Chapter 28
“Thanks. I’m doing great. If you have time, you can come here and visit. There’s a beautiful sea here and an active volcano that may erupt at any time. I wake up at sunrise and rest with sunset. I’m happy.”
Grace put down the brush and replied to Violet.
To her surprise, despite the twelve–hour time difference, Violet texted back right away, “That’s great. I’m so happy for you. I just wanna check on you and let you know they’re all looking for you. Well, enjoy your life. You don’t have to reply to this message.”
After all, the more they texted each other, the more possible Grace might be exposed.
Now that Grace had started a new chapter of her life, she shouldn’t be haunted by anything related to her past.
Violet believed so.
Grace smiled knowingly as she read Violet’s message.
Of course, she understood Violet’s good intentions by saying she didn’t need to reply.
She was in Pine Prison for seven years. If it weren’t for Violet, she would have been dead by now.
She remembered that Violet was demoted to Pine Prison.
They were both let down by life and found solace in each other, showing kindness when the other needed it most.
“My, my! Camille. you didn’t tell me you were such a great painter.”
Mary Clayton, her landlord, came up to the roof to dry some fruit and saw Grace sitting in front of her easel.
You’re flattering me.” Grace wasn’t being modest; she was telling the truth.
She had never painted, not even once, after she came back to the Parrish’s villa, let alone those seven years in Pine Prison.
“Im so not. The painting is so nice. See? The sky and the sea are so beautiful. If you have time. why don’t you paint one for me? I’d be happy to hang it in the dining room.” Mary smiled.
Grace was a bit at a loss when facing such a straightforward compliment.
“Camille, whatever your past is. now that you’re here, it means you’re moving on to a new life. Don’t be haunted by your past. It seems that you’ve let go. but you’re not. It’s excruciating.”
Mary said sincerely, stroking Grace’s hair with her wrinkled palm.
Grace smelt a faint, warm chamomile scent.
It seemed to come from an essential oil that Mary often used.
Looking at Mary, who was in her fifties. Grace suddenly felt a lump in her throat
She wanted to cry, even though she had never cried after years of unbearable pain both physically and mentally.
“Camille, after you’re done painting, get downstairs. I’ll put the kettle on. I’ve got some great fruit tea.”
Mary smiled brightly, not noticing the change in Grace’s expression.
“OK. Let’s eat together tonight. And shall we fetch Andy, too?” Grace smiled.
She didn’t cry.
She had never been to Clastein before, and everything here was so unfamiliar to her. The fact that she met kind people like Mary and Andy right after she got here probably meant she was about to get lucky.
Besides, Mary’s words indeed struck a chord with her.
Now that she had chosen to start over, she shouldn’t be haunted by her past. Those pain–either emotionally or physically–no longer mattered.
After finishing the landscape painting, she decided to find a tattoo shop.
she deci
To donate her kidney to Antonio nine years ago, she underwent surgery, which left a scar on her waist. It was part of her past, and she wanted to get rid of it.
She carefully sketched a butterfly on a white drawing paper; it looked so vivid as if it would fly at any second.
Then she hummed a song as she walked towards the tattoo shop shown on the navigation.
The tattoo artist was a girl who looked around eighteen with great skills.
When Grace saw the butterfly on her waist in the round mirror, she felt that her heartstrings were tugged at–it was something she hadn’t felt for a long time.
The Morpho butterfly was the most beautiful kind in the world.
Chapter 28
From now on, there would be no winding scar on her waist.
Only this vivid, dreamlike butterfly.
“If you want another tattoo, feel free to come by at any time. You… are perfect for such beauty.”
