Prologue
The day Grace was released from prison, two men waited for her: the one who sent her there, and the one who convicted her. Heavy snow fell, transforming them into figures resembling snowmen standing outside the prison gates. In her heart, Grace vowed revenge.
"Grace," the prison guard said, opening the gate, "get yourself a job and be a good person."
Grace nodded. Through the bars of the prison window, she saw two black cars parked outside: Jacob's Benz G-Wagon and Sean's Porsche Panamera. The heavy snow had caused chaos on the roads. Jacob and Sean stood silently before their cars. Sean held a black umbrella, his gaze fixed on the gate; Jacob checked his watch. One was Grace's ex-boyfriend; the other, her childhood best friend. How affectionate and caring they seemed! If they hadn't orchestrated her imprisonment and instructed other inmates to "take good care" of her, perhaps she might have been moved to tears.
Five years earlier, Grace had confronted Lily Atkinson. Lily's sister, Jennifer, was also present. In a tragic accident, Jennifer died. Despite its accidental nature, the court sentenced Grace to three years for reckless driving and involuntary manslaughter. Lily dragged Jennifer's lifeless body from the car and called the police. Sean arrived shortly after.
"Sean, your girlfriend killed my sister!" Lily cried, collapsing to the ground.
Sean's immediate reaction was to push Grace down, fearing she would flee. But Grace was too weak to resist; she was injured and pregnant with Sean's child.
"How could you be so evil?!" Jacob arrived, his eyes bloodshot as he confronted Grace.
Before Grace could explain, the police handcuffed her. In court, Lily's lawyer was Jacob, another crushing blow. He blamed Grace entirely. She was convicted and sentenced to three years' imprisonment.
"Grace, you deserve this. People have to pay for their mistakes," he said.
In prison, Grace endured relentless beatings in areas without security cameras. Her nails were pulled out; she was yanked by the hair, shoved into toilets, and kicked repeatedly. Her fingers were broken, one by one. Initially, she didn't understand why she was targeted. Her stubborn refusal to cry only fueled the attacks.
Eventually, Grace discovered the reason. After ingratiating herself with a powerful female inmate—washing her feet, giving massages, and doing her laundry—she learned the truth.
"Girl," the woman said, "someone paid us to beat you."
Grace knew instantly: Sean. The man who once declared his love with two hundred drones spelling out "I LOVE YOU" in the night sky. The man who promised, "Grace, I will protect you from now on."
Seeing their cars outside the prison, Grace pleaded with the guard to let her leave through a back door. What if they still sought revenge? She felt powerless, insignificant compared to them. Hiding was her only recourse.
Lost in thought, Grace recalled her confrontation with Lily. Lily, holding her dog, had screamed, "My dog is worth $70,000. How much is your grandfather's life worth?"
Grace's mother had died when she was three. Her father remarried and abandoned her, leaving her grandfather to raise her. He worked tirelessly collecting recyclable materials. In junior high, they moved to the city for better opportunities. Grace knew his true motivation: he wanted her to have the shiny hairpins she coveted. He'd even saved to buy her an expensive one. Mrs. Green, Grace's teacher, secured financial aid and introduced her to her son, Jacob, who tutored Grace, helping her excel academically. Grace’s grandfather tended Mrs. Green’s garden in exchange for their kindness. Mrs. Green jokingly suggested Grace and Jacob would make a cute couple. Jacob blushed deeply.
When Grace gained admission to a top university, her grandfather returned to the countryside, but Grace secretly followed him and saw him begging for money for her tuition. He sacrificed everything for her. She vowed to become a successful lawyer so he would never have to work again. He was the best grandfather, but then… he died.
The year after law school, Grace began dating Sean, a member of the powerful Stevens family. Suddenly, her father reappeared, drawn by her new relationship.
"What a nice young man. Bless you two," her grandfather said when Grace brought Sean home. "You are a big girl now. A big girl should have beautiful dresses. My pretty Grace should not wear shabby clothes."
He secretly continued collecting junk, despite Grace's pleas. He was getting too old, and she worried about his health.
Three years ago, a winter day, Lily's unleashed dog attacked him in the park. He fell unconscious, suffering a fractured cervical spine and spinal cord damage, leaving him paralyzed. Grace needed money for his medical care and sought compensation from Lily.
