Grace looked at the back of her right hand, at the spot where Maria had stepped on today.
Today, when I was working, I accidentally hit it. Its nothing, she said casually, not wanting him to worry.
Is that so? Jason stared fixedly at Grace. Sister, if someone bullies you, just tell me and I will stand up for you.
He would make those people pay the price. In the future, no one would dare bully her.
For a moment, her heart pounded quickly. It was as if he knew everything. Was he testing her? She didnt want to lie. Not to him. But she didnt want him to worry either.
Especially when he couldnt help her.
He was poor and broken down like her. And if he were to take on one of those privileged assholes, itd only end badly for him.
And she wouldnt let that happen.
I can protect myself, she said.
What if you cant? he asked.
If that were the case, it would still be useless to tell him, but
Grace did not say that. She didnt want to prolong this
conversation.
26
Dont you want me to protect you? He stared at her with his dark and deep eyes.
She bit her lip. You already saved me once, remember? Now its my turn to try and protect you. And Ill try my best not to let others bully us.
There was a flash in his eyes, but he did not say anything in the end. Instead, he simply replied faintly, Okay.
After dinner, Grace took that shower shed been waiting for. Underneath the hot water, she tried to channel all of those terrible feelings and fears out of her and right down the drain.
She only partially succeeded.
In law school, shed studied and strove to always protect the innocent, and yet what had she learned? That there were many people above the law. And being innocent didnt mean you
couldnt lose.
What happened today was proof of that.
She shuddered.
What if that man on the second floor hadnt intervened? What then?
Would that bastard Greg have abused and drowned her? And
what of Maria and Mia, two classmates whod stood by and watched the assault
If she were to press charges, they would be accomplices.
If she wasnt a convicted felon. If their families didnt have enough money to buy entire juries if anyone actually cared about her or the pain theyd caused her.
She knew seeking justice was pointless.
It would never come for a person like her.
Its okay. Youre okay.
Tomorrow is a new day.
She said it over and over again, but deep down, she knew it
wasnt true.
Jason found it hard to bite back the words he wanted to say.
On the one hand, he knew why she remained silent. His sister was hellbent on protecting him. Which was just ridiculous.
Maybe she was holding back because of his physical sickness from the other night. If that was the case, well, fck that. Hed been in pain, yeah. But it was bearable.
Hed allowed her to mother him because hed sensed that was what she needed to do.
Grace sat back down at the kitchen table.
She wore a fluffy bathrobe over her pajamas and she worked in the dim light of the kitchen lamp to sew back together the uniform shirt that Gregory had torn.
Jasons hands clenched into fists.
Grace hummed some nameless tune.
She had her head lowered, and her long hair was hanging loosely over her shoulders. Her hair seemed to lack some shine due to malnutrition. After three hard years of imprisonment and the recent exposure to the wind and sun, her skin was not fair at all. Even though she had a comely appearance, she still looked weathered, and given all that had befallen her in the short time. hed known her, it was obvious the hardships in her life were taking their toll.
However, at this moment, she was sewing her clothes, stitch by stitch, and she looked beautiful.
The quiet and elegant way about her was unusually attractive.
In the circles he moved in, he seldom saw women sewing clothes like this. The very notion was laughable. The women he knew wore couture clothes that cost more than Grace would make in a
year.
He had never thought that one day, such a simple and plain woman would capture all his attention.
Grace finished sewing and looked up. She met Jays gaze.
His eyes were so focused that her face turned slightly red.
Whats wrong with you? she whispered. Why are you looking at me like that?
I just think that you are really beautiful, he said.
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Grace laughed. She knew how big the gap between her and her past self was. At most, she was not ugly.
Youre sweet, she said.
From her tone, he knew she was patronizing him. But the blush in her cheeks and lingering smile told him she liked the compliment.
By the way, when I was free earlier during the day, I saw something for you on the internet. Have a look, do you like it? She took out her mobile phone, opened the shopping website, and clicked on a sweater in the shopping cart. Then she handed the phone over to show him.
Jason looked at it. It was particularly attractive and expensive. From the reviews, he could tell that tens of thousands of pieces had been sold.
1
You only have one sweater for winter, Grace said. And you dont even have a spare one. I think the reviews for this are rather good so it seems worth the price, and you should look good wearing this color
If you like it, I will like it, Jason said.
Dont think about what I like. You should like it yourself. If you dont like it, I will find you another one in a different style.
Thats okay, this one is good, he said.
Okay then, Ill buy it for you. Grace started the online purchase.
She was staying up late into the night to stitch back her own clothes but was going out of her way to buy him something new. He looked at her and suddenly asked, why are you so good to me? The coat and clothes, the phone and food. He knew she didnt make much money. She couldnt afford to buy him these things.
1
You are like my younger brother. Of course, I have to be good to you, she said as if it was given.
However, for some unknown reason to him, the whole younger brother was a little hard for him to hear. Had she really forgotten that he was actually still a man?