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 hand on his cheek. Her

not something from

night, she really had taken a strange

herself, she found that he was already awake.

heated with embarrassment. “I… I just… that… If you don’t have anywhere to go, you can also

in a hurry, but after she had said

with a trace of

don’t want to, just pretend I

he spoke

other man, it

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 read any ambiguity into his words, even if there had been, she realized her answer would be the same. Grace pursed

at her, and a smile slowly formed on

the first time she had seen him smile. Although it

***

left money on the table for him to buy himself some food, he

her gone, the room was

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

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

he finally left the apartment, there were already people waiting

him come out, they respectfully greeted him,

go,” Jason

many years since someone had given

who was with you last night is a contract worker of the Sanitation Service Center. She

“Prison?”

Grace Cummins. She’s the ex-girlfriend of Sean of 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

bland. “Grace…”

political marriage candidate, he thought that if he had to marry someone, then she wouldn’t

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

knew about his past relationship

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

sir.” Then… “Sir, are

***

her to go home. He said that since she had been

when she

mom died, and her

maternal grandmother in the countryside. Grace’s grandmother cared for her until third grade, but had to leave her.

class, her father finally warmed to her. He eventually started to show off to others

ever 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 before. From the moment

was only because he was

To be loved.

the car accident, she realized that everything

she stepped into

of the three of them. Not

Same couches and tables.

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