Betrayed by my Ex-Husband, Married To His Arch-Rival

Bang. The sound disturbed my sleep. I jerked awake, squinting as the morning sunlight cut through the narrow window and landed across my face. For a second, the world felt unfamiliar, then the smell of old blood and sweat hit my nose. Prison. Another bang echoed against the steel bars. "Inmate 007." A correctional officer stood outside my cell, keys dangling from one hand, her expression as unreadable as ever. "You've been released." My heart stopped. Released? The word felt forbidden. Slowly, I swung my legs off the bunk and rose to my feet, staring at her as though she'd spoken another language. "...What?" "I said you've been released." My body refused to move, not because I didn't want to, but because after five years, I wasn't sure I remembered what freedom felt like.The officer unlocked the cell door and motioned for me to step out. "How?" I asked, already moving my hands behind my back. "Parole." Cold metal clicked around my wrists before she gave me a light shove forward. The corridor erupted the moment we started walking. Some inmates slammed their fists against the steel bars, others whistled, a few shouted my prison number. "The princess is finally leaving her cage!" "Don't come back!" "We'll miss you, Zero-Zero-Seven!" A smile tugged at my lips. Five years was more than enough time to make both friends and enemies. We stopped outside another room. The officer disappeared inside and returned moments later with a small plastic bag containing everything I owned. "Change in there." She nodded toward a door marked TOILET before unlocking the handcuffs, the familiar weight disappeared from my wrists. Inside, I slipped out of my prison uniform and into my old jeans and cropped top. They still fit, though they hung a little looser than remembered. I gathered my hair into a bun and looked at my reflection. The woman staring back at me wasn't the same one who'd walked in here. Without another glance, I stepped outside. We walked in silence until we reached the administration office. A stack of release papers waited on the desk, a few signatures, a few stamps. Just like that My sentence officially came to an end The officer opened the final door. Warm sunlight poured over me, bright enough to make my eyes sting. I instinctively lifted a hand to shield my eyes. My foot hovered over the line separating the prison from the outside world. Funny. The last time I crossed this gate. I was being dragged in. "I hereby sentence Mrs. Faith Voss to ten years' imprisonment..." The judge's voice echoed through the courtroom. A loud horn from the nearby highway yanked me back to the present. I pulled my phone from my pocket and switched it on. The screen exploded with missed calls and unread messages, but none of them mattered. The first thing I checked was my bank account. $200.67 I stared at the number for a second. Not exactly millionaire money but at least I wasn't walking. I booked a cab. "Where are you heading?" the driver asked as I climbed into the back seat. "Avery Street." It was the only place that felt like home. Twenty minutes later, the cab pulled up outside a familiar café. I paid the driver, adjusted the strap of my bag, and headed straight for the back entrance. The last thing I wanted was to announce my return to the entire city. The moment I stepped inside, warm bread, coffee, and melted butter wrapped around me. The kitchen buzzed with movement. Employees hurried between stations, trays clattered against counters, ovens chimed. None of the faces were familiar. Right. A lot had changed while I was gone. "What are you doing back here, ma'am?" one of the women asked, walking over with a polite smile. "This area is for employees only." "I'm here to see Pookie." She frowned. "I'm sorry. We don't have anyone named Pookie." Only I called her that. "I meant Cassandra." "Oh!" Understanding flashed across her face. "You mean the boss. Do you ha-" The sliding door swings open. "Ellie," Cassandra called without looking up, balancing a tray in her hands. "Are you slacking off again?" "There's someone here to see you." "Who?" She turned. Time stopped. The tray nearly slipped from her hands before Ellie caught it just in time. Cassie didn't even notice. Her eyes stayed locked on mine as she slowly walked closer, tears forming in her eyes. "Faith." "Before you hug me," I said, raising a finger. "Answer one question." She blinked. "What?" "Be honest." I pointed at my face. "Did prison ruin it, or am I still ridiculously gorgeous?" A sob escaped her before she threw her arms around me. She hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe. "Rude," I mumbled into her shoulder. "I asked a very important question." She laughed through her tears, holding me even tighter. For a moment, neither of us spoke. The rest of the afternoon slipped by faster than expected. Somewhere between coffee that had gone cold and laughter that left our cheeks aching, Cassie filled me in on everything I'd missed while I was gone. I told her just enough about prison to satisfy her curiosity and carefully avoided the parts that still hunted me. By evening, she'd already found me a vacant apartment a few streets away and insisted on giving me a job at the café. We stopped by a grocery store before meeting the landlord. The first apartment looked decent enough which should've been my first warning. "No, Faith," Cassie said immediately after seeing the second option. "You're not living here." I glanced around, it wasn't really bad, just a few cracked walls, a broken window patched with cardboard, and a ceiling that looked one heavy rainfall away from collapsing. Who was I kidding? This place looked like it had lost a fight against life itself but it was what I could afford. "It's better than where I came from," I said with a shrug. "Besides, it's just a house. What's the worst that could happen?" Cassie opened her mouth to argue but I beat her to it. "I'll take it." She glared at me for a full minute before sighing in defeat just like old times. Two weeks later. Life slowly settled into something almost normal. For the first time in a long while, I almost believed life had decided to give me freedom. Turns out life simply had a twisted sense of humor. Closing the café for the night, I waved goodbye to the last employee and slipped out through the back alley. Three men stood near the brick wall, cigarettes glowing between their fingers. I barely spared them a glance as I walked past. Then I heard footsteps. Mine. Theirs. My fingers curled into fists inside my jacket pockets. “Relax, Faith. You've handled worse.” Being in jail had taught me self defense but unfortunately, it had also taught me when running was the smarter option. I picked up my pace. "Nope." My dignity could recover from running. My face probably couldn't recover from getting punched. The apartment building came into view. I hurried upstairs, fishing my keys out before stopping in front of my door. Something wasn't right. The doorknob was scratched "Weird." I stared at it for another second. I don't own anything valuable so I sincerely hope the burglar is cleaning while stealing. Taking a slow breath, I pushed the door open. The lights were on. I remembered turning them off before leaving. The smile slipped from my face when I saw them. One man sat comfortably on my sofa, one leg crossed over the other, beside him stood another man holding an iPad. I blinked once then checked the time on my phone. 8:39 p.m. *Am I hallucinating? I think I need water.* I went to the table, picked a glass and filled it from the jar. My hands tightened around the cup as I gulped the water. I turned again, they were still there. "Well," I muttered under my breath. "So much for hallucinations." Fantastic. *I survived prison, just to get murdered by two well-dressed strangers.* Finally, the man on the sofa lifted his eyes to meet mine coldly. "Miss Faith." His voice was low, calm as though he'd been invited into my home. "Welcome home.”