Chapter 3

“Are you hungry?”

His dark eyes studied her and he tilted his head. “What?”

When he still didn’t reply, she wrung her hands together. “I’ll get you something to eat.”

Grace moved to the tiny stove and threw some noodles and eggs into the pot to make a simple bowl of noodles for him. She didn’t have any meat, but she chopped what vegetables she had and added them too.

She set the tiny table and poured them both a glass of water from the sink. He moved cautiously to take a seat when she set the bowls down.

“Eat, but don’t eat too fast. It’s quite hot,” she said.

She didn’t mean to treat him like a child, but his presence made her nervous even as there was something incredibly calming about him.

He lowered his head and ate his noodles quietly. Grace also stared at him in silence.

Normally, she’d come home and hate the feeling of being alone, confined in a tiny space. For some reason, the loneliness that she’d usually feel seemed to have disappeared. Could it be due to the presence of another person in the room?

After he had finished eating, Grace cleaned up the plates. “I usually sleep with the lights on. I hope you don’t mind,” she said. Ever since she was released from prison, she had gotten into the habit.

“That’s fine.”

Grace took her pajamas into the bathroom and shut the door to brush her teeth and change. Was it weird having a man alone beside where she’d sleep? Yeah. Probably.

But she didn’t feel triggered by his presence of fearful.

If he’d wanted to hurt her, he wouldn’t have defended her on the street.

When she exited and lay down on the bed, he took his position on the floor.

The room was silent save for the sound of the heater. If she listened hard enough, she could hear each breath he took.

It was a steady rhythm, peaceful even.

Grace closed her eyes and focused on sleeping. This was her routine every night because it was almost impossible for her to relax. Even being out of jail, at night she would always dream of her time in prison.

She would be beaten, shamed, and abused… and every finger would burn with the pain of being broken and the nails being torn off…

She’d wake up screaming, fingers curled, terrified, and heart pounding.

However, oddly, that didn’t happen tonight.

She slept until sunrise and was not visited by her usual nightmares.

As she awakened, she rolled over to look at the figure lying on the ground beside her bed.

Still here.

Was it because of him? Because she was no longer alone in this room?

even knew it, she had gotten out of bed, squatted down, and placed her

and not something

really had taken a

she came to herself, she found that he was already awake. His beautiful eyes were

If you don’t

after

with

want to, just pretend I didn’t say anything,” she added,

mouth finally opened and he spoke quietly. “Do

been said by some other man, it would’ve sounded like they

came from him, it was like he was just asking a simple question of “want” or “don’t want” and she assumed he meant it to mean his presence here. She didn’t

at her, and a smile

the first time she had seen him smile. Although it

***

When she left money on the table for him to buy himself some food, he sat staring

her gone, the room was eerily

up the quilt that he’d slept on and then washed

he’d be tempted to look around, maybe snoop a bit. But he didn’t want to intrude on her

left the apartment, there were already people waiting

come out, they respectfully greeted him, “Mr.

go,” Jason responded

it and looked at the twenty-dollar bill in his hand. It had been many years

gaze in the rearview mirror. “The woman who was with you last night is a contract worker of the Sanitation Service Center. She started

“Prison?”

of Sean of the Stevens family. She was convicted of reckless driving and killing Jennifer Atkinson. She was sentenced to

expression bland. “Grace…” he whispered. “Well, this

Jennifer Atkinson had been set on marrying him and that she was also a good political marriage candidate, he thought that if he had to marry someone, then

thought that Jennifer would end up

Grace knew about his past relationship with

considered that twenty-dollar

cared for him? Taken his hand, brought him into her home, and said she’d wanted him—just for

want all the information you can find on Grace Cummins

sir.” Then… “Sir, are

***

He said that since she had been released from prison, she should go home to pay her respects to her

when she was

had remarried only a few months after mom died, and her stepmother gave birth to another daughter,

her being sent to live with her maternal grandmother in the countryside. Grace’s grandmother cared for her until third grade, but

been in college and at the top of her class, her father finally warmed to her.

of pretense. Even her half sister tried to get on

eyes. She knew it was only because he was the heir of the Stevens Corporation. However, at that time, she still couldn’t help but long for familial affection. She’d just wanted to be

To be loved.

the car accident, she realized that everything was

she stepped into her father’s

Pictures of the three of them. Not a single photo of her in

Same couches and tables.

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