She Was Never Just the Wife novel Chapter 86

Chapter 86

It was inside the visitation room at the Silvergate Suburban Women’s Prison.

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Aiyana sat on a cold plastic chair, fixated on the live broadcast playing on the TV screen, with thick bulletproof glass between her and the screen. It was the opening ceremony for a reconstruction project in Kenyelle, streamed to the world.

On the screen, the woman she loathed to her core, Celia, was bathed in the morning sunlight.

She had no fancy dress, no elaborate makeup, just a simple khaki work uniform, yet her presence prompted politicians, tribal chiefs, and international scholars to rise in respect.

Eddie’s trembling voice echoed through the interpreter. “We call her ‘Angel,’ and we call her ‘Rose.”

The red silk was drawn aside, unveiling the statue.

Aiyana’s hand clenched so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palm, leaving bloody crescents.

She stared at the screen, at locals standing in devotion, at the admiring looks from international aid reps, and at Celia quietly taking it all with composed grace; her fury was boiling.

She let out a hysterical scream, smashing her palms against the bulletproof glass with a dull thud. The prison guard quickly pinned her down. “Inmate 7564, calm down!”

“Let go of me. Let go!” Aiyana thrashed wildly, her eyes blazing red with rage. “Why? Why does she get to bask in glory while I’m stuck rotting in here? I can’t stand it. I won’t accept this!”

She was dragged out of the visitation room and hauled back to her cell. Her screams echoed down the empty corridor, like a beast driven mad by despair.

The cell door slammed shut with a heavy thud.

Aiyana slumped onto the cold concrete floor, shaking all over, not from fear but from rage, and an overwhelming hatred flooded her veins.

She’d been sentenced to a year, with another year of probation. And her parents, and her so-called perfect sister, Laylah…

Then she suddenly let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “They’re all liars… every last one of them…”

Visiting hours had arrived.

Aiyana was escorted back to the visitation room. This time, it was the old butler from her family, a man who had served them faithfully for over twenty years.

He picked up the phone on his side of the glass, and Aiyana numbly lifted the receiver.

“Ms. Stein, the butler said, his voice heavy with concern. “Your parents asked me to come check on you.”

Aiyana’s eyes sparkled. “Did Mom and Dad figure something out? Are they going to get me out of here? I can’t take another day in this place! I need out!”

The butler paused for a few seconds and then spoke quietly. “Your parents said… they wanted you to stay here and work on yourself, and it would straighten out your attitude.”

The hope on Aiyana’s face vanished in an instant. “What… what do you mean?”

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“Your father said this whole mess has ruined the family’s reputation,” the butler said, unable to meet her eyes. “You’ll have to stay here for a while.

“Once your sister Laylah’s situation with Beckham is settled, your father will find you a good match, someone from a wealthy family, someone who matches our status…”

Aiyana burst out laughing, tears streaming down her face. “A good match? Some rich heir? I’m a convict now! I’ve got a criminal record! Who the hell would want me now? Huh?”

Her voice suddenly turned razor-sharp. “They’re going to toss me aside, aren’t they? I’m nothing but an embarrassment now, useless, so they’ll leave me here to rot! And then they’ll put all their energy into propping up that bitch Laylah! Isn’t that it?”

“Ms. Stein, please don’t say that…” the butler pleaded.

“Then what am I supposed to say?” Aiyana shot to her feet, only to be shoved back down by the guard. She screamed into the phone, “Go back and tell them! Tell them I hate them!

“I hate Laylah! Everything I did was for the Stein family, to help Laylah climb higher. Now that things blew up, I’m their cast-coff? Dream on. Even if I go down, I’ll make sure they go down with me.”

The butler let out a heavy sigh, shook his head, and hung up the phone.

Aiyana watched his back fade away through the visitation room door, feeling like all the strength had been sucked out of her as she slumped into the chair.

