Chapter 1

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.

Grace’s teacher Mrs. Green helped her apply for it. That’s when Grace met Jacob, Mrs.

her studies. She was clever and

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

cottage. Her grandfather swept the garden while

little granddaughter is so beautiful and adorable. How about she and

Jacob is too good. We don’t deserve him,”

so much that he didn’t even dare

her grandfather went back to the countryside. He didn’t let Grace

begging friends

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

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

***

the rich and powerful Stevens family. Suddenly, her

a nice young man. Bless

the day she

big girl should have beautiful dresses. My pretty

he continued to collect junk to make money

getting too old,

was a winter three

tackled by an unleashed dog in the park when he was collecting

spot and was

was Lily’s dog. She said it

was sent to the ICU. Due to a

a lot of money to the hospital, so

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

grandfather,

are just a bunch of country bumpkin. You both deserve to

back. She really couldn’t. So, she slapped Lily across the

Jennifer, who was Lily’s sister, saw this and came

two girls as she was pregnant and weak, so she got into her car and

didn’t even try to escape. Her grandfather was in the hospital, but no one

Jacob’s names. Grace hoped that at

they were on the

her grandfather had been

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

was lying on the ice-cold ground

couldn’t save either her

was locked up in prison, Lily went

whispered to Grace, “My dog has always been obedient.

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

hated Grace because she

time to think while she was in prison. She blamed herself for the

how she was a good girl. Grace knew then it was just a dream because she was not a good girl like her grandfather said, she

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

is just to

***

she realize that she had been

at her calloused

and broken bones,

hadn’t gone out of their

and she had residual pain. I was

fine movements that she couldn’t perform

fingers hurt more especially when it was

flexed her hands

It’s okay. You’re okay.

a new

repeated the mantra as she stood up and resumed

threatened to

than just her freedom in

Her

cared about was gone in an

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

It’s okay. You’re okay.

is a new

You don’t need anybody.

mopping

sanitation worker with her long hair

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

she was a student who had

cruel

her were old,

the cleaning supplies

a few minutes had

hadn’t meant to drift off

moved quickly and

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

she heard a colleague watching the news on her mobile

lucky girl Lily is! As a superstar and a daughter of a

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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