Chapter 279

"Does your hand hurt?" Lina Sweeney asked with concern.

"It's fine," Grace said. "The bandages make it look worse. I didn't feel any pain today and was able to carry things myself."

Lina Sweeney breathed a sigh of relief and ordered a meal.

As they ate and talked, Grace learned about the witness her best friend had mentioned on the phone. A colleague at Lina's design studio had posted a video to their coworkers' group chat. Lina saw, in the video, the witness who had testified against her.

The man was the newly married husband of Lina's colleague's relative's daughter, and he now lived in S City.

Lina Sweeney casually asked his name, just in case, but the colleague only knew his last name was You. There weren't many people with that surname.

Lina Sweeney played the video for Grace. It showed the newlyweds being playfully teased; it was full of joy and laughter. Grace's eyes were fixed on the groom. His face was full of happiness as he participated in the playful teasing. It looked like a normal celebratory video, except for the groom.

Grace stared at the groom's face, her mind racing. She remembered the man who had coldly testified against her in court. He had claimed to have seen her drinking and said he'd even urged her not to drive, but she'd refused and driven away stubbornly. However, none of this was true. She had never met the man before; they'd simply happened to be dining in the same restaurant, at adjacent tables.

She still didn't understand why he'd testified that way. Had someone asked him to? Was someone trying to frame her? Ironically, the judge had taken the witness's testimony seriously precisely because the witness seemed to have no personal stake in the matter—especially since there was more than one such witness.

"Is it him?" Lina Sweeney asked.

"Yes, I think so," Grace said. "Can you find out where he is now?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. I'll ask my colleague later," Lina Sweeney said. "Are you going to look for him in S City?"

"I'll at least investigate some basic things first. We lost track of the witnesses back then; he's our only lead," Grace said.

Lina Sweeney understood her best friend's concern. She was afraid this lead would disappear. The accident had been bizarre, with so many witnesses testifying against Grace simultaneously. It seemed as if some unseen network was manipulating events.

"All right. Let's get this straight first," Lina Sweeney said.

As they talked, Grace suddenly felt a sense of unease. She looked up to see a parked car nearby. The window was open, and a man was sitting inside, looking in their direction.