Prologue

The day Grace was released from prison, two men were waiting for her.

One of them sent her to prison, and the other one convicted her.

The snow was very heavy that day. They looked like two snowmen waiting outside the prison.

Grace vowed in her heart, she’d make everyone pay their price.

***

“Grace, get yourself a job and be a good person out there.”

The prison guard opened the gate and told her so.

Grace nodded. Through the iron bar on the prison window, she saw two black cars parked out of the gate. Waiting for her.

They were Jacob’s Benz G-Wagon and Sean’s Porsche Panamera.

Heavy snow has caused total chaos on the roads. Jacob and Sean were standing quietly in front of their cars.

Sean held a black umbrella and stared at the gate. Jacob kept looking at his watch.

One of them was Grace’s ex-boyfriend, and the other one was her childhood best friend.

How affectionate and caring they looked! If they hadn’t sent Grace to prison and told the other inmates to “take good care” of her, maybe she would be moved to tears.

Five years ago, Grace went to confront Lily Atkinson, and her sister Jennifer Atkinson was also there. In an unfortunate turn of events, Jennifer Atkinson died. Although it was a terrible accident, the court still decided to sentence Grace to three years in prison.

Lily dragged her sister’s lifeless body out of the car and called the police. Sean arrived soon after.

“Sean, your girlfriend killed my sister!” Lily sat on the ground and cried out.

Sean’s first reaction was to push Grace down onto the ground in case she ran away.

But Grace was already too weak to resist because she’d also been hurt. What’s more… she was pregnant with Sean’s baby.

“How could you be so evil?!” When Jacob rushed over, his eyes were blood shot as he questioned Grace.

Before Grace could explain to the two most important men in her life, she was handcuffed by the police.

In court, Lily’s lawyer was Jacob, Grace’s childhood best friend, another blow to her heart.

Jacob blamed everything on Grace. She was convicted of reckless driving and involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to three years of imprisonment.

“Grace, you deserve this. People have to pay for their mistakes,” he said.

When Grace first got into prison, she was beaten constantly. She was beaten in places without security cameras and had her nails pulled out. She was yanked by the hair and pressed into toilets. Her back was always being kicked, and it was bruised all the time.

They even broke the bones in her finger, one by one.

At first, Grace didn’t know why. She was always stubborn and didn’t cry when they hit her.

But after a while, Grace found out why they picked on her exclusively. Grace sucked up to one of the female bosses in prison. She would wash her feet, give her massages, and even do her laundry. Finally, she gained the trust of the female boss, and she told Grace why.

“Girl, you poor little thing. Someone paid us to beat you.”

Grace knew who it was then in that instant. Sean.

This was the man who ordered two hundred drones to spell out “I LOVE YOU” in the night sky when he was pursuing her.

He said, “Grace, I will protect you from now on.”

***

Upon seeing their cars outside the prison gates, Grace begged the prison guard to let her leave from the back door, to avoid seeing either of their faces.

Besides, what if they were still angry with her and wanted to take their revenge?

I am nothing compared to them. I can’t afford to provoke them, but at least I can hide. Grace thought to herself.

In a trance, Grace remembered her confrontation with Lily. Lily stood in front of Grace while holding her dog and shouted, “My dog is worth 70,000 dollars. How much is your grandfather’s life worth?”

When Grace was three, her mother died and her father remarried. He abandoned her so her grandfather raised her all by himself.

Her grandfather worked night and day collecting junk and empty bottles for recycling.

When Grace was in junior high, she moved to the city from the countryside and lived in a small rental apartment. Her grandfather told her that they could make more money in the city because there was more junk to collect.

But Grace knew the true reason why her grandfather wanted her to go to school in the city.

The children in the city had shiny hairpins, and Grace wanted them too.

Grace’s grandfather once stood outside a small accessories store for hours, then he finally went inside to buy the expensive shiny hairpin for Grace.

Green helped her apply for it. That’s when Grace

the best scores at school. He occasionally helped Grace with her studies. She was clever and studious,

was very grateful to Mrs. Green, but he didn’t have

Green lived in a small cottage. Her grandfather swept the garden while Jacob and Grace

“Your little granddaughter is so beautiful and

don’t deserve him,” he rubbed his

so much that he didn’t even

was accepted by a top university, her grandfather went back to the countryside. He didn’t let Grace go back with him, but she followed him back

saw him begging friends for money

heart that she would grow up to be a top lawyer so that her grandfather would never have to

that anyone could have asked for,

***

of the rich and powerful Stevens family. Suddenly, her father wanted to be in her life again, all because of

young man. Bless

grandfather said the day

girl should have beautiful dresses.

continued to collect junk to make money behind

many times. He was getting too old, and Grace was

a winter three years

by an unleashed dog in

fell unconscious on the spot and

She said it was

the ICU. Due to a fracture of

to the hospital, so she went to Lily for compensation. It was her dog

and said arrogantly, “You are Sean’s girlfriend? You didn’t get money from him, so you came to me?” Lily had always liked Sean, but he was dating Grace

broken because of your idiot grandfather, I should be the one asking

grandpa are just a bunch

She really couldn’t. So, she slapped Lily

fight. Jennifer, who was Lily’s sister, saw this

car and wanted to drive

didn’t even try to escape. Her grandfather was in

hoped that at least one of them

were on the side of Jennifer and

grandfather had been in the ICU for 15

he didn’t want to be a burden to Grace so he committed

lying on the

her grandfather…

was locked up in prison, Lily

whispered to Grace, “My dog has always been obedient. Guess why my dog tackled

anything, he only followed his owner’s orders, and

hated Grace because she

had a lot of time to think while she was in prison. She blamed herself for the death of her grandfather. Lily would’ve never harmed her grandfather if she

back to life, and he told her how she was a good girl. Grace knew then it was just a dream because she was not

wouldn’t want any shinny hairpins or any nice dresses,

only thing she wants is just

***

opened her eyes suddenly. Only then did she realize that she had been dreaming of what

down at

imprisonment, and multiple fractures and broken bones, her hands would never look or feel the

back, but the prison doctors hadn’t gone out

looked distorted, and she had residual pain. I was

fine movements that she

fingers hurt more especially when it was

her hands and

It’s okay. You’re okay.

is a

she

threatened

more than just her freedom in that

future. Her boyfriend.

about was gone in an

the daughter of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the country. What’s more, she

It’s okay. You’re okay.

a

You don’t need anybody.

mopping

bright-colored work suit of a sanitation worker with her long

wall. Her delicate face was slightly reddish due to the cold weather, and her mouth was pressed into a

her face, you would think she was a

seen how cruel the world could

were old, far

and rolled the cleaning supplies toward the

down for a few minutes

hadn’t meant to drift

she moved quickly and efficiently to

a sanitation worker wasn’t glamorous, but after she left prison, this was

leave, she heard a

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