Is this destiny?

~ Florida penitentiary ~

Bradley is in his cell.

He is lying on his back in the bed and looking blankly at the bottom of the bunk bed above him. He is staring at the horizontal bars which prevent the mattress from above to fall on him, together with the man in his late fifties who is on it. Bradley does not know his name, they are not allowed to use names here… only numbers. Since he got into the system, Bradley's name is 'inmate 3521723' and it's not convenient to remember it, so on rare occasions when they talk to each other, they use 'hey' instead of their names.

That man is Bradley's only company, and Bradley is happy that the man is not very chatty. When Bradley arrived, the man asked him why is he here, and when Bradley said that he killed a woman, the man made a 'not-a-big-deal' face. Bradley didn't dare ask the man why he ended up here.

Based on the occasional snores, Bradley can tell that the man above him is sleeping. Most of the people are doing that here.

In movies they show big courtyards where inmates play basketball, smoke and lift weights. But what they don't tell you is that outside-time is only one hour a day. Other than three meals and a group shower in the evening, he is stuck to this small space which accommodates a bunk bed and a completely exposed toiled in the opposite corner with a small sink next to it.

As a reward for a good behavior, you might get a book to read. And that's it.

This is a high-security facility where people accused (or convicted) of serious crimes are. Technology is used to limit interaction between guards and inmates and between the inmates themselves. Violent people commit violent crimes and keeping them apart is a good idea. That is why they eat and shower in small groups under close supervision of armed guards who are ready to use force at the slightest indication of trouble.

Bradley is not here long, but he feels on the verge of losing his mind. There is nothing to do other than sleep and think. And his mind is circling over the past events and he is over-analyzing everything.

His mind often brings memories of him and Paige and he can't believe how blind he was. All her sweet words and smiles were lies. Complete lies.

Bradley knows that he messed up, but he is not sorry for killing her. His only regret is that he got swept in the rage and didn't plan so he got caught.

He wondered what his parents are doing. They visited him once and Bradley remembers that his father told him how they are experiencing financial problems with their business which focuses on precious metals and gems. Some scandals came into the light, and their stocks were plummeting, and Jeffrey White reached out offering his help. Bradley didn't hear anything after that, but he can guess that the problem is not settled because his parents didn't visit him anymore. He is confident that they will come and visit him when they get a chance.

Bradley's mother was weeping during the whole visit, and he asked her not to come again until she gets herself together.

"That woman was not content to have you while alive, but she ruined you even after her death?!", his mother said through sobs and everyone knew that she is talking about Paige.

Bradley didn't tell his parents that he found evidence that Paige was cheating on him. It would only fan the flames further, and his parents are miserable as-is.

Bradley remembered his lawyer advising him to take the deal the prosecutor is offering. A life in prison? No way… He would rather die than to spend the rest of his life here. He is still in his twenties! Life in prison is a very-very long time and this place seems to be worse than death.

Bradley's trial starts a week from now and he is not sure what to expect. The prosecutor offered him a life in prison but that is a horrible option. What are other possibilities? He can get a death sentence, life in prison, or maybe less, like twenty years? Twenty years is forever!

To keep himself busy, Bradley often thinks about his life before he ended here. He remembers spending time with Christopher, Russel, Vincent, Jasper and Jeffrey and those used to be happy memories, but now they leave him with a gut wrenching feeling. All that is gone.

Bradley wonders how they are doing. After he got arrested, he lost touch with all of them, and he does not have access to news from outside, so he can only guess…

Japer is probably busy with his company and preparing for the wedding. Will he notice that he is one groomsman short?

Vincent is definitely spending every moment outside of work with Miss Ashley Mitchell. The two of them are madly in love. Hmph! How long will that last? He and Paige were in love, and look how that ended? Vincent and Ashley will go to Jasper's wedding as a couple. The last thing he heard is that Miss Mitchell will be included as a bridesmaid so that Vincent (one of the groomsmen) is not matched with a random woman when they walk down the aisle.

Russel must be busy with all the new business coming his way after successfully negotiating with that bank in Paris. Bradley remembers how Russel's face lit up when he saw the document Jeff gave him. Jeff does not give presents often, but when he does... they are spectacular.

Is Jeffrey enjoying his married life and pampering his wife? They are expecting twins, and Jeff is ecstatic. Or did Marcus succeed in taking over the position of the Master of the White family? Not possible, right? If Marcus succeeded, then he would come and help him out, and not let him rot in prison. Marcus promised that he will not forget people who supported him so… Marcus failed.

What about Christopher? Is he still trying to make his art business work? Bradley knows that Christopher made a deal with Marcus, counting that Marcus will help him pull his business out into the spotlight, and if Marcus failed against Jeff then Christopher ended up with nothing. Well, nothing is probably better than this, right?

Bradley would love if he can rewind his life to few months back… he would make different decisions, but now it's too late.

"Inmate 3521723, you have a visitor!", a voice sounded from the speaker in front of Bradley's cell and the automatic door opened.

Bradley stared at the door opening.

"Hey! That is you, right?", a raspy voice drifted from the upper bunk bed. The man does not know Bradley's number, but he knows that is not him.

Bradley scooted off the bed and walked out in a daze. Is it possible that Marcus succeeded and came to help? Or maybe his parents came again? He would love to hear some news from the outside world.

"Warden! How can he have visitors outside visiting hours!", an angry voice came from one of the cells Bradley walked by.

"Shut up or you will earn a solitary confinement for a week!", a voice boomed from a nearby speaker.

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