Chapter 1 Still in Prison

"It's been a while since we made love..."

Tristan Lancaster's thin lips brushed against Harriet Getty's ear, his deep, husky voice dripping with seduction.

"Tristan, I need to get to the hospital."

Harriet dodged his approaching kiss.

"Just once!"

Time seemed to stretch endlessly.

It wasn't until Harriet felt she might faint that Tristan finally let her go.

"Did I hurt you?" Tristan's deep, pleasant voice came from beside her ear. "I'll have someone buy you the latest designer bag."

Harriet slowly opened her eyes to look at him.

Tristan was incredibly handsome, his features astonishingly perfect, and his demeanor cold and aloof. Perhaps because they had just made love, there was still a trace of desire on his flawless face.

After three years of marriage, Harriet could tell he had enjoyed himself.

That's why he was being so generous.

Harriet gave a bitter smile. "Did you forget I'm still in prison?"

"Then you can use it after you're released."

Harriet's heart ached sharply!

He spoke so casually, as if her imprisonment was just a vacation.

"Aren't you getting out soon?" Tristan's hand gently touched her face in a comforting manner. "I told you, a year goes by quickly."

Harriet fought back her tears, grabbing his hand, her voice dry and strained. "The hospital notified me that my grandma isn't feeling well. Do you have time to come with me to see her?"

Being in prison, Harriet couldn't leave freely.

Fortunately, due to her good behavior, she had been granted a day of family leave.

She had left the prison early in the morning, intending to go straight to the hospital. But she worried her grandmother, Cleo Getty, would be concerned if she saw her in her prison clothes, so she returned to change. That's when she ran into Tristan, who had just returned from a business trip abroad.

She was anxious to get to the hospital, but Tristan insisted on making love, delaying her all morning.

Harriet thought it might be a good thing to run into him. Cleo would be happy to see him if they went together.

But the next moment, Tristan pulled his hand away.

Harriet's heart felt empty!

"I have things to do this afternoon. You go by yourself." Tristan got up, took a bank card from the bedside drawer, and handed it to her. "Buy something nice for your grandma."

Harriet wasn't surprised; this wasn't the first time he used money to brush her off.

He never understood that what Cleo needed wasn't money, but to see them as a loving couple.

Tristan left after showering and getting dressed, without even saying goodbye.

Harriet got up and tidied up briefly. When she got out of bed, her legs were still trembling.

She cooked some Congee, packed it, and headed to the hospital, planning to give it to Cleo.

When she walked into the hospital room, Harriet froze, the bag in her hand dropping to the floor!

"Grandma!"

Cleo had always been frail and hospitalized long-term, but she had never needed a ventilator like this before!

Harriet rushed forward, calling out anxiously. "Grandma, I'm back. Open your eyes and look at me, Grandma!"

Cleo struggled to open her eyes, a glimmer of light appearing in her old, dull eyes. "Harriet, you're here."

"What's wrong, Grandma?" Harriet asked urgently. "The nurse said you were just feeling a bit unwell and missed me. How did it get this serious?"

"I didn't want to scare you, so I told the nurse to say that. Harriet, I'm not going to make it."

"No!"

Harriet grabbed her hand, looking closely at Cleo.

She could tell that Cleo's time was near.

Tears streamed down her face, her heart breaking.

"Harriet, life and death are natural. Don't cry." Cleo caressed her face. "Having such a devoted granddaughter like you, I have no regrets. I'm just worried about you."

"Grandma, please don't leave me!" Harriet wiped her tears away and forced a smile. "I'll be out of prison in a month. I'll be with you every day after that. You've always wanted to go back to the countryside, right? Once you're better, we'll go..."

"Alright." Cleo looked at her lovingly. "Bring Tristan too. I want you two to give me a beautiful, great-grandchild."

Knowing it was impossible, Harriet still nodded firmly. "Okay, he'll agree. He wanted to come see you, but there was an urgent matter at the company."

"Work is important."

Cleo took an amulet from under her pillow and placed it in Harriet's hand.

It was wrapped in a gold border, a rare and precious piece.

"Harriet, keep this safe. It's yours..."

Before Cleo could finish, the door to the room suddenly opened.

Tristan entered, wearing a custom-tailored dark suit, his tall, slender figure exuding an innate elegance.

Harriet's eyes lit up. "Grandma, Tristan's here. Tristan came to see you!"

Tristan approached the bed, but his expression was off.

Usually calm and composed, his face now showed a hint of nervousness and unease. "Harriet, Lark is sick and needs you to donate blood immediately."

Harriet was stunned. She had thought Tristan was worried about Cleo, but it turned out to be about Lark Brown!

Of course, in this world, the woman Tristan loved most was his childhood sweetheart, Lark. No one could compare to her!

Harriet swallowed her pain, choking out, "Grandma is in critical condition. I need to stay with her. Tristan, can't Lark use the blood bank's supply?"

"Rh-negative O blood is rare, and this hospital doesn't have any. The nearest blood bank is over an hour away. By the time the blood arrives, it might be too late." Tristan grabbed her wrist, pulling her out. "Harriet, this is a matter of life and death. You have to go!"

"I need to stay with my grandma! Let go of me!" Harriet struggled, but it was futile.

"Harriet... Harriet!" Cleo reached out towards her from the bed, urgently trying to speak. "There's something about your birth I've never told you. Actually, you..."

"Grandma!"

Harriet was pulled out of the room and taken directly to the blood donation center.

Normally, a person shouldn't donate more than a pint of blood, but Tristan insisted that Lark needed more, so they took two pints.

After donating, Harriet's face was as pale as a sheet.

She forced herself to stand, leaning against the wall as she made her way back to Cleo's room, only to find the ventilator had stopped working, and a white sheet covered Cleo's frail body!

Her vision spun, and she collapsed to the floor.

She didn't even have the strength to cry, crawling towards Cleo with difficulty.

"No... Grandma... please don't leave me..."

She knelt by the bed, holding Cleo's body, overwhelmed with grief.

"Harriet, I'm sorry for your loss."

Tristan's deep, indifferent voice came from behind her. "By the way, Lark is out of danger. Thank you... Also, the prison called. It's time for you to go back."

Harriet's heart ached so much she could barely breathe. She grabbed Tristan's pant leg, pleading, "Tristan, please help me talk to the prison. Grandma just passed away. I need to stay to keep vigil and handle her affairs."

Tristan frowned. "Prisons aren't places you can negotiate with money. I know you're upset, but you need to think before you speak."

"Am I not thinking?" Harriet looked up at him. "I've been in prison for eleven months, taken out four times to donate blood to Lark, all because you paid for it. Why can't you do it now?"

"It's different."