Chapter 1 Released

• In the dim prison cell, the iron bars, scarred by time, cast a gloomy shadow in the faint light.
• I hadn't eaten for three days. Squatting in the corner, I stared at the food in front of me, unable to help but let my mouth water.
• Glancing around carefully, I quickly grabbed the food and devoured it while they weren't looking.
• Suddenly, a strong arm knocked over the bowl in my hands.
• A female inmate with a face full of muscles viciously yelled at me, "Who said you could eat? Stealing too? Don’t you know who’s in charge here?”
• She raised her hand and ordered, "Teach her a lesson!"
• In an instant, other female inmates rushed toward me, punching and kicking.
• I fought back without thinking, swinging my arms, trying to push them off. But one kicked me hard in the stomach, and another yanked my hair and slammed my head into the wall.
• “Please stop! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
• I was knocked to the ground again and again, my cries drowned by their mocking laughter.
• “Look at her. Doesn’t she look like a dog now?”
• “Exactly! Like a wild dog begging on the floor!”
• Their insults hit harder. My resistance meant nothing; it was just a pathetic joke to them.
• The reason I was treated this way was all for the sake of someone I loved.
• Seven years ago, I took the blame for my husband's crime. I stood in court, pregnant, and signed a confession for a crime he committed.
• I did it because they said a lighter sentence was possible during pregnancy. So, I gave up my freedom for Marius's successful career.
• Before going to prison, Marius suddenly acquired my family's assets. He told me, "The company is in trouble and on the verge of bankruptcy. If I don’t take it over, everything your father built will collapse. I’ll save it for you.”
• I was grateful for what Marius had done. If he hadn’t stepped in, my father’s years of hard work would have been destroyed.
• But not long ago, a woman came into the prison and stopped by my cell. From her, I learned about Marius and my daughter.
• She said, "You're living a miserable life here, unlike your husband. He and your daughter are doing just fine outside!”
• "Not only are they doing well, but your daughter even has a new mother! She looks just like you, pretty, too…”
• When I heard that, my first thought was that she was lying. I was still in prison; how could my daughter have another mother?
• No matter what she said, I refused to believe it.
• Because I believed in them, I believed that my husband and daughter would never betray me. Mari and Zaza were still waiting for me outside. As long as I hold on a little longer, I can go out and see them...
• I was still being beaten when the prison guard appeared at the door, knocking his baton against the bars.
• "What's going on here!"
• They stopped what they were doing.
• Turning to see the prison guard at the door, they exchanged a glance, a flash of fierceness in their eyes.
• The female leader pointed at me, looking all innocent. “It’s her. She went crazy and started trouble with us!”
• "Oh really?"
• "Of course!" the others laughed maliciously.
• I lay on the ground, my hair messy and covering my bloodied face, one eye burning and swollen shut.
• The prison guard walked into the cell, and the women stepped aside. As he came closer, he reached a hand toward me.
• Still gripped by fear, I thought he was going to hit me too. I screamed, “Ah! Don’t hit me, don’t hit me!”
• The prison guard impatiently pushed away my hand, grabbed my hair angrily, and forced me to look up. "Since you're so emotionally unstable, I'll take you to calm down!"
• He grabbed my hair and pulled me up from the ground, causing a sharp pain in my scalp.
• I struggled, crying out, "Let go of me! It hurts, let go!"
• The other female prisoners saw this scene and burst into loud laughter, some holding back malicious smiles.
• The guard shoved me into the dark room.
• There were no windows, just a single weak light above. The space felt small, the shadows heavy.
• In the moment of being pushed in, the fear from my memories suddenly surged.
• I froze for a heartbeat, then started struggling hard to break free. “Let go of me!”
• "Shut up!"
• He threw me down onto the hard board. Before I could move, he pinned my head with one hand.
• He glared into my face."Try moving again!" As he said this, he silently increased the pressure on his hands.
• I heard the sound of metal and leather colliding, as well as the sound of a quick draw.
• My head was caught between the bed board and his hands, the pain making it hard to breathe. "I won't resist anymore, please let me go!"
• "Please, don't hit me!" I pushed him with my hands, kicked him with my feet, but nothing worked.
• He was angered by my actions, raised his hand, and slapped me hard a few times. "Shut up! You're so annoying!"
• The sharp sound of the slaps echoed in the room. My left ear rang, one side going strangely quiet.
• The prison guard looked at the tears on my face with disgust. He raised his hand and brought the belt down with a loud crack.
• "Ah! Ah!" My screams filled the dim air.
• Pain burned through me, my fingers digging deep into the board.
• He grabbed my chin, forcing my head up. "Scream, keep screaming! Cooperate with me here, and you'll have an easier time."
• "Enough..." My neck was being squeezed, my voice hoarse, like it had been scraped raw. "Please... spare me, please..."
• He smirked. "Your skin looks so white. Anyway, it's your last day, why not let me 'appreciate' it."
• My eyes widened. “What are you going to do?!”
• "Do what I want."
• Just then, the door slammed open.
• The female guard outside took one look at the scene and barked, “What are you doing?”
• The guard froze, turning to her. “Why are you here?”
• "If I didn't come, who knows what stupid thing you would have done!" The female guard pulled the guard away. "Hurry up and get dressed, or I'll report this!"
• The male guard pulled back the belt with reluctance and left.
• "2719, you..."
• I stared at a fixed spot, empty, unresponsive.
• "2719?"
• When I still didn’t move, she shoved my shoulder and shouted, “2719!”
• My hazy brain gradually cleared, and my body began to shake uncontrollably.
• She said coldly, "2719, you can be released today."
• The news of my release that I had been looking forward to was now like a knife of humiliation.
• My low, sobbing voice was almost inaudible, yet painfully clear.
• The female guard tossed a set of clothes onto the floor in front of me. “Hurry up and put them on.”
• As the door shut, I slowly sat up, trembling as I hugged my knees, finally crying out loud.