time for someone to kill me several times over.

"Do you know why I'm in here?" I suddenly asked.

Scarface froze for a second.

"I've taken a life."

I took a step forward, locking eyes with her. "I stabbed him seventeen times with a fruit knife. He thought I was an easy target, as you do.

"He fell to the floor, begging me to spare him. But I kept going, over and over, again and again."

My voice was quiet, calm. "Do you know why?"

Scarface hesitated, stepping back.

"Because some people aren't meant to live," I said. "Take you, for example."

She let out a shriek and charged straight at me.