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Chapter 1 The Release The day Xylia Schultz got out of prison, they carried her out on a stretcher. She was so thin she barely looked human. Her right arm just dangled there with no strength in it, and both her legs were covered in blood. Three months earlier, somebody had set Xylia up, faked testimony, and threw her in jail in place of the real Schultz daughter, Tessa Schultz. Inside, they cut the tendons in the hand Xylia once held a scalpel with. The legs that once carried her to international championships had been beaten until she could hardly stand. Xylia was ready to give up on everything, until her husband, Connor Ford, pulled every string he could to drag her out. When Connor saw her like that, he froze for a second, then stumbled out of the car and wrapped her up in his arms. "Xylia, this is all on me. I came too late." Connor's voice shook as he followed the medics into the ambulance. This man, who was usually all cold composure, actually cried. Xylia had only ever seen him cry twice before—once on their wedding day, once when their son Sonny Ford was born. That tear fell on Xylia's face, and her own emotions finally broke. She hadn't cried when she was beaten. She hadn't cried when they cut through her hand. But now she couldn't hold it back. Xylia buried herself in Connor's chest, breathing in the one scent that always calmed her down. She thought, 'At least I still have my husband, my son, my family who love me.' Connor's eyes turned red as he held her tight and swore, his voice raw. "Xylia, I'll find whoever framed you. I'll clear your name." Pressed against his chest, listening to the tremor in his voice, Xylia's shattered heart softened just a little. With a husband and a son who loved her this much, she didn't care that the Schultz family only had eyes for Tessa, or that her ex-fiancé had left her behind. None of that mattered anymore. Connor lowered his head, guilt in every word. "If I hadn't asked you to drive out that day, they would
