Page 2 of My husband wants me to take the fall for his first love

Naturally, Aiden hadn't heard Theo's words.

Even after getting in the car, he was still cursing under his breath while holding Zoey's hand to comfort her.

He said, "Don't worry. She'll definitely come out. I still have Stella in my handsI don't believe she won't care about Stella."

Zoey's grip tightened on the steering wheel, but she said nothing.

Aiden snorted coldly and continued, "If push comes to shove, I'll go to the school tomorrow and pick up Stella myself. I'll bring Stella right to her face, and then let's see how she keeps playing dead."

The sharp screech of brakes suddenly pierced the air. The car swerved toward the roadside, nearly hitting the guardrail.

Aiden jumped in fright, quickly grabbing the handle. "What are you doing?"

Zoey's face was pale as she struggled to steady the steering wheel.

She said, "It's nothing. I think I hit some gravel back there."

Aiden clearly didn't buy this excuse.

He frowned as he studied Zoey, asking, "You look terrible. Are you too stressed about the case?"

Zoey avoided his gaze, frantically shifting gears.

She said, "A little. After all, this situation is different from last time."

Aiden chuckled and sighed.

He said, "Silly girl, what are you afraid of when I'm here? I was able to handle something as big as last year's incident, and this time will be the same. As long as Liliana agrees to take the blame for you, she'll be out in two years at most."

He paused, his tone hardening. "If she's smart, she'll come out right away. Otherwise, I'll make Stella drop out and work for the rest of her lifeshe'll never succeed."

Floating in the back seat, I noticed Zoey's eyes darting around nervously, sweat beading on her forehead.

She wasn't nervous about the caseshe was clearly afraid that the truth about Stella would be exposed.

Just half a month after I entered prison last year, I received a letter that Stella had someone deliver to me.

She said Zoey kept coming to the house to harass her, calling her a burden who dragged others down.

I was so frantic I kept hitting the walls, but there was nothing I could do.

Soon after, I stopped receiving letters altogether.

After asking fellow inmates to investigate, I learned that on Stella's way home from school, Zoey had forced her into a van and taken her away.

Later, after having people search for a long time, I discovered that Zoey had sold Stella to an old man in the remote mountains as his wife, all for twenty thousand dollars.

Those years I spent in prison like a madwoman, enduring each day and hoping to get out and find Stella.

But the moment I walked out of the prison gates, before I could even start asking around, I was cornered in an alley by the victim's family.

"Alright, stop overthinking." Aiden comforted Zoey. "Once we find Liliana, I'll make her take responsibility for everything. Then we can go abroad for a vacation, how about that?"

Zoey nodded halfheartedly, her fingers drumming restlessly on the steering wheel.

She was definitely wondering what to do if Aiden really went to the school looking for Stella.

Stella hadn't been at that school for a long time.

Aiden suddenly said, "No, I should call the school teacher right now to confirm whether Stella is there or not."

He started to pull out his phone.

"Don't!" Zoey suddenly raised her voice.

Seeing Aiden's confused expression, she quickly lowered her voice again.

She said, "It's already eveningdon't disturb the teacher's rest. I'll go with you first thing tomorrow morning, and we can buy her some things to show we care."

Only then did Aiden put down his phone. "You're acting strange today."

"How so?" Zoey forced a smile, though panic flickered in her eyes. "I just don't want you to worryI want to put your mind at ease."

The car continued forward. Zoey's grip on the steering wheel never loosened, her knuckles white with tension.

I floated in the back seat, staring intently at the back of her head.

For twenty thousand dollars, she had sold my only family member.

What kind of life had Stella been living in those mountains all these years? Was she even still alive?

I didn't know any of this.

Aiden continued planning how to force me to appear, completely oblivious to Zoey's increasingly haggard expression.

He probably would never imagine that the leverage he planned to use against me had long ago been destroyed by his beloved woman's own hands.