"Mistaken Love: A Life in Ruins"
North Suburb Detention Center.
Emma Ray, dressed in a wedding gown, looked haggard as she faced the handsome man before her. Even now, she couldnt believe that the man who had her sent here was Alex Stone, the one she was supposed to marry tomorrow.
Emma tried to suppress the agony in her chest, feigning calm as she asked, "Alex, why?"
Alex Stone let out a light laugh, his peach blossom eyes glancing over with an unexpected tenderness.
Instant hope filled Emmas heart, and her grip on her wedding dress loosened.
But then he said, "Lily is timid and pure; she cant bear the stigma of being a murderer. You two have the closest physiques; youre the most suitable to take the fall."
Emmas hands clenched abruptly, her voice involuntarily choking up, "Lily Thompson, is she that important?"
She couldnt bear the infamy, but Emma could?
Alex chuckled, his deep eyes seemingly mocking her with a half-smile.
But that look was enough for Emma to feel the undisguised sarcasm.
Still, she couldnt help but feel a bit reluctant; he had promised to marry her, could there be no difference in how he treated her?
So, with trembling hands, Emma tugged at his sleeve, her eyes faintly glistening with tears, "Dont be so heartless, please?"
Alex looked down at the humbled Emma Ray, the woman before him bearing no resemblance to the proud and flamboyant Ray family heiress.
He leaned in slightly, his slender fingers lifting her chin with a tenderness he had never shown before, "Emma Ray, dont you love me?"
Emma stared at him, not understanding why he asked, thinking that her love for him was known to the world.
But she answered earnestly, "Yes, I love you."
From the first moment she saw him, she was lost.
Alexs lips curved into a larger smile, and he leaned even closer, so close that Emma could see her own reflection in his eyes, so humble.
"Since you love me so much, shouldnt you be willing to do anything for me?" he said, his grip on her chin suddenly tightening, causing her pain before he continued, "Its just a small matter of taking the blame and going to jail; are you going to refuse?"
His words were like a chilling wind, pouring into Emmas heart, cold enough to make her shiver.
She didnt understand how he could speak such cruel words in such a gentle tone.
With red eyes, she looked at him, who had lost all sense of right and wrong for Lily Thompson, and said stubbornly and proudly, "Alex, dont forget that I am from the Ray family; even if I agree, Grandpa wont."
A clear disgust flashed through Alexs eyes; he disliked Emmas unapproachable pride the most, as if everyone in the world only deserved to look up to her.
He smiled maliciously, "The Ray family has agreed."
Before leaving, he left a meaningful sentence, "Emma Ray, I hope you can still maintain this damn pride when we meet in court."
...
But it wasnt until the court session that she fully understood Alexs final meaning.
Her good uncle had helped to commit perjury in court.
And her beloved grandfather never appeared again...
Emma Ray stood in the dock, feeling a bone-chilling coldness her. When defending herself, Emma met Alexs gaze; his eyes were as deep and distant as when they first met.
She understood that years of misplaced love must come to an end, so her defense was just one question, "Alex Stone, have you ever loved me?"
As she finished speaking, the audience buzzed with discussion; everyone knew that Emma Ray was sent to court by Alex himself.
Emmas eyes were only on Alex; she saw him sneer and coldly utter four words.
"Never have."
Even though she was prepared, her heart still ached, and Emma struggled to breathe.
She closed her eyes, and as two streams of tears fell, she humbly said, "I plead guilty."
Until after the trial and being taken away, she never looked at Alex Stone again.
All the affection, all the love, Emma Ray was indeed a joke.
Then came the endless prison life, and it was not until she entered prison that Emma discovered her suffering had only just begun.
On the first night of her incarceration, she was cornered by a group of fierce-looking women in her cell.
"What do you want to do!" Emma realized something was wrong and wanted to escape to find a guard.
But before she could touch the door crack, she was pinned to the ground by many hands, and someone said, "The people upstairs said to give this woman a proper welcome, especially her hands!"
No!
Without her hands, how could she paint?
These were the last things she had left.
"You cant do this! Help!" Emma struggled and screamed, curling into a ball, even being punched and kicked, even her hair was pulled out, she still hid her hands in her arms.
But there were too many of them, and her hands were eventually pried out, and she desperately begged, "Please, dont!"
In the end, her screams echoed through the night.
But no one came.