Chapter 2

Harmony was sentenced to five years.

She got caught smuggling national treasures. Normally, that meant at least ten years behind bars.

But since it was her first offense and she gave a so-called "voluntary confession," the judge cut her some slack.

She knew this was all Emmett's handiwork. He didn't want her dead.

He wanted her to be alive while enduring the humiliation, to watch him swallow up everything the Eland family owned, and to see him ride off into the sunset with Cecilia.

On her very first day inside, Harmony was singled out for some "special attention."

Melanie Clark, who was a prison bully, grabbed Harmony's chin and dragged her nail across her cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.

She said, "Well, Miss Eland, I heard you used to be Farrynden's prettiest socialite.

"You really are a beauty. No wonder Mr. Webb spent a fortune to make sure you got 'special treatment' in here."

Harmony's heart skipped a beat. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Melanie grinned wickedly, "It means Mr. Webb gave us orders to make sure you get the full experience. You're gonna suffer for the next five years."

The days that followed were the darkest of Harmony's life.

She was locked up in the dampest cell with no heat in winter. She was eaten alive by mosquitoes in summer.

Her food was always spoiled. Her workload was triple that of everyone else's. One slip-up, and she'd get beaten.

But the worst were the nights when she got that so-called "special attention."

Melanie would drag her into the bathroom with a few other inmates, jam a toothbrush handle inside her, and laugh.

"Mr. Webb said someone like you doesn't deserve to be a mother. We're just here to 'clean you out.'"

Harmony had a miscarriage. After that crazy wedding night, her pregnancy was already on the edge.

During one of those "cleanings," she started bleeding out and was rushed to the prison hospital.

The doctor told her the baby was gone, and she'd never have another chance at being a mother.

Harmony lay on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, not a single tear falling.

She'd already cried herself dry.

From the very first day behind bars, she was no longer Miss Eland and the girl whose heart would flutter at a single glance from Emmett.

Now, she was inmate 0743, a nobody everyone trampled on, and a shell of her former self.

But she didn't die.

She clenched her jaw and forced herself to survive, all so that one day, with her own hands, she could pull Emmett down from his throne.

She started studying law on her own, scraping together whatever cash she could from prison labor to buy books.

She asked the guards for pointers and wrote letters to lawyers. After three years of grinding, she managed to pass the bar exam.

She learned how to fake it, too. She no longer fought with people and cried. She became meek and submissive, groveling for Melanie's approval.

She wrote Melanie's letters home, helped the guards sort their paperwork, and did anything to make her life a little less hellish.

In her first year, Harmony's weight dropped from 121 pounds down to 88. Her hair fell out in handfuls, and her period vanished for half a year.

The doctor said she was dangerously malnourished and needed more protein, but she had no way to get it.

She started saving up her rationed eggs, secretly selling them to other inmates for books to read.

By her second year inside, Harmony's stomach started giving her hell. She had constant aches, burning acid, barely able to eat a thing.

She figured it was just her old stomach problems acting up and tried to tough it out. But one day, while working, she suddenly threw up blood and got hauled off to the hospital.

The doctor said her stomach was bleeding and she needed surgery, but Harmony refused. She had no family left to sign the consent form for her.

In her third year, Melanie got extra time for starting fights and was shipped off to another prison.

Before she left, she looked at Harmony and suddenly asked, "Harmony, do you know why I always picked on you?"

Harmony kept her head down, silent.

Melanie sneered, flashing her yellow, rotten teeth, "Because Emmett paid me every month to make your life hell.

"But you know what? Last month, he suddenly stopped sending the money. He told me to tell you that the game's over."

Harmony's head snapped up.

She asked, "What does that mean?"

Melanie shrugged. "How should I know? But I saw the news. Looks like Webb Group's in deep trouble.

"That bitch Cecilia made off with hundreds of millions from the company. Emmett's probably got his hands full just trying to keep his own head above water."

Harmony was stunned.

She was surprised that Cecilia ran off with all that money.

After all, Cecilia was the woman Emmett cherished above everyone else and the one who snuggled up to him on their wedding night.

Suddenly, Harmony remembered the smile on Cecilia's lips at the wedding. It wasn't just pride. It was mockery.

She was laughing at Emmett for plotting every move, only to overlook the person closest to him.

Melanie said as she reached the door, shooting Harmony a final look, "One more thing. Emmett told me to let you know that he'll be waiting for you the day you walk out.

"Harmony, you'd better brace yourself."

After Melanie left, Harmony sat on the edge of her bed, unmoving, lost in her own world for what felt like forever.

Outside, the moonlight was ghostly and bleak. She lowered her gaze to her hands, once smooth and slender, now covered in calluses and scars.

It had been three years. For over a thousand days, she'd been trapped in hell, while he was out there living free.

Now, with his precious Cecilia stabbing him in the back, he suddenly remembered he had a wife and wanted to bring her home.

Harmony would never grant his wish.

Harmony lifted her head, staring out at the moon through the window.

Her eyes, once crystal clear, were now dark and unfathomable, impossible to read.

She whispered, "Emmett, this time, it's my turn to play the game."

*****