‘So this is what it really feels like. To be thrown away, Aiyana thought bitterly. Turns out, in Mom and Dad’s eyes, I’ll never be good enough compared to Laylah. Family? What a joke. When it comes to their interests, I’m nothing to them.

She remembered all the things she’d done to Celia: drugging her, spreading rumors, paying for online smear campaigns, and publicly shaming her at that charity gala… Every single time, she thought she was doing the Stein family a favor, helping Laylah rise.

‘Look at me now. Celia is getting all the glory on the international stage, while I’m rotting away in prison. How ironic!’ she thought.

A few days later, it was visiting day again.

Aiyana had already given up hope. She walked into the visitation room on autopilot, but froze when she saw who was waiting on the other side of the glass.

It was a woman in her thirties, dressed in a tasteful champagne-colored suit, her makeup flawless, her whole presence elegant and refined. She wasn’t from the Stein family, and Aiyana didn’t recognize her at all.

The woman picked up the phone and gave a small smile. “Ms. Aiyana Stein?”

Aiyana eyed her warily. “Who are you?”

“Someone who can help you,” the woman replied, her voice calm and steady. “Or rather, someone who wants to make a deal with you.”

“A deal?” Aiyana scoffed, her voice icy. “Is there anything left for me to trade? I’m a convict now, a reject abandoned by my own family.”

“Everyone has their own value,” the woman said, idly stirring her coffee. “For instance, your hatred for the Stein family, for

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Laylah, and… for Celia.”

Aiyana’s eyes sharpened. Just who are you?”

The woman said as she set down her coffee cup and locked her eyes with Aiyana, “Who I am isn’t important.

“What matters is, I can get you out early, and it isn’t parole, but with your criminal record completely erased, as if you never set foot in prison.”

Aiyana’s heart raced. “What’s the deal?”

“It’s simple,” the woman smiled. “Someday, I’ll ask you for a favor. Relax, nothing criminal, no murder, no arson, nothing shady. It might be something small, like handing over an item, passing a message, or saying a few words in certain situations.”

Aiyana glared at her, eyes burning. “Why me?”

“Because you’ve got nowhere left to turn,” the woman said softly, every word cutting deep. “Your family has abandoned you, the Stein family can’t stand you, and your perfect sister Laylah is too busy trying to win over Beckham to care about you.

“Right now, the only thing you have left is your hatred, for everyone.”

She paused and then added, “And of course, there’s your identity. Even if you’ve been thrown away by your family, you’re still their daughter. In some situations, that makes you more useful than anyone else.”

Aiyana fell silent.

She watched the woman across the glass; she was so elegant, so calm, with that air of absolute confidence, like she was in complete control. The woman was right, and Aiyana had no way out.

Every day in prison was hell. She was sick of the crude inmates, the awful food, and the utter lack of dignity. She was only in her twenties, and she wasn’t going to let herself rot here.

“Fine. I’ll do it,” Aiyana spat out, almost grinding her teeth. “If you can get me out, I’ll agree to anything.”

The woman smiled; it was a beautiful smile that somehow sent a chill down Aiyana’s spine. “Excellent. Here’s to a smooth partnership.”

She stood, pausing at the door to give Aiyana one last look. “A lawyer will reach out to you soon. Just remember that today never happened, and you never met me.”

The woman exited the visitation room, and the sharp click of her heels echoed down the corridor, fading into silence.

Aiyana was still clutching the phone, her palm slick with sweat.

‘I don’t know who she is, what she wants, or what she’ll have me do, Aiyana thought numbly. But none of that matters

anymore.

What mattered was that she was getting out.

She could finally leave this hellhole, breathe free air again, and get her revenge… mostly revenge.

A cold, dangerous fire ignited in Aiyana’s eyes. She was going to make the Stein family pay, make Laylah pay, and make everyone who had abandoned her and used her pay for what they had done.

As for Celia… Aiyana sneered to herself. ‘So she’s basking in glory now, huh? Doesn’t matter. Once I’m out and have a new backer, I’ll have all the time and opportunities I need to strike back.

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