Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1

From the classroom to the altar, Lillian Mercer was there as Sebastian Blake built his empire. He swore he’d love her for eternity.

Later, at the scene of the crime, Sebastian told her, “Bella is indispensable to the company. You take the fall for her. When you get out, we’ll go back to the way things were.”

Even their three-year-old son cried, calling her a murderer.

Her own family added their voice: “Bella’s project is critical to the Mercer family’s survival. Do this for her, and we’ll make it up to you when you return.”

But when she was released, she cut all ties, amassed a billion-dollar fortune, and donated every last cent.

Her husband, her son, and her family couldn't beg her to come back, not even on their knees.

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“Lillian, you’re free to go.”

The cell door swung open, a guard calling her name. Lillian looked up, stunned, taking a moment before she stepped forward.

“Excuse me, has my application for medical parole been approved?”

She had applied multiple times, but for some reason, each one had been rejected without explanation.

The guard snapped, “You’re being released. Stop asking so many questions.”

Without an answer, Lillian quickly gathered her few belongings: the cell phone and a diamond necklace that had been stored away when she was admitted.

The main diamond on the pendant was stained with a speck of what looked like blood, soaked deep into the stone.

It was a gift from her grandmother on the day of the incident, and it had been splattered with her blood when she fell down the stairs, hitting her head.

At the time, she and Bella Ward had been arguing. Bella had lashed out, accidentally shoving her grandmother down the staircase.

Someone called the police, and after a cold calculation of risks and benefits, Lillian was pushed forward to take the blame.

Young and proud, she’d gone with the police in a fit of defiance, never imagining she’d be sentenced to three years.

Two years had passed. Stepping out of the prison, she felt like she was emerging into a different world.

A very ordinary car was parked outside the prison gates.

The driver spotted her and immediately got out.

“Ma’am, I’m here to take you home.”

“Stephen, this...”

The Blake and Mercer family garages were filled with luxury cars. Why was he driving his personal vehicle?

“Mr. Blake said my car is more low-key. He felt the family cars shouldn't be tainted by the bad luck of a place like this.”

So, it was about bad luck.

But whose fault was it that she’d spent the last two years in this unlucky place?

No one had visited her in two years. That was probably the reason, too.

In the car, Stephen mentioned that the Mercer and Blake families had arranged for her medical parole, allowing for her early release.

Her legitimate applications, filed because she was truly sick, had been mysteriously blocked time and again.

Yet, their fabricated one had sailed through with ease.

Wait a minute.

If they had this kind of influence, why hadn't they gotten her out sooner?

Why now?

The Blake residence.

Lillian stared at the familiar house, a storm of emotions churning inside her.

This had been her and Sebastian’s marital home, the place where their son, Noah Blake, was born.

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