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.

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

school. He occasionally helped Grace with her

didn’t have any money, so he

the garden while Jacob and Grace did their homework and

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

We don’t deserve him,” he

that he didn’t

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

saw him begging friends for money

vowed in her heart that she would grow up

anyone could have asked for, but

***

year 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 of who

a nice young man. Bless

her grandfather said the day she took Sean

should have beautiful

to collect junk

He was getting too old,

was a winter

an unleashed dog in the park when he was collecting

on the spot and was rushed to

She said it was worth 70,000

day, Grace’s grandpa was sent to the ICU. Due to a fracture of the cervical

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

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

dog’s leg is broken because of your idiot grandfather, I

your grandpa are just a bunch of country bumpkin. You both

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

started to fight. Jennifer, who was Lily’s sister, saw this and came

and weak, so she got into her car and wanted to drive away, but Jennifer chased after her in her fancy convertible. That’s when

to escape. Her grandfather was in

hoped that at least one

the

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

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

day, Grace was lying on the

couldn’t save either her grandfather… or her

up in

“My dog has always been

followed his owner’s orders, and his owner’s heart… was

Grace because

think while she was in prison. She blamed herself for the death of her

life, and he told her 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 was

could turn back time, she wouldn’t want any shinny hairpins or any nice

she wants is just

***

opened her eyes suddenly. Only then did she realize that she had

at her calloused

and multiple fractures and broken bones, her hands would never look or feel

the prison doctors hadn’t gone out of their way to

had residual pain. I was nerve

many fine movements that she

especially when it was cold

flexed her hands and

It’s okay. You’re okay.

is a

mantra as she stood

the memories threatened to

than just her freedom

Her

she’d cared about was

accidentally killed was the 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 in

It’s okay. You’re okay.

a

You don’t need anybody.

finished mopping the

a sanitation

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

you were to only look at her face, you would think she was a student who had just graduated from college.

how cruel

stared back at her were old, far older, and

rolled the

a few

to

the time, she moved quickly and efficiently to clean the rest of the

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

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

a lucky girl Lily is! As a superstar and a daughter of a rich and powerful family, now she is going to marry into the wealthy Stevens family

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

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