Chapter 9: Life in prison

Chapter 9: Life in prison

The other inmates whispered whenever Audrey passed. "That's her," they said. "The billionaire's new wife... the murderer."

It was painful to hear.

That afternoon, after lunch, the whispers turned into jeers.

Audrey sat on her thin mattress, staring blankly at the wall. Her head throbbed from lack of sleep. The world outside had forgotten her, she thought. Even Yvonne hadn't written for once and she didn't know why.

Suddenly, her cell door opened.

"Out," An inmate commanded.

Audrey kept her head down and her hands folded, her orange jumpsuit already stained from the week before when someone had thrown soup at her.

She could feel heavy and hateful eyes on her.

"Look who's out," sneered a woman from the corner. She was tall, built like a wrestler, her name tag faded but recognizable: Dahlia. Her grin showed a gold tooth. "Our celebrity killer."

The others laughed cruelly.

Audrey's steps faltered. "Please... I don't want any trouble."

"Oh, you already got trouble, sweetheart," said another inmate, cracking her knuckles. "You killed a man people respected, a man who fed children, built schools. He is the reason my brother went to school and got a good job after graduating. You don't deserve to breathe."

"I didn't..." Audrey started, her voice trembling, "I didn't kill him..."

The first punch came before she finished, her head snapped sideways.

The next hit sent her sprawling to the ground. The others at the end barely glanced over, they'd seen worse and cared less.

Pain exploded across her ribs. She gasped, her breath cut off by another kick.

"Stop!" she cried. "Please!"

"Say it!" Dahlia shouted, stomping near her head. "Say you killed him! Say you murdered that man!"

"I didn't!" Audrey sobbed, tears mixing with dirt and blood. "I love him!"

Another hit silenced her. Someone grabbed her hair and yanked her head up.

"Liar!" spat one of the women, her eyes gleaming with rage. "He gave money to this country, and you-what? You killed him because he married you and you wanted his health all to yourself?"

"Trash like you don't deserve daylight," Dahlia growled.

Then, from the far corner, a group of male inmates one of them, a tall man with tattoos crawling up his arms, grinned.

"Well, well," he said, smirking. "A famous one, huh?"

"Keep walking, Raymond," An inmate said. "It's women's affairs."

Raymond chuckled. "Just saying. Might be fun to meet a celebrity."

The way he said it made Audrey's blood run cold.

His eyes dragged over her, hungry, dark.

He took a step closer.

"Back off!" Dahlia shouted, though her tone was more amused than protective.

Raymond ignored her. "You girls already had your fun. Now it's our turn."

"No," Audrey whimpered, backing away on her elbows. "No, please-"

"Grab her," Raymond said.

Before she could crawl away, his hand shot forward, grabbing her wrist. Audrey screamed, twisting violently.

"Let her go." The voice said.

Audrey froze. So did the men.

From the shadows near the wall, a man stepped out. He was tall, broad shouldered, his black hair messy and damp. His brown eyes were hard and sharp.

"Tennessee?" Raymond spat.

They all stepped back instantly.

"Alright," muttered one of the women. "Let's move."

Dahlia grumbled something under her breath and left too, dragging the others along. In seconds, the place cleared, leaving Audrey trembling on the ground, her lip bleeding, her eyes wide.

Tennessee extended his hand. "Get up."

She hesitated, then took it, flinching at the roughness of his grip. He pulled her to her feet easily.

"You shouldn't cry here," he said flatly. "They smell weakness."

Audrey wiped her tears, sniffling. "Thank you."

He looked at her for a long second before answering. "Let's go to my room."

"Your room?" she repeated softly.

He nodded. "Come on."

She followed him to his room quietly.

She frowned softly. "I didn't kill him," she said finally. "I didn't kill Izo Whitmore."

His gaze snapped back to her. "I know."

She blinked. "You... do?"

"I know because he's not dead. I know him," Tennessee said. His tone was bitter, dark. "Better than anyone in this rotten place."

"Is Claudia your mother?" Audrey asked.

"Izo killed my mother," he said softly. "I'm his illegitimate son. He sent me here when I threatened to expose him for killing my mother."

Her eyes widened, disbelief flooding her. "No... that's not possible..Izo is a good man."

Tennessee leaned back against the wall. "Listen carefully. I have a plan."

"A plan?" she echoed.

"Yes." His tone softened slightly. "You and I are going to get married."

Audrey blinked rapidly, thinking she'd misheard. "Married?"

He nodded. "Here in prison."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Are you insane?"

"Maybe," he said simply. "But it'll work."

Audrey stood abruptly. "You expect me to marry you, a man I just met... inside this hellhole? I am only aware Izo has two kids. Why would I marry you?"

"It's the only way we can make noise." His voice was steady, logical. "Think about it. The media loves stories like this - the girl who killed her husband on their wedding night is marrying the man's son that is also an inmate. It'll go viral. Izo will see it. And trust me, it'll drive him mad."

Her breath caught. "Why would it make him mad?"

"Because he hates losing control," Tennessee said, his eyes glinting. "He faked his death to destroy you, to destroy your name. If you do something he can't predict, something that stains his pride, he'll react. He'll make a move. And when he does, we'll catch it."

Audrey shook her head. "That's insane..."

"He wouldn't want his illegitimate son in prison trending," he said again. "But staying quiet isn't saving you, is it? The world thinks you're a murderer. Nobody cares. The inmates want you dead. If we do this, if we get married the world will have to look at us again. They'll have to listen."

She sat slowly on the bed, her mind spinning. "You really think it'll reach him?"

Tennessee nodded. "He watches everything. Trust me."

Audrey rubbed her wrists, staring at the wall. "I can't believe this. He told me he loved me. He said I was his everything. And now I'm here..."

"That's how he works," Tennessee said quietly. "He builds love just to break it. You're not the first. My mother was a victim."

She looked up sharply. "And you think I should marry you to... get his attention?"

"I think you should marry me to survive," he said firmly. "To fight back. To show him the game isn't over."

Audrey's eyes glistened. "You sound like you've planned this for a while."

"I have," Tennessee admitted. "But I couldn't do it alone. I needed someone like you, someone he can't ignore."

Then, finally, she whispered, "If I do this... it'll be to prove something."

"What?"

"That Izo Whitmore is truly dead," she said, lifting her gaze, her voice trembling but fierce. "And not playing with me. Not taking revenge."

Tennessee's lips curved into a grim smile. "Fine, let's do it."

Audrey nodded slowly.