(01
“Are you sure you want to send this to the cops? If it’s legit, your husband could be charged with hiding at criminal,” the voice asked.
Kayla Sutton flicked her cigarette out, watching the smoke swirl up. This time, she didn’t think twice “Yeah, I’m sure. Take it to the station yourself.” She ended the call, feeling oddly numb.
Those five years in prison had been the worst of her life. Just thinking about it still made the scars on her body throb.
When she was finally released, she looked down at her old, faded clothes. But the second she looked up and saw Lionel Griffith, her husband, it hit her.
Five years. She barely managed a smile as she looked at him. But Lionel just glanced at her with a hint of disgust “Get in the car.”
Inside the car, she noticed her sister, Stephanie, sitting there too. Her face made Kayla’s stomach twist
“We’re here to take you home!” Stephanie’s fake cheer faded fast when she noticed Kayla. “Why do you smell so bad? Didn’t you take a shower?” Her smile dropped, revealing how little she cared.
Kayla didn’t even bother to answer. She just stared out the window.
Life in prison had been tough, but honestly, the way things were now, she couldn’t even laugh at herself
anymore.
She used to be the confident, up–and–coming CFO, a rising star in economics, making it to the top of accounting in her twenties. It felt like it all happened just yesterday.
Then that day came, the company was blindsided by a surprise audit from the bank inspectors. But Kayla always came prepared, she never went into a battle unarmed.
Except this time, when they went through the accounts, most of the files were missing from her computer. When they opened the safe, the paper records were gone too
Kayla remembered seeing Stephanie walk out of her office right before everything went down. She tried to confront her, but Stephanie’s response was cold, “Do you have any proof?”
Her blood ran cold. She stood there, stunned. The safe’s password was her mother’s birthday and Stephanie was the only one who knew it.
On top of that, all the surveillance footage had been deleted. It took her a while to realize what had happened: she had been set up.
For years, Kayla had done everything right, never slipping up during an inspection or investigation. But after her mother died, her sister framed her and she ended up in prison.
She didn’t even know how she survived those five years. One minute, she was respected in her field and the next, she was a joke, despised by everyone. It felt like a sick joke.
When they finally pulled up to the mansion, nothing had changed except for the trees around it. The house her mom had left behind stood untouched. Kayla’s face stayed calm, but it was all just a mask. She hadn’t smiled in
years.
Even in prison, she thought about one thing–her dog, Skippy. She had raised him for five years.
“Skippy! Skippy, I’m back!” she called out, but the yard was empty.
The lawn where Skippy used to play was now covered with roses–Stephanie’s favorite. But the roses were all thick with thorns, no place for Skippy to run around anymore.
