Chapter 3

I stared at Sharon with bitterness and screamed at her, "Why? Why are you doing this to me?" She looked at me indifferently. "Why? I should be asking you why you killed Wesley. Kaelan, you can never repay what you owe Wesley and me. Now, use your life to pay it back!" The police shoved me into the squad car, and at that moment, my heart finally broke. As I sat in the car, I turned to look out the window at the swarms of media capturing every second. In the crowd, I saw Sharon standing in the back. She should have been thrilled for having finally exacted her revenge on me. Yet, I didn’t see even a flicker of satisfaction on her face. Instead, she looked lost. Perhaps it was because she would never have Wesley back. I was charged with murder at Sharon’s accusation. After being detained, Mom began running around trying to find a lawyer to appeal my case. She visited me several times, always updating me on the case's progress. She promised that she would save me. During this time, Sharon also came to see me once. We sat across from each other at a table, and for a moment, I felt dazed, never imagining we would meet under such circumstances. She was still as glamorous as ever, while I was now a prisoner. Sharon remained aloof as always. "I hear you still refuse to confess?" "I’m not guilty. Wesley was mentally weak. He couldn’t handle the pressures of life, and he took his own life. It had nothing to do with me!" No matter how many times I was asked, my answer never changed. Suddenly, Sharon scoffed. "You still don’t know, do you? The Leroy family is beyond saving." My heart clenched. I stared at her, demanding, "What did you do?" Sharon drawled, "Your family has gone bankrupt, and your father’s company went under. Unable to bear the massive debt—and to keep you and your mother out of it—he jumped to his death." I clenched my fists tightly, refusing to believe it. "You’re lying. There’s no way! Leroy Group is one of the largest publicly traded companies in the country. It couldn’t have gone bankrupt that easily. And Dad loved Mom too much to just leave her like that." "The news has already blown up. Here, take a look at what your father looked like right before he died." Sharon handed me her phone, and I shut my eyes in pain. It had to be her doing. There was no other way Leroy Group could have fallen just like that. Trembling, I whispered, "You can hate me all you want, but don’t drag the innocent into this! Don’t forget that my parents raised you. How can you be so heartless?" Sharon gave me a chilling smirk. "Guess who’s next?" I stood up so fast I knocked my chair over and slammed my hands on the table, my eyes red with fury. "Sharon! If you lay a hand on my mother, I swear I’ll never forgive you! "Wesley deserved to die. He had it coming! Everything that happened, he deserved it. He never should’ve been alive!" The police officer at the door rushed in and pinned me to the table. Sharon stood up, waving her phone at me, revealing that it had been recording the whole time. "Do you think what you just said is enough to seal your fate?" I hadn’t expected her to scheme against me. Strength drained from my body, and I stopped struggling. I looked at her, only managing to say, "Sharon Tatham, you will regret this." On the day of the trial, I clung to my last thread of hope, but it was shattered. Sharon played the recording in court, and when the gavel finally fell, I was sentenced to five years. As the judgment was passed, Mom nearly collapsed in tears. She tried to rush toward me, but the guards held her back. At that moment, my heart truly died. I looked at Sharon, humbling myself as I begged her, "I’ve confessed. I’m begging you—don’t take it out on my mother. She’s never wronged you." Now that Dad was gone, I couldn’t lose Mom either. I didn’t care about my dignity anymore. If Sharon had asked me to apologize right then, I would’ve done it without hesitation. However, she looked down at me with contempt. "You should worry about yourself first. Once you’re locked up, there will be people to take care of you." Her gaze was icy as she added, "You won’t have time to worry about your mother then." I thought I’d already reached the point where nothing she said could hurt me anymore. However, hearing her now, I felt like my heart was being torn apart. "Sharon, I truly regret loving you for all these years." I laughed bitterly, my voice filled with hatred. "I wish I’d never met you, because you’re not worthy of my love!"