Prison For Love, Drowning In Deceit

I served five years in prison for my fiancé, Austin, to save the company we built together.

The day I got out, I found him on a yacht, marrying a woman who looked exactly like me.

He told me the position of Mrs. Alexander was still mine, but when his new bride, Eva, dragged us both into the ocean, he swam right past me to save her, leaving me to drown.

He brought me to his home only to force me to serve the woman who stole my life. When she deliberately scalded my arm with hot porridge, he screamed at me.

"You're an animal!"

He was destroying me for a woman and a child he believed were his future. The ultimate betrayal.

But then I found his medical report. Austin was sterile. The baby wasn't his.

Chapter 1

Alexis Brandt POV:

The prison gates clanged shut behind me, a final, metallic echo in the silence. Five years. Five years I' d traded my freedom for Austin Alexander' s. And now I was out, a ghost in my own life. My first thought, the only thought, was Austin. I went to Aether Corp, the company I' d helped build. The receptionist, a young woman with bright, oblivious eyes, eyed my worn clothes with a polite, dismissive smile.

"Austin Alexander, please," I said, my voice rough from disuse.

She tilted her head. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No," I said. "Just tell him Alexis Brandt is here."

Her smile faltered. She typed something. Her eyes widened, flicking from the screen to me. "I... I'm sorry, Ms. Brandt. Mr. Alexander isn't available."

"He will be," I insisted. "Just tell him."

Before I could explain, two burly security guards stepped forward, their shadows falling over me. "Ma'am, you need to leave."

Humiliation washed over me, hot and stinging. "I'm Alexis Brandt. This is my company."

One of the guards snorted, a harsh, disbelieving sound. "Austin Alexander's getting married today. To Eva O'Connell. You think he'd want you here?"

The world tilted. Married? To someone else? The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs. My sacrifice, my five years, all for nothing. I stumbled back, shaking my head. No. It couldn't be true. I had to see it. Had to know.

I found the yacht, a gleaming white behemoth off the coast of Malibu. I hid in the shadows of the dock, listening. Austin's voice, rich and familiar, carried clearly over the water.

"She's not Alexis," a friend said, his voice hushed. "But she looks just like her."

Austin sighed. "I know, Mark. But Eva... she's carrying my child. I can't just leave her."

My knees buckled. I sank to the ground, the concrete cold beneath my hands. A child. His child. The ultimate betrayal. He would compensate me, he'd said to Mark, but Eva was indispensable. This was it. The final, brutal truth. My past, my future, everything I' d believed in, shattered.

The phone vibrated in my pocket. My father. I hadn't spoken to him in years. "Alexis? Are you alright?"

His voice was laced with worry, a concern I hadn't heard from anyone in so long. A bitter laugh escaped me. The man I' d resented for so long was the only one who truly cared. "Dad," I murmured, the name feeling foreign on my tongue. "I'm coming home."

"Really?" His voice cracked with surprise, then joy. "I'll come pick you up right now."

I pulled the simple silver ring from my finger, the one Austin had given me before I went inside. His promise. Our future. It felt like a lifetime ago. A lie. It was all a lie. I walked to the edge of the dock, the glittering water mocking the emptiness inside me. With a silent prayer for the girl I used to be, I tossed the ring into the dark depths. It hit the surface with a tiny splash, then vanished.

Just like us. Just like everything.

I turned my back on the yacht, on the wedding, on Austin and the life I'd once known. There was nothing left for me here. The cold indifference that had settled in my chest hardened. He was a fool. A cruel, selfish fool. And I was done.

My new life started now.

Alexis Brandt POV:

The ceremony was in full swing, the priest's voice a drone against the gentle lapping of waves. Austin stood at the altar, a pristine figure in his tuxedo, Eva a vision in white beside him. She looked unsettlingly like me, a grotesque parody of what we once were. My breath hitched. This was my breaking point. I couldn't let it happen in silence.

"Austin!" My voice, raw and hoarse, tore through the solemn air.

His head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock. His gaze found mine, and for a fleeting second, I saw panic flicker in their depths. The guests stirred, murmuring like a disturbed hive.

"Who is she, Austin?" I demanded, my voice shaking with a fury I hadn't known I still possessed.

He took a step towards me, his hand outstretched. "Alexis, I can explain-"

"No!" I cut him off, my voice sharp. "Don't you dare."

Eva, ever the actress, stepped forward. Her hand went to her stomach, a picture of fragile innocence. "Oh, Alexis, darling. Please don't blame Austin. It's all my fault. I... I got pregnant. I forced him to marry me." Her voice was soft, laced with a practiced vulnerability.

A bitter laugh escaped me. "Pregnant?" I scoffed, my eyes raking over her. "You think I believe that?"

She smiled then, a saccharine sweet gesture that twisted my stomach. "You know what? You're right. I'll just leave. You can have him. You can have the wedding!" She began to unbutton her gown, a theatrical gesture designed to draw attention, to cement her victim status.

