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.

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

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

he didn’t have any

Her grandfather swept the garden

Green joked to Grace’s grandfather, “Your little granddaughter is so beautiful and adorable. How

good. We don’t deserve him,” he rubbed

much that he didn’t even dare to raise his

Grace was accepted by a top university, her grandfather went back to the countryside.

when Grace saw him begging friends

in her heart that she would grow up

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

***

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

young man.

the day she

beautiful

he continued to collect junk

was getting too old, and Grace was worried about his

winter three

dog in the

unconscious on the spot and was rushed to

said

Grace’s grandpa was sent to the ICU. Due to a fracture of the cervical spine and spinal damage,

so she went to Lily for compensation. It was her dog after

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

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

your grandpa are just a bunch of country

couldn’t. So,

Grace started to fight. Jennifer, who was Lily’s

her car and wanted to drive

try to escape. Her grandfather was in the hospital, but no one would listen to a

Jacob’s names. Grace hoped that at least one of them could save her

they were on the side of Jennifer and

detained, she heard that her grandfather had been in the ICU for 15 days and

and he didn’t want to be a burden to Grace

on the ice-cold ground

her grandfather…

was locked up in

always been obedient.

know anything, he only followed his

hated Grace because she was dating

blamed herself for the death of her grandfather. Lily would’ve never harmed her

came 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 a

she wouldn’t want any shinny hairpins or any nice dresses, and she most

she wants is just to have

***

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

at her calloused

bones, her hands

grown back, but the prison doctors hadn’t gone

looked distorted, and she had residual pain.

were many fine movements that she

when it was

hands and

It’s okay. You’re okay.

is a new

repeated the mantra as she stood up and

memories threatened

just her freedom

future. Her boyfriend. Her

and everything she’d cared about was gone

and most powerful families

It’s okay. You’re okay.

a new

You don’t need anybody.

mopping

a sanitation worker with her long hair tied into

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

she was a student who had just

how cruel the world

eyes that stared back at her were old, far older, and duller

and rolled the cleaning supplies

down for a few minutes

to drift off

an eye on the time, she moved quickly

after she left prison, this was the only

a colleague

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