Chapter 2

Sean had no idea that my lowest point wasn't now.

The year we graduated, Sean and I made a pact to move to the same city and kickstart our careers. I was supposed to go home first, just to pack up and say goodbye before we left for the city together.

But the moment I walked through that door, I found myself trapped in a nightmare.

My stepfather had my mom pinned to the floor, one hand forcing her head down, the other swinging at her.

When he saw me, instead of stopping, he just hit her harder.

"You're just as useless as your daughter! You stuff your face with my food, drink my booze, and when it's time to serve me, you refuse? I'll beat you to death, you useless woman!"

Their screams mixed together, and for a moment, it felt like I couldn't breathe, like every word, every blow, was crushing me from the inside.

I couldn't take it anymore. I rushed over, trying to pull him off her, but I was nothing compared to him. In seconds, he was back on his feet, and I felt the sting of his slap across my face.

My mom, barely conscious, scrambled to her knees and clung to his leg. "Please, stop hitting her. She'll make money one day."

The mention of money only set him off further. He shook her off like she was nothing and came at me, grabbing me by the throat.

In that moment, I truly thought I was going to die.

Then, somehow, my hand found a knife on the table. Without thinking, I plunged it into his chest.

Just like that, at barely twenty years old, I became a murderer.

The day I was waiting for my sentencing, I called Sean.

As soon as he picked up, he demanded to know why I had turned so cold.

I wiped away the tears I didn't even realize were still falling and said, for the first time with real venom, "Sean, I'll be honest with you. In a couple of days, I'm leaving. Yeah, I'm going overseas to live the good life. Only a fool would stay with someone like you."

Those words hit him hard, especially since he had nothing to his name at the time.

His voice shook when he said, "Fine. Don't ever contact me again."

And after that, we never spoke again.

A few months later, I was sentenced to five years for manslaughter. My mom hanged herself just a week after my sentencing.

From that day on, I not only lost my mom, but I lost my freedom.

I regretted everything, but it was too late.

Sean had been everything to me. He was kind, he was supportive, everything I'd ever wanted, everything I needed. And now, no one could ever fill that space.

The dream of a happy family, the life I'd spent twenty years imagining with the perfect husband, had crumbled into nothing.

I wasn't worthy of him anymore.

And I knew, deep down, I'd never be worthy again.

When I got out of prison, finding a job felt like a joke. I finally got hired as a delivery driver, but when my past caught up with me, I lost even that.

Who would've thought I, a top university grad, would be unqualified to even deliver food?

In the end, I had to rely on the skills I picked up in prison, doing odd jobs from dawn till dusk, just scraping by.

The money Sean gave me that day was about what I'd make in a month.

But I couldn't take it.

That cash hitting me felt worse than a slap.

Later that night, my college roommate Claire White called.

She was the only one I'd stayed in touch with after I got out.

"Thea, I invited Sean to my wedding next month. My dad's been working with him, so I didn't have much say. But you have to come. It's what we promised back in college."

I set the money Sean had given me aside, folding it carefully, and replied, "It's okay. I've got something I need to return to him anyway."

Once I return it, maybe I can finally let go.