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.

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

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

to Mrs. Green, but he didn’t have any

garden while

grandfather, “Your little granddaughter is so beautiful and adorable. How about

deserve him,” he rubbed his

that he didn’t even dare to raise

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

friends for money

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

was the best grandfather that anyone could have asked for, but then… he

***

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

young man.

her grandfather said the day she took Sean to

big girl now. A big girl should have beautiful dresses. My pretty Grace should not wear shabby

collect junk to make money

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

was a winter three years

was tackled by an unleashed dog in

unconscious on the spot and was

was Lily’s dog. She said

a fracture of

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

didn’t get money from him, so you came to me?” Lily had always liked Sean, but he

leg is broken because of your idiot grandfather, I should be

your grandpa are just a bunch of country bumpkin.

didn’t hold back. She really couldn’t. So, she

who was Lily’s sister, saw this

girls as she was pregnant and weak, so she got into her car and wanted to drive away, but Jennifer chased after her in

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

Grace hoped that at least one of

the side of Jennifer and

had been in

and he didn’t want to

day, Grace was lying on the

either her

locked up in prison, Lily

has always been

dog didn’t know anything, he only followed his owner’s orders, and his owner’s heart…

Grace because

had a lot of time to think while she was in prison. She blamed herself for the death of her

how she was a good girl. Grace knew then it was just a dream because she

back time, she wouldn’t want any shinny hairpins

wants is just to have her grandfather

***

then did she realize that she had been dreaming of

looked down at her calloused

broken bones, her hands would

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

joints looked distorted, and she had residual pain. I was nerve

were many fine movements that

when it

her hands and breathed

It’s okay. You’re okay.

is a new

she

memories threatened to consume

just her freedom in that

Her boyfriend.

everything she’d cared about was gone in

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

It’s okay. You’re okay.

a

You don’t need anybody.

finished mopping the

work suit of a sanitation worker with her long hair tied into

of herself in a mirror on the wall. Her delicate face was

would think she was a student who had just graduated from college. But gone was

how cruel the world could

her were old, far older, and duller than they should

rolled the cleaning supplies toward the

down for a few minutes

hadn’t meant to drift

time, she moved quickly and efficiently to clean

but after she left prison, this was the only job she could

she was about to leave, she heard a colleague watching the news on her mobile

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