Surprise Marriage to a Billionaire
Chapter 436: Tired of Losing

Chapter 436: Tired of Losing

Inside the Women’s Correctional Facility, Dina sat on the edge of her bunk, her eyes swollen from hours of crying. The news of her mother Sylvia’s death had broken her. She hadn’t expected it, not like this.

Her mother had been the only one who stayed. The only person who never gave up on her, even when Dina hadn’t been the best daughter. Sylvia always defended her. And now... she was gone. Taken by the fire.

Dina stared at the floor, the weight of her loss pressing down on her chest like a heavy stone. Her whole body felt numb.

A loud buzz echoed through the hallway. It was time to gather in the yard. Sniffling, Dina quickly wiped her tears and stood up. She took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together, then stepped out of her cell and joined the line of inmates heading outside.

The sound of loud whistles echoed across the Women’s Correctional Facility yard.

"Line up! Get moving!" one of the guards shouted, her baton slapping against her palm as inmates formed lines for daily chores.

Dina moved slowly, still exhausted from crying. Her eyes were dull, and her limbs heavy. She barely touched the food during breakfast and now struggled to focus. She didn’t even complain when she was assigned to laundry duty in the outer yard.

"Hey, keep up!" barked another guard as Dina grabbed a basket of dirty sheets and followed the line of women.

Her head throbbed, but she pushed through, dragging her feet behind the others toward the outdoor washing area. She tried to stay quiet and unnoticed. She learned that it had always been safer that way. She didn’t know whom she could trust anymore.

As the other inmates got busy scrubbing, rinsing, and wringing out laundry, Dina found a corner spot by one of the large tubs. She dipped her hands in and started washing, but her mind drifted again to her mother.

’I even shouted at her two days ago,’ she thought. She bit her lip to keep from crying again.

"Psst."

Dina ignored the voice at first.

"Hey, copycat."

Her eyes snapped up. Two inmates were watching her from a short distance, one tall and broad, the other with sharp eyes and a twisted grin.

"You think crying all day makes people feel sorry for you?" the tall one sneered. "You’re a disgrace. No one’s gonna protect you now that Mommy’s dead."

Dina said nothing and went back to washing, her heart racing. She knew better than to engage. But the two women started walking toward her, one cracking her knuckles while the other reached into her sock and pulled something shiny, something sharp.

Dina backed up, hands trembling. "Leave me alone."

"No," the short one hissed. "We got orders."

Then everything happened too fast.

The tall inmate lunged first, grabbing Dina’s arm and twisting it back. Dina yelped in pain, but before she could pull free, the other inmate raised the makeshift blade.

Dina screamed and tried to run, but the tall woman shoved her down into the mud. The blade came down fast.

But then-

"Back off!"

Aira, another inmate with short black hair and tattooed arms, tackled the attacker just before the blade could reach Dina’s chest. They rolled in the mud, fighting hard.

Dina tried to crawl away, but sharp pain burned her side. She had still been stabbed.

Her vision blurred as more guards came rushing in. "Break it up! Down! Now!"

Whistles blew. Sirens rang. Guards pinned inmates down and dragged the attackers away.

Dina felt her body grow cold as blood soaked her shirt. She clutched her side, her breaths coming fast and shallow.

"Is this how it ends?" she whispered weakly.

She had gone through so much physical pain, near-death, and endless setbacks, but nothing ever went the way she planned. Everything she tried had failed.

All she wanted was to get Rain out of her life. That woman had been a thorn in her side since the day she was born. And now... she was just tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of losing. "Shit!" she cursed before she lost consciousness.

Later, in the prison clinic, Dina lay on a narrow cot, her side bandaged tightly. She was sore and weak but stable the moment she opened her eyes.

Next to her on another cot, Aira sat upright, arms crossed, looking completely unfazed despite the bruises forming on her cheek.

"You good?" Aira asked, glancing sideways.

Dina nodded weakly. "Why... why did you help me?"

Aira smirked. "Didn’t do it for fun. I was sent to watch over you."

Dina blinked. "What?"

"There are people out there who want to make sure you stay alive," Aira said, adjusting the blanket over Dina’s legs. "You’re a key witness in everything going down with that famous Carla after all. I’m sure I’m not the only one who got offered a good chunk of money to keep you safe."

She leaned back with a shrug, her tone casual despite the weight of her words. "You’ve probably noticed how your time here has been... smoother than most. That’s not luck. But I guess not everyone wants you breathing either."

Then she grinned and added with a wink, "Still, what matters is... I’ll get paid well for saving your life."

Dina’s face twitched slightly, her chest tightening as the door opened and the prison doctor walked in.

"That’ll be all," the doctor said, gesturing for Aira to leave.

Aira gave Dina a playful salute and walked out, leaving Dina alone with the doctor.

The moment the door clicked shut, the doctor turned to her, voice low and serious. "Tim Clayton wants you dead. William sent a message for you."

Dina blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

The doctor stepped closer, placing a sealed envelope and a small tablet on the table beside her bed. "You might want to sit up for this."

Still sore and weak, Dina slowly pushed herself upright, eyes narrowing. "Spill it."

The doctor opened the envelope and handed her a few printed documents. "Carla is Tim’s biological daughter."

"What the fvck?!" Dina burst out, her voice echoing in the clinic. "That bjtch is Tim’s real daughter?!"

The doctor nodded grimly, then tapped the tablet to play a video. Footage rolled of Tim meeting Carla in secret... videos, surveillance clips, confidential reports.

"Tim kept it under wraps for years, manipulating everyone. He killed your mother."

Dina stared at the screen, shaking her head in disbelief. "The fire..."

"Yes," the doctor confirmed. "Tim orchestrated the fire at the Clayton mansion. Sylvia didn’t survive. The second body found hasn’t been identified, but William suspects it’s all staged. Tim’s faking his death."

Tears burned in Dina’s eyes again, but this time it wasn’t just grief... it was rage. "He murdered my mom... and now he’s hiding while letting everyone think he’s dead?"

"The Lancaster is doing everything we can to track him down," the doctor said. "Until then, your safety is the priority in this prison. William made that clear."

Dina clenched the edge of the blanket, her voice low and trembling. "He’s going to pay for everything."

"You need to stay alive first. Rest and we’ll take it from here," the doctor said.