In the midst of falling winter snow, the two of them stood quietly in front of the car.
Jaeden Abbott held a black umbrella, staring straight at the entrance, while Niko Bowen kept checking his watch.
One was my ex-boyfriend, the other my childhood friend.
How affectionate they looked, but if it weren't for the fact that they sent me to prison and instructed others to 'take good care' of me, I would have been moved to tears.
Five years ago, I went to see Skyla Abbott, and during our confrontation, I overreacted in self-defense and hurt Skyla.
Skyla was Jaeden's precious little sister, and when he found us, I still had the bloody knife in my hands and gave him a difficult smile.
Skyla, sitting on the ground, cried out, "Jaeden."
Jaeden's first reaction was to run to me and restrain me on the ground.
At the time, I was pregnant with Jaeden's child and was too weak to resist.
When Niko arrived, he questioned me with red eyes, asking why I was so cruel.
Before I could explain, I was handcuffed and taken away.
In court, Skyla's lawyer was Niko Bowen.
Niko argued fiercely, ruling that I had overreacted in self-defense and sentenced me to five years.
He said, "Desirae Nolan, this is the retribution you deserve."
When I was in prison, I was often bullied at first. In places without surveillance, when no one was around, I would be beaten. My hair would be pulled and I would be dunked in dirty water buckets, and my lower back would be kicked, leaving bruises.
At first, I didn't know better and always stubbornly refused to cry when others hit me.
After being beaten so many times, I started to figure it out. Why did others keep hitting me? So I tried to get close to one of the female bosses. I washed her feet, and even when the washwater splashed in my face, I smiled.
I washed her underwear and did chores. Later, she secretly told me,
"Girl, you're quite pitiful. Someone paid to have you taught a lesson."
I knew who it was, Jaeden.
I had injured his beloved sister, so he wanted to make my life miserable.
In a daze, I remembered how Jaeden once hired dozens of drones to pursue me.
He said, "Desi, let me protect you from now on."
I asked the prison guard to let me leave through the back door. I didn't want to see those two.
Moreover, what if they haven't gotten over it and plan to take revenge on me?
I can't do anything about their power and status. My life is cheap, but can't I at least avoid them?
I still remember when Skyla stood in front of me, holding her dog and shouting, "My dog is worth ten thousand, how much is your grandfather's worthless life worth?"
When I was five, my father died in a motorcycle accident, and my mother ran away. I was left without parents, and it was my grandfather who raised me.
Everything I ate and wore was earned by my grandfather folding paper boxes, crushing plastic bottles, and collecting scrap.
When I was in junior high school, my grandfather took me to live in the city, where we stayed in a shack. He said there was more scrap to collect in the city, so we could earn more.
Actually, it wasn't that reason, my grandfather wanted me to study in the city.
City kids had fancy hair clips, and when I was young and didn't know any better, I also pestered for shiny hair clips.
That day, my grandfather circled the boutique five times before going in and buying me a hair clip.
When the school applied for financial aid, the class teacher helped me apply and asked her son, Niko, to look after me more.
Niko was the top student in the school, and he occasionally helped me with homework. I was smart and eager to learn, so my grades improved quickly.
My grandfather thanked the class teacher by secretly giving me money to give to her. She didn't want the money, so my grandfather offered to sweep her yard.
At the time, the class teacher lived in a detached house, and while my grandfather swept the yard, I did my homework and played with Niko.
The class teacher joked, "Your little girl is so pretty and well-behaved. Our families will be perfect matches in the future."
My grandfather immediately stood straight and nervously rubbed his hands, saying, "No, no, it's not appropriate."
Niko was so embarrassed he couldn't look up, and I laughed foolishly.
When I was accepted into university, my grandfather specially went back to the village. He didn't want me to follow, but I secretly did.
I saw him kneeling and begging for money from door to door.
My grandfather was so good to me, and from a young age, I decided to finish university and earn a lot of money to take good care of him.
Such a wonderful grandfather, and he's gone.
