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?

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

not something

had taken

was already awake. His beautiful eyes were fixed on

that… If you don’t have anywhere to go, you can also

but after she had said

with a

pretend I didn’t say anything,” she added, biting her

he spoke quietly. “Do

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

she assumed he meant it to mean his presence here. She didn’t

and a smile slowly

time she had seen him smile. Although it was

***

ready to go back to work. When she left money on the table for him to buy himself some

the room

nervous energy filled the space. He rolled up the quilt that he’d slept on and then washed out the coffee

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

he finally left the apartment, there were already people

him come out, they respectfully greeted him,

Jason responded

the twenty-dollar bill in his hand. It had been many years since someone had given him money like this. On the contrary, for as long as he could remember, people only

night is a contract worker of the Sanitation Service Center. She started renting her current residence here a month ago,

“Prison?”

the Stevens family. She was convicted of reckless driving and killing Jennifer Atkinson. She was sentenced to three years of imprisonment and had her lawyer’s license revoked,” Terrence said as

“Grace…”

how 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 she wouldn’t be

who would’ve thought that Jennifer would end up dying in a car

past relationship with Jennifer, how

that twenty-dollar bill

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

I want all the information you can find on Grace Cummins on my

Then… “Sir, are you interested in this

***

got a call from her father asking her to go home. He said that since she had

when

only a few months after mom died, and

her being sent to live with her maternal grandmother in the countryside. Grace’s grandmother cared for her until third grade, but had to leave her. Fortunately, her paternal grandfather stepped in and kept

finally warmed to

been. Her father regarded her as an honor, and her stepmother cared about her well-being, even if only out of pretense. Even her half sister tried to get on her good side—something that had never happened

he was the heir of the Stevens Corporation. However, at that time, she still couldn’t help

To be loved.

accident, she realized that everything was just her wishful

she stepped into her

decor was mostly the same. Pictures of the three of them. Not a single photo of her

Same couches and tables.

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