CHAPTER 2

 Unexpected Visit.

Standing in front of me was David. The last person in the world I ever thought I would see, let alone stand in front of me, here in prison of all places, was him. 

David Stone was the very man who made my life less than a living nightmare. I could never have imagined that he would ever get the guts to present himself before me again, let alone after what he did. 

What on earth would he want from me now? The moment I laid my eyes on him, my heart filled with trepidation. My mind was racing out of control-one question after another, each more disconcerting than the previous one. Some new trick? Yet another one of his diabolical schemes, to further ruin me? God, why him? Why now? David was the one who got me into this in the first place. 

It always seemed as though he were at the heart of my misery, pulling the strings from behind my back, the great manipulator that he was. His being here only proved my biggest fear of mine: he wasn't done with me yet. Whatever the reason for his visit, it couldn't be good; it just couldn't be anything other than more heartache. The memories of David struck my mind like lightning-one more painful than the other. He wasn't just any man to me; 

David once had been my world. He was the man I had fallen in love with, the one I had foolishly believed in. I'd given him all: my heart, my trust, my loyalty. And he had destroyed me in return. 

David had been my ex-boyfriend, the first to have ever made me believe in love. I had thought that he was my forever, that I would live my life with him. I was wrong. That day, at his place, came as a rude shock when I walked in on him and my best friend, Ella. That one moment in time came as a blow, shattering my world. 

There they were, together, in the most intimate of ways. My heart broke into a million pieces. I felt betrayed, humiliated, and utterly lost. What hurt more, though, wasn't that a betrayal in the first place did occur; it was a fact that David didn't care. 

He showed not an inch of remorse. I can still hear his cold and uncaring voice informing me about how he did absolutely nothing wrong and had every right in the world to do whatever he wanted. He looked right at me and told me that he had power over me and that I was nothing to him. 

Everybody who knew what was going on always questioned why I would stay. Why didn't I run from him right then and there when that happened? They say that I was under some kind of spell, and I went out of my mind. But the fact of the matter is, that was just a trap. 

I was trapped by the love still in my heart, tricked by this fake hope that probably he would change. But David didn't change; he used me and threw me away like a piece of trash. Two years had passed since David dumped me. 

I tried to rebuild my life, but the scars he left on my body never really healed. 

The thought that I had been able to get out of his clutches was what had possibly kept me going, but no amount of running ever made any difference. The fact was, one could never really outrun one's demons. And now here he was, standing before me in this prison, like some ghost from a nightmare. I kept my eyes on him, trying to read his intention. 

He hadn't said a word yet, and that put me on edge. What was he doing here? I thought how ironic it was that the man who had ruined my life now came to see me behind these walls, rotting for something I never did. 

David had orchestrated this whole thing. He had set me up, and then he came here now, like some visiting angel, with his concerned expression. I wanted to scream at him, berate him, tell him to get out, but I couldn't do anything. 

I was still too stunned and embroiled in this whirlpool of emotions his new presence stirred in me. Five years in prison hadn't dulled the pain. If anything, seeing him now only made it worse. 

Two years following the breakup after David had left me, I tried piecing my life back together. I was starting to believe that, you know, maybe I could be happy again. That was when an invitation to a gala party from an old friend came my way. I did not want to go. 

I had never been into parties, and the idea of mingling with strangers wasn't going to excite me. Yet, something had compelled me to go. Maybe it was to get out of this dull life for just one night or maybe to find a distraction from lingering pain. Whatever the night of that party was like, I had never felt before. 

The moment I walked into that magnificent ballroom, my senses were attacked: tasteful decoration, soft music, and even the people's laughter to lighten up the evening-unfamiliar to me, yet that is precisely what caught my attention. For the first time in a long while, I let myself forget and remember. Then, one thing happened which changed my life forever. Standing by the door, clamping my purse in my shaking hands, my eyes landed on him. Maxon Adams. He was standing at the far end of the room, surrounded by people, but his presence was unmistakable. Tall, strong, and commanding notice without trying. 

His eyes scanned the room, and for one second, they met mine. I didn't know it at the time, but that second was going to change everything. It would lead me to unbelievable highs but also to unbearable lows. And five years later, all the things Maxon and I had been through, I was. Only now, instead of a lover to a billionaire, I was a prisoner. And David was back in my life.

What do you want David? I asked.