Rewriting My Heart's Fate (Ethan and Evelyn) novel Chapter 516

My heart shattered when I saw Zachary's face, all tear-streaked behind the glass. He was only five, supposed to grow up without worries, but instead, he had to deal with the heartbreak of losing his mother.

"Hey, don't cry, sweetie…" I held back my tears and forced a smile. "I'll be back before you know it. I'll care for you even more when that day comes, okay?"

Zachary nodded hard, pressing his tiny hand against the glass as if hoping to break through it and touch me.

"Mommy, I'll be good every day and wait for you to come home…" His little voice cracked, hitting me like a punch to the gut.

Ethan's eyes were red, but he sounded resolute. "Evelyn, don't worry about Zach. I'll look after him. I swear I'll find out the truth and make sure the person who did this doesn't get off easy!"

I looked at him gratefully, tears spilling down my cheeks. "Honey… I'm sorry I couldn't be the wife or mom you and Zach deserved—"

"Don't say that," he choked out, cutting me off. "You've done everything you could. Trust me, I'll get you out of here."

"Time's up! Prisoner, back inside!" The guard's impatient shout snapped us back to reality.

I took one last lingering look at Zachary before I was roughly yanked away. The iron door slammed shut with a deafening bang, cutting me off from both my family and any hope of freedom.

I sank into a corner of the cell, staring bleakly at the pale white ceiling. Ten years… How was I supposed to make it through a whole decade of this?

Zachary was still so young. Would he feel lonely without me? Would he have nightmares at night? The thoughts hit me, and I couldn't hold back the tears. I cried, heartbroken and unable to stop.

Life behind bars was bitterly cold and brutal. Every day, I faced a group of tough, hardened inmates. Some were career pickpockets, others drug-trafficking kingpins, and some even murderers.

To them, I—a "white-collar" criminal caught up in financial crimes—was just a joke.

"Well, look who it is! Our very own celebrity! The big fashion queen is sharing a cell with us now, huh?"

The tiny cell only had a hard wooden bed to sleep on. The wall was covered in carvings left by the inmates, showing the endless, painful days they had spent here.

I collapsed onto the bed, staring at that sickly white ceiling as tears streamed down my face.

How had I, Evelyn Wiley, ended up in this miserable state? How would I survive among these vicious inmates? Were Zachary and Ethan fine out there?

I sobbed quietly, my tears soaking the pillow.

The days behind bars seemed to stretch on forever, and every minute felt like pure torture. I had no time for anything except the basics—eating, drinking, and just getting by.

Even dreaming was impossible as I'd be jolted awake by the constant cries and screams whenever I closed my eyes. There were so many times I thought about ending it all.