Tomorrow, David Smith will die.Sentenced to the gallows, locked inside a silent prison cell,
he has only one final wish—
not freedom… not forgiveness…
but to see the woman who once prayed for his death.
David Smith.
A man whose life now existed behind cold iron bars.Only one day remained.
Just one sunrise stood between him and the end of everything.
The court had already passed its verdict.
By the next morning, David Smith would be hanged.Before every execution, a prisoner is granted one final wish.
And so, following the rules, a government-appointed lawyer came to David to ask the same question."What is your last wish?"David smiled softly and replied without hesitation,
"I just want to see her face… just once."The lawyer froze.Inside the small prison cell where David was held, every wall told the same story.
Every corner, every scratched surface carried only one name—Elina.The lawyer stared at the walls, stunned."I've met thousands of prisoners," he said slowly.
"Every one of them asks for something similar—
to meet their family, to eat their favorite food, to see their children one last time."Then he looked at David again."But you're the first man whose final wish is only to see a woman.
The same woman who waited every single day… hoping the court would sentence you to death."David burst out laughing."She doesn't even know," he said, his voice light but his eyes unbearably heavy,
"that every breath she takes is for me.
Her heart beats only for me.
Blind to the truth, driven by anger, she keeps praying for my death."He paused, then added softly,"But isn't it true?
We only feel anger toward the ones we love beyond limits."The lawyer swallowed hard."Tomorrow you'll be executed," he said.
"You'll be free from this world forever.
May I ask—who is she?
What happened that turned you into a death-row prisoner?
And tell me, David… the woman you love so deeply—did she ever love you back?"David smiled again."That's a good question," he replied.
"Come… before I'm hanged, let me tell you the story of David and Elina.
While telling it, maybe I can live my life with her once more."
Elina Thomas
Elina Thomas was a girl who visited the church every day.
She prayed to God—not for herself, but for her family.Her family was an orphanage.
That place was her entire world.Yet Elina herself had not grown up there.
She was new to the city, unfamiliar with its people and streets.
She had come here because of a piece of land that once belonged to her mother.Elina carried endless love for orphaned children in her heart.
Every day she visited them, brought chocolates, played with them, spent hours laughing and listening to their stories.The orphanage was owned by a kind man named Henry.
Elina called him Uncle Henry.Other than him, Elina knew no one in this city.Whenever someone asked about her parents, her chest tightened with pain.
She would whisper to herself,"I don't even know who my mother is."Wiping away the tears threatening to fall, she would force a smile.Elina was twenty-two years old.
Yet she still lived without knowing her parents' identities.She had no friends, no relatives—at least none she knew of.
Her phone held only one number: her grandfather's.
He called her once every day without fail.Elina had been in the city for just one month when someone new entered her life.His name was John Brown.John knew nothing about Elina's past.
He saw her beauty and proposed almost immediately.
And Elina—desperate for love—mistook his attention for something real.John never tried to understand her.
He called her only to show her off to his friends, proudly declaring her his girlfriend."Your girlfriend looks like a fairy," his friends would say.
"Great choice."Elina slowly became a victim of John's false love.
She never realized that John didn't love her at all—
he was only pretending.From the second day Elina arrived in the city, John became part of her life.
Friendship turned into love within weeks.
Almost a month had passed since both her arrival and their relationship began.One day, Elina asked him quietly,
"Can we get married now?"John immediately agreed.Elina was overjoyed.
She called her grandfather repeatedly to share the news,
but no matter how many times she tried, the call wouldn't connect.That day, she stopped trying.
Her happiness carried her through hours of wedding shopping.
She asked John,
"Which date should we fix for the wedding?"John replied casually,
"Let's do a court marriage first. We'll throw a party later."Elina agreed without hesitation.The next day, she waited outside the court from morning until evening.John never came.Suddenly, her phone rang.
John's number flashed on the screen.She answered immediately."Hello, Elina," he said coldly.
"I can't marry you. I already have a girlfriend. She's very rich—and so am I. We're getting married. You're not worthy of me."The call disconnected.Tears streamed down Elina's face.
But she was strong.She made a decision.She would get married—today.
At the same time, a handsome man was speaking to his lawyer nearby.
He needed land urgently for business development.
Money was no issue.Elina overheard the conversation and walked toward him."You need land urgently," she said.
"And I need to get married today."She took a breath."I'll give you the land. Will you marry me today?"The man stared at her in shock.Then he extended his hand."Hello. I'm David Smith.
The only heir and owner of Smith Industries."Smith Industries wasn't just famous in the city—
it had businesses running across England.Elina shook his hand."I'm Elina Thomas. I'm new here. I want to build something of my own."David asked carefully,
"Do you really own land?""Yes," she replied.
"My mother's land. It's in my name. I'll give it to you—
but will you marry me in return?"Thinking of his benefit, David agreed."Promise me you won't betray me," Elina said.David asked gently,
"Why are you in such a hurry to marry?"She told him everything about John.After listening, David said firmly,
"Don't be afraid. You'll never be betrayed by me.
I'll marry you—but I have one condition.""A condition?" Elina asked softly."I've never gone against my family—especially my grandmother.
If my family refuses to accept this marriage, it will be canceled.
I'll give you six months.
If you can't win my family's approval by then, we'll divorce."Elina agreed without hesitation.
She believed she could win them over.They signed the contract marriage papers in court.The contract clearly stated—
if Elina failed within six months, the marriage would end.In return, Elina transferred her mother's land to David.As they exited the court, Elina ran into John.John mocked her cruelly, showing off his rich fiancée.
Before Elina could speak, David held her hand firmly."She's not Miss Elina," he said calmly.
"She's Mrs. Elina Smith—my wife.
And I'm the owner of Smith Industries."John laughed mockingly and walked away.
As David spoke about Elina to the government lawyer, a single tear slipped from his eye.
Seeing her name etched across the prison walls, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Though he never voiced his pain, his tear-filled eyes revealed a sorrow far deeper than words.Just then, heavy footsteps echoed through the silent corridor.
The iron gates creaked open."Time's up," a cold voice announced.David slowly closed his eyes…
unaware that, at that very moment—the truth was rushing toward the prison gates.
To be continued…
Beneath the Truth
(Webnovel Exclusive)