My Ex's Desperate Fall

Synopsis

The heavy prison gates groaned open, and I shuffled out, gripping a beat-up duffel bag. Ten long years. The sun blasted my eyes, and I threw up a hand to block the glare. "Hey, Julian!" A voice I'd know anywhere hit me. I turned, and there was my best friend, Thomas, eyes kinda misty. "Figured I'd roll up to get you," Thomas said, his voice rough. "Man, these ten years? I always knew you got a raw deal." I just nodded, not ready to talk. In his truck, Thomas tossed me a cigarette. "So, Julian, what's next, huh?" "Gonna swing by home. See what's left," I mumbled. Thomas hesitated, then said, "Look, man, there's something you gotta know. About Amelia…" "I already know," I cut him off. "She's married to that creep William, right?" Thomas's eyes went wide. "How the hell'd you hear that?" "Prison's got its own grapevine." I flicked ash out the window. "Where's Partrick's grave?" At the mention of my boy, Thomas's face fell. "South Mountain Memorial Gardens. Julian, Partrick… it was your third year inside. Car crash. Amelia was—" "I know," I said, voice hard. But I knew more than Thomas could imagine. Like how that crash ten years back wasn't some freak accident. Like how Amelia and William were messing around behind my back way before I got locked up. Like how they set me up, planned every damn step to put me away. Ten years in that cage, and I didn't sit idle. I worked every connection, pieced together the truth. Now? It's time they paid for what they did.