Lily, who harbored feelings for Sean, sneered, "You're Sean's girlfriend? You didn't get money from him, so you came to me? My dog's leg is broken because of your idiot grandfather, I should be the one asking you for money!" She called Grace and her grandfather "country bumpkins" who "deserved to die."
Grace slapped Lily. A fight ensued. Jennifer intervened. Pregnant and weak, Grace fled in her car, pursued by Jennifer. The accident occurred. Grace was arrested. Her grandfather was in the hospital, but no one listened to a "murderer." She pleaded for help from Sean and Jacob, but they sided with Lily and Jennifer. While detained, she learned her grandfather, after fifteen days in ICU, had been discharged but, paralyzed and feeling like a burden, had committed suicide. That day, Grace suffered a miscarriage, losing both her grandfather and her child.
Later, Lily visited Grace in prison, whispering, "My dog has always been obedient. Guess why my dog tackled your grandfather?" The dog was merely following orders; Lily's malice was the true cause. Lily resented Grace for dating Sean.
In prison, Grace blamed herself for her grandfather's death. She knew Lily would never have harmed him if she hadn’t been dating Sean. She dreamed of her grandfather, who told her she was a good girl. She knew it was just a dream; she felt like "a piece of garbage." If she could turn back time, she wouldn't want the shiny hairpins, the nice dresses, or Sean. She only wanted her grandfather back.
"Aah!" Grace gasped, awakening from her dream. She looked at her calloused hands, the lasting testament to three years of imprisonment, multiple fractures, and broken bones, poorly set by prison doctors. Her joints were distorted, causing constant pain and nerve damage. Many fine motor skills were impaired, especially in cold or humid weather.
"It's okay. You're okay. Today is a new day," she repeated, a mantra against the crushing memories. She'd lost more than freedom: her future, her boyfriend, her grandfather—everything she cherished. Jennifer Atkinson, the daughter of a wealthy and powerful family, and fiancée of Jason Reed, the city's most powerful man, was gone.
"It's okay. You're okay. Today is a new day. You don't need anybody."
She finished mopping the room. In her bright sanitation worker uniform, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail, she caught her reflection. Her youthful face belied the weariness in her eyes, eyes that had witnessed the world's cruelty.
She sighed and gathered her supplies. A moment’s rest had been foolish. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep.
She worked swiftly and efficiently, finishing the building's cleaning. The job was unglamorous, but it was all she could find after prison.
As she prepared to leave, she overheard a coworker watching the news: "Whoa! Lily is engaged to Sean Stevens! What a lucky girl! A superstar and the daughter of a powerful family, marrying into the wealthy Stevens family too!"
Grace shuddered, hurrying out. She took deep breaths, repeating her mantra, pushing thoughts of her ex-boyfriend and his fiancée from her mind.
The cold wind bit at her hands as she swept the walkway. She regretted not taking her coat, too preoccupied with escaping her coworker and the happy couple’s "good news"—the couple who had watched her brutal beating without intervening.
Suddenly, a Ferrari screeched to a halt. Three men and a woman emerged, obviously intoxicated. One man recognized her, laughing cruelly. "I know you. What are the odds of finding Sean's ex-girlfriend?"
Grace paled. It was Christopher Peterson, a trust fund baby she’d once verbally attacked for making a pass at her. Many of Sean's friends, she realized, were elitist creeps—"birds of a feather flock together."
"Aren't you a great lawyer? Why are you sweeping the road here?" Christopher asked.
Another man stepped forward, questioning whether a former inmate could practice law. The woman scoffed, calling her a mere janitor.
Christopher moved closer. "Surely there are better ways to make money. Come with me," he leered. "I'll pay you for a night; beats sweeping streets."
He reached for her, but Grace dodged. He cornered her against the building. It was late; no one was around. She screamed, but her coworkers wouldn't hear her. His friends remained in the car, unconcerned.
He forced her head back against the wall. Grace kicked him in the groin, giving her the chance she needed to flee. He blocked her way back to the sanitation center, forcing her down a side street, where he cornered and attacked her, using his belt as a weapon.
As he tried to undress her, Grace fought and screamed, then a cold voice spoke behind her. Christopher froze.
A stranger had arrived.