Chapter 1 Return From Prison

"Eileen, your time is up. You're free to go now."

The gates of prison groaned open with a harsh metallic sound.

Eileen Hewitt drew in a quiet breath and walked out.

In her hand was only a flimsy plastic bag holding a few faded clothes and some scattered coins.

It was all she had left to her name. It was not even enough to pay for a trip back to the city.

After four years in prison, she was still dressed in the same clothes she had worn when she first came in. They now hung slack on her body.

The July sun blazed above her. As she walked by the side of the road, sweat soon drenched her back.

Her pace was sluggish. Fatigue dragged at her, and her mind kept circling the question of where she could possibly go.

Should she go back to the Hewitt family's residence?

That family that had made her carry the blame for someone else, thrown her into prison, and refused even to cover her lawyer's fees.

Suddenly, a piercing horn blared from behind Eileen.

She moved aside on instinct, but the black luxury car stopped right beside her.

The window slid down and exposed a face she knew all too well. Jason Hewitt, her eldest brother.

"Eileen?" Jason sounded shocked. "Why are you here?"

Forcing down the disgust rising in her chest, Eileen ignored him and kept walking.

She had only gone a few steps when he blocked her path with his car.

"Eileen, it has been four years. You can't even say a word to me now?"

"What answer would make you happy? Were you hoping I'd stay in prison for a few more years?" Eileen gave a cold, mocking laugh.

Jason's brows drew together. "I meant, why didn't you let us know you are out so we could come pick you up? We're family."

"You wanted me to inform the Hewitt family?" Eileen looked him dead in the eye until he was the one who looked away. "The same family that sent me to prison?"

Jason was clearly struck by that. His expression went rigid.

"That's enough. Get in the car. I'll drive you home. You're out now, so learn to behave and stop making trouble from now on," he said.

Those words sparked fury inside Eileen.

Her voice turned icy. "Before you tell me to stop making trouble, maybe think about who started all of this in the first place."

Jason's expression darkened. "Eileen, that's in the past. There's no need to bring it up again."

"In the past? Maybe for you. For me, those four years in prison have left a wound in me that will never heal."

Eileen got inside the car. A heavy silence fell.

Jason became visibly uncomfortable. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel.

"Natalie has carried that guilt all these years. She cried at home repeatedly. She said that if not for her, you would never have-"

As he spoke, his voice lost some of its edge.

Eileen cut him off, her tone freezing over. "Jason, you and I both know who sent Stella down those stairs. I was never the one at fault. It was Natalie!"

Four years ago, she had said the same thing countless times. Even so, every member of the Hewitt family had believed Natalie Hewitt, her parents' adopted daughter, and refused to hear her out.

"That's enough! Eileen, shut up!" Jason snapped. "The evidence was there, and the court already gave its ruling. Why are you still denying it?"

"A stairwell with no surveillance and a few so-called witnesses. That is your idea of evidence?" Eileen asked mockingly.

Jason pressed his lips into a tight line. His expression hardened further.

"Eileen, you've changed," he said in a low voice. "You were never like this before."

"Anyone would change after four years in prison. If you doubt that, you can go experience it yourself," Eileen shot back evenly.

Jason looked angry, but he did not keep arguing with her.

As though something had just come to mind, he shifted to another topic. "By the way, today is Natalie's birthday. You can come home and attend the party. It's your birthday, too."

"It's surprising that you remember today is my birthday," Eileen said. "During these four years, did any of you ever visit me on my birthday? Did any of you ever bring me a birthday cake?"

Jason went quiet once more. He had no response to that.

The car sped down the highway toward the city. Eileen stared out the window as her thoughts wandered back to four years ago.

She had been switched at birth and brought up in a rural town for eighteen years.

That day was the first birthday she had after returning to the Hewitt family. It was also the day she turned eighteen.

Yet her family's attention had been fixed only on Natalie. Hardly any of it had gone to her.

Back then, Eileen had tried to comfort herself. She had thought her parents and brothers only needed time to accept her.

In the middle of the party, her high school classmate and close friend, Stella Wade, came looking for her. Stella said she had something important to reveal to Eileen about Natalie.

At that moment, Natalie suddenly appeared out of nowhere, her face darkening, having clearly heard their conversation.

By the time Eileen made it back to the stairwell, Stella had already fallen down the stairs. She was lying in a pool of blood.

Everything that came after felt like a nightmare.

The police found Stella's blood on Eileen's sleeve. Several guests said they had seen the two of them arguing. Some even swore they saw Eileen push her.

Eileen tried to defend herself, but no one believed a word she said.

The Hewitt family accused her of trying to frame Natalie for everything. Her father even hit her in front of everyone.

In the end, she was sentenced to four years in prison.

"We're here. Watch your attitude. Today is Natalie's birthday. Don't ruin it," Jason suddenly said.

His voice yanked Eileen out of her memories.

At Jason's warning, Eileen felt the rage in her chest nearly explode.

She swore to herself that every one of them would pay for those four years.

When Natalie, who had been talking with her friends, heard movement behind her, she assumed Jason had come back.

She turned around, wearing a bright smile. But the instant she saw Eileen, she froze in place.