Chapter 1 Betrayal

“Rose Laurence, you have a visitor.”

The female guard’s voice broke through the damp silence of the prison cell. Rose’s heart skipped a beat, a fragile spark of hope flickering inside the darkness that had been her world for months. She quickly stood up, one hand instinctively holding her swollen belly.

“Someone’s here to see me?” Rose whispered, her voice trembling between disbelief and joy.

“Yes. Someone asked to meet you today,” the guard replied.

Rose couldn’t hide the sudden rush of excitement. “Who is it, Ma’am? Is it Jody, my fiancé?” Her weary eyes began to glimmer with life again.

“That’s what he said,” the guard answered flatly, unlocking the cell door.

A faint smile touched Rose’s lips as she stroked her belly. “Finally, he came,” she murmured. She walked slowly down the narrow corridor, past the rows of cells. Other inmates called her name, offering brief greetings, but she only smiled in return. Her steps were heavy, yet she forced herself to stand tall.

When she reached the visitation room, Rose’s eyes immediately searched for him.

There Jody. Just as handsome as she remembered, though the smile on his face felt wrong, distant. What struck her harder was the sight of his hand tightly holding another’s, Lusy’s, her best friend.

Rose froze. Her chest tightened, her breath caught in her throat. “Jody ...?”

Lusy spoke first, her tone sweet but edged with cruelty. “Hi, Rose. It’s been a while.”

Jody stared at her without warmth. “How are you?” he asked flatly.

Despite the growing unease clawing inside her, Rose forced a small smile. “As you can see, I’m ... fine.” Her eyes fell to their interlocked hands. As if realizing they’d been caught, Jody and Lusy slowly pulled apart.

“Jo, you finally came. I’m here because of you I took the blame so you could be free. I ...”

“Stop, Rose.” Jody raised a hand, cutting her off. “That’s not why I’m here.”

“That’s right,” Lusy added quickly, her lips curling into a mocking smile. “We actually came to give you good news.”

Rose blinked in confusion. “Good news?”

Lusy lifted her hand, showing off a glittering diamond ring on her finger. “We’re getting engaged next week,” she said, her smile bright and cruel.

Rose’s mouth fell open. Her body went cold. “You... you must be joking.”

“No one’s joking here,” Jody replied sharply, his tone cutting like glass. “This is real.” He caressed Lusy’s hand gently.

“But what about me, Jo?” Rose’s voice broke. “You promised, after I got out, we’d get married.”

“Marry you?” Jody sneered. “Don’t be ridiculous, Rose. I’d never marry a convict.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “But ... I’m carrying your child, Jo.”

Jody gave a short, cruel laugh. “My child? You’re sure about that?”

“Of course it’s yours! Who else, ”

Lusy interrupted, smirking. “Don’t play innocent. Maybe that’s someone else’s baby, and you’re just trying to trap him.”

“Lusy!” Rose trembled, her voice rising. “I treated you like my own sister! You know I loved Jody.”

Jody’s lips twisted into a mocking grin. “And you think your loyalty means anything to me?”

Rose frowned in confusion. “What do you mean, Jody?”

Lusy leaned closer to the glass, her expression sharp. “He’s mine now, Rose. The two billion rupiah in your account? That was company money.”

“Jody transferred it to you,” she continued. “He used your name to hide the embezzlement. That money funded our engagement.”

Rose stared at them in disbelief. “So ... you framed me?”

Jody nodded casually, a cruel smile playing on his lips. “You were just too easy to use.”

Memories stabbed through Rose’s mind, her coworkers’ accusing eyes, the humiliation of being dragged away, the message from her boss that ended her career: ‘You’re fired, Rose. We’ve reported you for embezzlement. Don’t ever come back.’

Rose’s voice shook. “You used me, Jody.”

He leaned back in his chair, smirking. “Finally catching on, huh?”

Rose’s throat tightened. “I went to prison for you ... because I loved you.”

Jody burst out laughing. “Love? You’re pathetic. You went to jail for me, and I didn’t even ask you to. You’re just a pawn, Rose, nothing more.”

Lusy clapped her hands lightly. “And such a useful pawn you were. Thanks to your stupidity, we’re living a perfect life out there.”

Rose shook her head weakly. “You’ll never be happy this way.”

“Enough of the drama,” Jody said coldly, standing up. “Consider this our last conversation.”

“Jody! Please, don’t leave. For your child’s sake, please don’t do this.”

Jody’s eyes darkened with disgust. “My child? Don’t kid yourself. That thing inside you isn’t mine. I’m not even sure you were pure when we met.”

The words sliced through Rose like a blade. Suddenly, memories she’d buried clawed to the surface, the night in the hotel, the drink Lusy handed her, the dizzying heat that followed. She remembered reaching for someone, thinking it was Jody ... but the face had been blurred, unfamiliar.

“Jody!” she screamed, her voice raw.

Lusy only smiled. “Face it, Rose. The world’s cruel. Especially to stupid women like you.”

Then she leaned closer, whispering coldly, “By the way ... I was the one who sold you.”

Rose’s eyes widened in horror. “What do you mean?”

“The rich man paid well,” Lusy sneered. “He wanted to test his fertility. I needed the money. You were perfect for it. That’s why you’re pregnant now, Rose. That baby in your belly, it’s not Jody’s. It’s his.”

“Damn you, Lusy!” Rose shouted, fists trembling.

Jody wrapped an arm around Lusy’s waist. “We should go, babe. This place stinks.”

Lusy grinned, her voice honeyed and cruel. “Thank you, Rose. Without your stupidity, we’d never have this life.”

They turned to leave.

“Goodbye, Rose,” Jody said, his tone dripping with disdain.

The heavy metal door slammed shut behind them.

Rose stood frozen, tears streaking her face. “Don’t leave me, Jody …” she sobbed.

Then pain shot through her abdomen. Her knees buckled.

“Ah, please … help me!” she gasped, clutching her belly.

The guard rushed in. “Rose! What’s wrong?”

“My stomach … it hurts …” Her voice broke into shallow breaths as warm fluid

pooled beneath her. Her water had broken, streaked with blood.

“Call the medic, now!” the guard shouted in panic.