Chapter 32

Grace hadn't expected to encounter Lily so soon. Lily looked the same as when Grace had first met her years ago: tall and thin in that uniquely actress-like way. Her skin possessed a perfect glow, her makeup meticulously applied, her haute couture clothes and expensive designer handbag completing the picture. She looked every bit the actress and fiancée of one of the city's wealthiest men.

Even without those accolades, she was still the Atkinson family's only daughter, a socialite in her own right. Even while others ripped out her nails, she'd been exquisitely dressed—her expensive, designer clothes standing out starkly in the dark prison. Then, as now, she looked radiant and glamorous.

It was this highly esteemed socialite who had made it her goal to see Grace tortured and abused. Grace understood Lily's plight, momentarily: Lily's sister, Jennifer, had died. But it was an accident! Lily hadn't even been close to Jennifer. Their familial connection didn't explain Lily's relentless vengeance, her unwavering hatred for Grace, even years later.

Perhaps if Grace had been unrepentant. But she wasn't. She deeply regretted the accident.

Annabelle, accompanying Lily, spotted Grace and sneered. "I wonder who this is. Isn't she the perpetrator who killed Jennifer? This is karma. I can't believe she's working as a sanitation worker."

Grace's face paled; she remained silent, lowering her head to continue sweeping rubbish around the dumpster.

"She's thick-skinned," Annabelle said. "If I'd killed someone's sister, I'd be crying, begging for forgiveness. I can't believe some people don't see it as a big deal."

Grace took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked at them. "I've already paid the price," she said, holding the broom as a barrier.

Surveillance cameras covered the government building—she knew government officials could be bought, a lesson learned during her trial and when she'd been tricked into delivering papers to Mia.

"I was incarcerated for three years on a false accusation, and my law license was suspended," she continued. "I suffered greatly in jail and could only get work as a sanitation worker after my release."

"Oh, poor you," Annabelle mocked. "A shit job. Big deal. You're alive, aren't you? While Jennifer is dead!"

"You think you've paid the price? Three years? It should have been a life for a life," Lily said coldly.

"What do you want?" Grace retorted calmly. "I'm living the worst possible life. I have no family, no friends. Everything I worked for is gone. Did you come here to gloat? I have nothing left to lose."

Lily swept her gaze from Grace's messy hair to the cuffs of her neon orange uniform. In three years, Grace's once dark, long hair had withered and yellowed. Lily remembered their first meeting, surprised by Grace's smooth, fair hands and meticulously manicured nails—hands that had seemed even prettier holding a pen. Now, they held a dirty broom.

"It seems your hands haven't been completely crippled!" Lily huffed. "We were too gentle last time."

Grace tensed, clutching the broom tighter.

"Grace, you have nothing to do with Sean. Understand? Don't let your younger sister make a fool of herself trying to get close to him again. If she does, you'll both pay the price. And next time, you won't have hands to hold anything with!"

Lily thought of the withdrawn engagement announcement ads, resenting Grace fiercely. The Stevens family, learning Jason was responsible for removing the ads, were on edge, unsure if it was related to Jennifer's death. They'd initially believed Jason's attendance at the engagement dinner signaled his approval of the marriage, but now they weren't so sure.

The final "5 Write your comment Gifts B" appears to be unrelated and extraneous. It has been omitted.