Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 537

The next morning, Mara was the first one up. She mopped the floor and scrubbed the toilet. The ventilation was terrible, and the stench was suffocating. She filled everyone's water cups and squeezed out their toothpaste.

When the others woke up, she made their beds and gathered their dirty laundry—sweaty socks and soiled underwear—into a basket. She would have to wash them after yard time.

Exhausted, she slowed her pace just a fraction to catch her breath, glancing around to make sure no one was watching.

How did she end up here?

Even growing up in the countryside, her adoptive parents never made her do heavy labor. When she moved into the Mercer estate, it was paradise. Maids waited on her, she ate gourmet meals, wore designer clothes, and received an allowance she couldn't have fathomed in her old life.

She had a wealthy CEO father, a beautiful mother, and capable brothers who spoiled her rotten.

But she had been consumed by jealousy toward Mira. Why did Mira get to grow up with all of this while she suffered in poverty? Why was Mira so elegant, smart, and talented? Why was Mira always the center of attention while she felt pathetic and insecure?

Mara believed everything Mira had rightfully belonged to her. She wanted to steal it all and crush Mira into the dirt. That obsession led to her master plan, which had ultimately landed her in this hellhole.

Breakfast was served. A bowl of watery oatmeal, a single bun, and a tiny scoop of pickled vegetables.

The bun wasn't enough to fill a normal person, but Mara had to give half of hers to the Boss.

"Give me the pickles," another inmate barked just as Mara was about to take a bite.

Mara handed them over without a word.

After breakfast, she washed all the trays. Then it was yard time—a forced jog around the yard followed by thirty minutes of supervised free time.

"I... I was just tired," Mara stammered. She wanted to say she was starving, but she didn't dare.

"Tired? Trying to prove to everyone that we're mistreating you?" It was a blatant excuse to pick a fight, but Mara was powerless.

The Boss glanced at the others. "Beat her."

The inmates swarmed her, raining kicks and punches down on her.

Pain exploded across Mara's body, but she bit her lip, curling into a ball. She knew screaming would only make them hit her harder.

When she used to bully Mira at home, she always felt so powerful. Why was she so terrified now? She realized she hadn't been strong back then—she just had the Mercer family backing her up.