But Bradley did bring a letter, saying, “Three years will pass quickly. When you’re out, we’ll come to get you. We’re still family. You’ve made such a great contribution to the family, and we will make it up to you.”

I scoffed at that.

Since childhood, I had been sent to live with my grandparents while Bradley stayed with my parents. As their business grew, they never considered bringing me back. Instead, they adopted a daughter—Sarah.

After my father’s death in a car accident, my mother suddenly remembered me and wanted to bring me home. Once I returned, they were all loving and close, and I had just managed to get into college and leave them behind.

In my third year, they pulled that stunt on me.

Jack arrived at the door and saw Bradley standing there. “Hey, Bradley, what are you doing here?”

Bradley stammered, “Avie is sulking and won’t open the door.”

“Avie isn’t home, right? If she were, she’d open the door for you.” Without thinking, Jack pulled out a key and unlocked the door.

The moment the door opened, Bradley tried to follow inside. I stepped to the door and blocked him, only letting Jack in. “Mr. Chasey, please leave. You’re not welcome here.”

“Avie, I’m your brother!” Bradley’s face was full of anguish as he looked at me with pleading eyes. “Come home with me. I’ll make it up to you!”

“Will you send Sarah to prison and give me back the three years of my life that you stole?” I glared coldly at Bradley. “Such hypocrisy!”

Jack set down the food he was carrying and stood beside me. “I just said you were coming home to see a seriously ill mother. The next day, you’re in prison for intentional harm. I saw Bradley and Sarah’s mother—she’s perfectly healthy, not even a backache!”

“Of course, you was raised by her own hand and Sarah was the daughter she handpicked. As for me, she never cared at all. The "lumbar strain" was just an excuse to lure me back, disgusting!” I shoved Bradley out the door and locked it behind him.

“You’ve grown taller and seem even more beautiful!” Jack assessed me. “And your temper’s gotten worse!”

“I can’t be kind to them. I never expected you’d keep in touch after learning about my imprisonment.” I reached out and gently hugged him.

At that moment, I truly felt the urge to cry.

Three years ago, we were friends with an unspoken romance; he had just confessed his feelings to me. If things had been different, we might have been together now, but that possibility was now gone.

Who would want a woman with a criminal record?

“I don’t believe you would intentionally harm anyone, and I don’t think there were any emotional disputes with others. The only people around you would be me and Bradley.”

I gently pulled away from Jack’s embrace, but he held me tightly. “Avie, what really happened? Over the past three years, I’ve tried to reach out to Bradley and your mother, but they never told me about your situation.”