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.

the school offered financial aid to students from poverty-stricken families, Grace’s teacher Mrs. Green helped her apply for it. That’s when Grace met Jacob, Mrs. Green’s son, whom she asked to make friends with

her studies. She was clever and studious, so her grades improved very

he didn’t have any money, so

swept the garden while Jacob and Grace did their

granddaughter is so beautiful

good. We don’t deserve him,” he

so much that he didn’t even dare to

back to the countryside. He didn’t let

him begging friends for money to

vowed in her heart that she would grow up to be a top lawyer so that her grandfather

grandfather that anyone could have asked

***

year after law school, Grace started dating Sean of the rich and powerful Stevens family. Suddenly, her father wanted to be

a nice young man. Bless you

the day

big girl should have beautiful dresses. My pretty Grace

he continued to collect junk to make money behind

many times. He was getting too old, and

was a winter three years

in the park when he was collecting

the spot and was rushed

dog. She said it was worth 70,000

the ICU. Due to a fracture of the cervical spine and

a lot of money to the hospital, so she went to

in front of Grace and said arrogantly, “You are Sean’s girlfriend? You didn’t get money from him, so you came to

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

bunch of country bumpkin. You both deserve

couldn’t. So, she slapped

started to fight. Jennifer, who was Lily’s

weak, so she got into her car and wanted to drive away,

escape. Her grandfather was in the hospital, but no one

kept shouting Sean’s and Jacob’s names. Grace hoped that at least one of them could save her grandfather’s

on the side of

had been in the ICU for 15 days

paralyzed for life, and he didn’t want to be a burden to Grace so he

lying on the

couldn’t save either her grandfather…

in prison,

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

dog didn’t know anything, he only followed his owner’s

Grace because

she was in prison. She blamed herself for the death of her grandfather. Lily would’ve never harmed

she was a good girl. Grace knew then it was just

shinny hairpins or any nice dresses, and she

thing she wants is

***

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

down at her

years of imprisonment, and multiple fractures and broken bones, her hands would never look or feel the same way

fingernails had grown back, but the prison doctors hadn’t gone out of

had residual pain.

were many fine movements that she couldn’t perform very

especially when

flexed her hands and

It’s okay. You’re okay.

is a

repeated the mantra as she stood up and resumed

threatened to

lost more than just

Her boyfriend.

about was gone in an

was the daughter of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the country.

It’s okay. You’re okay.

is a

You don’t need anybody.

finished mopping

suit of a sanitation worker with her long hair tied

face was slightly reddish due

you would think she was a

cruel

her were old, far older,

the cleaning

few minutes had

hadn’t meant to drift off to

moved quickly and efficiently to clean the

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

to leave, she heard a colleague

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