Austin stopped her, his hand grasping her arm. His eyes flickered to me, a complex mix of guilt and something I couldn't quite decipher. "Alexis," he said, his voice low, "the position of Mrs. Alexander is still yours. It always has been."

I laughed, a choked, tearful sound that echoed the hollowness in my chest. He was offering me scraps, a consolation prize after five years of hell. "No," I whispered, the word a steel-hard promise. "I don't need it. Not anymore."

I turned to leave. I had seen enough. Heard enough. Done enough. But Eva wasn't finished. Her hand shot out, her nails digging into my arm, a sharp sting of pain. "Alexis, please!" she cried, her voice escalating, drawing more eyes. "Don't go! Don't ruin everything!"

Then, in a move so swift and practiced it chilled me to the bone, she feigned a stumble. Her body lurched, dragging me with her. We tumbled into the icy ocean, the shock of the cold water stealing my breath. I thrashed, choking, the panic quickly setting in.

Through the murky water, I saw Austin. He was diving in. My heart leaped. He was coming for me. I reached out, a desperate, instinctual movement. But he swam past me, his eyes fixed on Eva, cradling her to his chest. He whispered soothing words, stroking her hair. He didn't even glance my way.

My lungs burned. The cold seeped into my bones. His promises, his vows, our future. All of it was a lie. He was a liar. And I was drowning. I closed my eyes, the fight draining from me. This was it. The end.

I felt nauseous, sickened by Austin's hypocrisy.

Alexis Brandt POV:

I woke with a gasp, the taste of salt still in my mouth. My eyes fluttered open to a familiar ceiling, a familiar room. Austin' s bedroom. The drapes, the furniture, the scent of expensive wood and faint cologne – it was all exactly as I remembered. For a moment, a fleeting, treacherous moment, I almost believed the last five years were a nightmare.

The door creaked open, pulling me back to the brutal reality. Austin stood there, his eyes flitting away from mine the moment they met. A flicker of something – guilt? embarrassment? – crossed his face, but it was quickly masked.

"Eva... she had some complications," Austin said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion. "She needs to rest. You'll bring her some porridge." It wasn't a request. It was an order.

My blood ran cold. He wanted me to serve her? The woman who had stolen my life, who had just tried to drown me? The humiliation was a raw wound. I wanted to scream, to shatter something. What was he doing? Was this some twisted punishment?

"Your temper," Austin continued, his voice hardening, "it always gets you into trouble. You shouldn't have shown up."

His words were a punch to the gut. He used to say my stubbornness was what he loved about me, that it made me strong. Now it was a flaw. A reason for his cruelty. I felt a chill spread through me, numbing my limbs. There was no point in arguing. No strength left to fight.

I rose slowly, my body aching, and picked up the tray. The porridge steamed, innocent and bland. I walked towards the guest room Austin had prepared for Eva.

The door was ajar. Eva lay propped against silken pillows, a picture of delicate suffering. She glanced up as I entered, a smirk playing on her lips before she twisted it into a pained grimace. "Oh, Alexis. It's so sweet of you to bring me food after everything. My poor baby, it's been such a fright." Her voice, though soft, carried a subtle note of triumph.

I placed the tray on the bedside table. As I reached for the bowl, Eva' s hand shot out. It wasn't an accident. She deliberately knocked the bowl, sending scalding hot porridge splashing over my forearm. A sharp cry escaped me as the heat seared my skin. A fiery red patch bloomed instantly.

Eva shrieked, a theatrical performance. "Oh, Alexis! How could you?! You tried to hurt me! My baby!" She clutched her stomach, her eyes wide with feigned terror.

Austin burst into the room, his face contorted with rage. He rushed to Eva' s side, his hands gently checking her. "Are you alright, my love? What happened?"

"She... she tried to burn me," Eva sobbed, pointing a trembling finger at me. "She's so jealous, Austin. She wants to hurt me and our baby."

His head snapped up, his eyes blazing. "Alexis!" he roared, his voice laced with venom. "How could you be so vicious? You' re an animal!"

My face was pale, my arm throbbing. "I didn't," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "She did it on purpose."

But he wasn't listening. His rage eclipsed everything. "Get out!" he yelled, grabbing my arm, his fingers digging into my raw skin. He shoved me out of the room, slamming the door shut with a resounding thud. "Go to my study! Stand there and think about what you've done!"

The impact sent a fresh wave of agony through my arm. I stumbled, the skin tearing, a new blister forming. In the study, I leaned against the cold wall, my head swimming. I peeled back my sleeve. The burn was angry, already festering. I could hear Austin's muffled words of comfort to Eva from the next room. His gentle voice, soothing her, while I stood alone, bleeding.

A dark, desperate impulse seized me. I touched the wound, pressing down, welcoming the sharp pain. It was a distraction, a shield against the deeper, invisible wounds. The world spun. My legs gave out. Darkness consumed me.