He locked up his wife, but she was cleverer than he thought.
Emily stared at the door, her fingers gripping the edge of the bed. The day had finally arrivedthe day she would settle the score with her husband.
Her eyes burned with quiet fury. Two long years she had waited for this moment.
Then, the sound of the cell door opening made her heart race.
Her belongings were neatly piled on the bed beside a small suitcase. A stern-faced officer stepped inside.
“Time to go, Emily,” she said.
Emily stood swiftly, packed her things, and strode out without a backward glance.
“Eager to see your lover, are you?” the guard mocked as she followed.
Emily kept her head high. She no longer cared for their taunts. She had endured enough, and now it was her turn.
As she walked, memories of three years ago flashed through her mind.
Emily and James had been successful business partners before they married. Their fortunes soared, but so did the strain between them. Emily knew about his affairs, but for the sake of the business, she had bitten her tongue.
It pained her, but she still remembered the man James had once beencharming, earnest, in love. Over time, that love had withered into mere routine.
She trusted him blindly, signing every document he placed before her without questionuntil the day it destroyed her.
Accused of large-scale fraud and embezzlement, she found herself in prison. Her own husband had framed her with forged papers.
The trial was swift. James testified against her. Her lawyer was uselesslikely bribed. The judge ruled quickly, sentencing her to five years.
But prison changed her. The timid woman who had once let others dictate her life was gone. In her place stood someone stronger, angrier.
For good behavior, she was released earlyjust in time to seek her revenge.
And James was first on her list.
A guard handed her the last of her belongings.
“Good luck, love,” he said, patting her shoulder.
Once outside the gates, Emily froze. All her plans, all her furywhat if she couldnt go through with it?
Then she spotted a familiar figure approaching. Her body relaxed. He had come.
She ran to him, and he met her halfway, wrapping her in a tight embrace.
“Emily, I cant believe youre finally here.”
She buried her face in his shoulder, laughing shakily. He had waited just as long as she had.
It was Oliver, Jamess closest friend.
From the moment she was imprisoned, he had visited her faithfully. He never believed her guiltyalways suspected James. And, in time, he confessed his feelings for her.
By then, Emily felt more than gratitude. Love had bloomed between themshe behind bars, he in the free world.
“I was afraid you wouldnt come,” she whispered.
Oliver held her tighter. “Id never leave you. Not again.”
She breathed in his scent, savouring the moment.
With Olivers help, she had uncovered the truth.
James had orchestrated her downfall for the sake of his mistress, who wanted Emilys share of the business.
But now, revenge was within her grasp.
Oliver had been the key. As Jamess friend, he knew every dirty secret. He visited James often, slipping documents into his handsdocuments James signed without reading.
Too arrogant to suspect betrayal, he never questioned them.
“Lets get out of here,” Emily said, wrinkling her nose. “I need a showerI stink of prison.”
Oliver laughed. “Youve never smelled better.”
He kissed her forehead, and they walked hand in hand to his car.
Later, wrapped in a robe, Emily sipped coffee in Olivers home.
“Show me the papers,” she said, setting the mug down. “I need to see it for myself.”
Oliver studied herthis woman who had captivated him for years. His sister had worked at Emilys company, giving him endless excuses to linger, watching her in her sharp suits, commanding the room.
Now she sat in his home, wearing his robe, holding the power to ruin James.
He retrieved the documents from his safe. Emily smiled as she took them, feeling the weight of Jamess fate in her hands.
“Tell me everything,” she urged.
Oliver sat beside her. “My sister helped. She slipped the papers to James while I distracted him. He signed them without a second glance.”
Emily closed her eyes, savouring the victory.
Then she turned to Oliver, cupping his face.
“I love you. Marry me?”
He laughed softly. “Thats my line. Will you?”
“Yes.”
The next day, Emily strode into the companys London offices, heels clicking, documents in hand.
No one stopped her as she pushed open Jamess door.
He was mid-call, smirking. “Ill see you tonight, darling”
The phone slipped from his grasp when he saw her.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he snarled.
Emily smiled coldly. “I own half of this place. Or didnt you read what you signed?”
Jamess face darkened. “Get out, or Ill have you locked up again.”
She dropped the papers on his desk. “Try it. All the evidence is with my solicitor. Touch me, and youll rot in prison.”
He scanned the documents, then paled.
“This isnt real.”
Emily leaned in. “You taught me well.”
Six months later, she married Oliver. The company was hers, along with the house, the carseverything James had stolen.
The court ruled he had willingly transferred it all.
James vanished, penniless and forgotten.
Emily had won. And this time, she celebrated with the man who had stood by her all along.
