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.

apply for it. That’s when Grace met Jacob, Mrs.

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

Mrs. Green, but he didn’t

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

“Your little granddaughter is so beautiful and

is too good. We don’t deserve him,” he rubbed his hands

he didn’t even dare to raise

grandfather went back to the countryside. He didn’t let Grace go back with him, but she followed him back secretly

when Grace saw him begging friends for money to cover

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

best grandfather that anyone could have

***

after law school, Grace started dating Sean of the rich and powerful Stevens family. Suddenly, her father wanted to be in her life again, all because

a nice young man. Bless

the

now. A big girl should have beautiful dresses. My pretty Grace should not wear shabby clothes,” her grandpa

collect junk to

was getting too old,

a winter three

dog in the park when

on the spot and was rushed to

dog. She said it was worth 70,000

Due to a fracture of the cervical spine and spinal damage, he

needed to pay a lot of money to the hospital, so she went to Lily for compensation.

Grace and said arrogantly, “You are Sean’s girlfriend? You didn’t get money from him,

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

a bunch of country bumpkin. You both deserve

She really couldn’t. So, she

to fight. Jennifer, who was Lily’s sister,

and wanted

to escape. Her grandfather was in the hospital,

that at least one of them could save her grandfather’s

they were on the

grandfather had been in the ICU for 15

he didn’t want

was lying on the

save either her grandfather… or

Grace was locked up in prison, Lily went to see

been obedient. Guess why my

know anything, he only followed his owner’s orders, and his owner’s heart…

because

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

knew then it was just a dream because she was not a

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

only thing she wants is just to

***

Only then did she realize that she had been dreaming of what

down at

and broken bones, her hands would never look or feel the same

prison doctors hadn’t gone out of their way

had residual pain. I was nerve

fine movements that she couldn’t perform very

when

her hands

It’s okay. You’re okay.

is a new

she stood up and resumed

threatened to

more than just her freedom in

Her boyfriend. Her

about was gone in

daughter of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the country. What’s more, she was the fiancée of Jason Reed—the most powerful man

It’s okay. You’re okay.

a new

You don’t need anybody.

mopping

suit of a sanitation worker with her

a mirror on the wall. Her delicate face was slightly reddish due to

you would think she was a student who had

seen how cruel the

her were old, far older, and duller than they

the cleaning supplies toward the

for a few minutes had

meant to drift off to

moved quickly and efficiently to clean the

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

heard a colleague

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