Alison Summers deposited her bag on the bed and looked around the small apartment she would now call home. She wanted to throw herself onto the bed and just cry. All the conflicting emotions she was feeling were tearing her apart, but she knew she would never be able to move on if she let herself fall apart like that. At least it was better than the 9 x 9 jail cell she had just spent the last three years in.

Alison should have been overjoyed! She had just been acquitted of the murder of her late husband Frank Summers, but a small part of Alison wished she were back in her jail cell. She'd become so accustomed to her life in jail and now that she was free she didn't realize how much of a security blanket it had become. It had taken Alison more than a year to accept her fate, but once she did, she found it all easier to deal with. She had gotten to know all the staff and her fellow inmates very well and they had become her family. She had met a woman that was around her mother's age, and she had craved her love and attention like any child would. As ironic as it seemed, Alison missed the safety and security the prison had brought into her life.

Although no matter how terrified Alison was now that she was free, she had to move on with her life. Unlike the women she had spent the last three years with, she was given a second chance at life. Well a new life anyways. Alison pulled out her new drivers license and studied the name. She would now be known as Abigail Phillips. Alison's lawyer had advised her that it would be best if she moved to another part of the country and assume a new identity. Even after three years, they had still failed to determine who had actually killed her husband, so it was just a precaution they assured her. Since there was no one left in her life that she could trust, she had no choice but to trust him. 

How bad could it all be anyways? Alison didn't have any family left anyways, so it wasn't like she was walking away from anyone. She was an only child and her parents had been killed in a horrific automobile accident when she was only 18 years old. It was just a few short months after their death that she met Frank Summers. He was like a god send at a time when Alison wasn't sure if she wanted to live. They had fallen in love at first sight and were married just a few months after they met. All her friends had tried to warn her against moving so quickly with someone she had just met, but Alison and Frank were determined to spend the rest of their lives together. Alison would always be grateful to Frank for turning her life around and convincing her that there was something to live for.

Frank was five years older than Alison when they had met and he had just graduated from University. Shortly after they met he was hired at a very prestigious New York law firm and in a very short amount of time, Frank had proven himself as an excellent defense attorney and within one year, he was rewarded with a significant promotion. Alison was happy in her new life and extremely proud of her husband. She thought her life had finally taken a turn for the better.

The first year of their marriage was picture perfect. Frank was popular at work and they spent many nights and weekends socializing with and entertaining for other couples. Frank was able to offer Alison a glamorous life, one that she had always dreamed of. After searching for three months, Frank bought them a beautiful house in the suburbs. Soon after they moved in, Alison insisted that she find a job to help out, but Frank insisted that he wanted to be able to look after the woman he loved, so he insisted that she stay at home. At the time, Alison was happy to comply.

During that first year, Alison worked on turning their house into a home. Frank had left all the decorating up to her and assured her that he'd love anything that she did. It had taken her close to six months to have the house in order. Once she was satisfied with the end result, she started to meet other women that lived in the neighborhood. They would invite each other over for lunch or afternoon tea and talk about their homes, their gardens and their families. It was almost like an unspoken rule that they never talked about anything else.

It was shortly after their one-year anniversary when their marriage started to fall apart. Frank was spending more and more time at the office and he always insisted that along with the promotion came more responsibility, but Alison was starting to tire of staying at home alone. She tried to talk to some of the women she had gotten closer to, but they all insisted that every marriage hit a rough spot and as long as they continued to do what their husbands had asked, things would be fine. But Alison just couldn't accept that, no matter how hard she tried. She needed more in her life and she was going to try and convince Frank that the best thing for her was to find a job.

One night, as Frank got into bed after another late night, Alison decided to tell Frank that she wanted to get a job. Unfortunately, Frank made it quite clear that night that Alison's only job was to be his wife and that she would do whatever he told her to do. That was the first night that Frank turned his back on her and Alison cried her self to sleep. 

The next morning Frank apologized and explained that he was quite proud of the fact that he could look after his wife and there was no need for her to work. That same morning Frank suggested that they try to have a baby. He knew Alison had always wanted a family and that would keep her plenty busy. Alison didn't dare object with Frank. Plus, she did like the idea of having a baby. From that day forward, Frank made a conscious effort to make it home earlier and things returned to normal in their marriage. Alison was once again content with her life.

Just a few weeks later was when Alison's world was turned upside-down. She looked back on that day as she stood in her apartment and it still gave her the chills. She woke up one morning to make a horrifying discovery. She found Frank, floating face down in their swimming pool. Her screams had waken their neighbors and haunted her for months.

The days following Frank's murder passed in a blur. Three days after she found frank dead, her life had come to a screeching halt. The Police informed her that she was under arrest for the murder of her husband. She must have been in shock, because to this day she never understood why she didn't put up a fight. It wasn't until months later at the trial that she found out that her next-door neighbor had recalled a conversation she had with Alison about being stuck in her marriage and how much she wanted out. She thought she could trust Susan and she never thought in a million years that those words would come back to haunt her.

That one piece of evidence was enough to convict Alison of first-degree murder and she was sentenced to life in prison with no chance at parole for 25 years. Alison was positive that her life was over. In less than two years, her life had come full circle. She found herself alone once again and contemplating suicide.