Chapter 6

For the rest of the evening, Hendrick flaunted his affection for Chantelle even more blatantly. He fed her, held her waist, and whispered in her ear. However, every few minutes, his eyes would drift toward Savannah, only to find her completely indifferent. After the gathering ended, Savannah went to the restroom to touch up her makeup. As soon as she was ready to step out, she was cornered by Chantelle. "Have you seen it?" Chantelle asked, waving her phone, which displayed a photo of her kissing Hendrick. "He loves me, so be smart and finalize the divorce already. This time, don't embarrass yourself by begging him to cancel the petition again." Without batting an eye, Savannah turned on her heels and prepared to leave. Seeing her so unbothered made Chantelle furious. The provocation she had carefully staged landed like a punch into thin air. Gritting her teeth, she raised her hand, ready to slap Savannah across the face. Just then, she heard the familiar footsteps echoing down the hallway. Her expression shifted instantly, and in one smooth motion, she changed her act. Two sharp slaps echoed inside the restroom, and they had landed on Chantelle's face, courtesy of her own hands. Immediately, her fair cheeks turned red and swollen. Then, the female restroom door was pushed open. "Ricky!" she cried out, tears streaming down her face, before she dove into Hendrick's arms. "Savannah… She hit me… All because I played Dare with you." Hendrick held Chantelle close, but his gaze remained fixed on Savannah. He had been puzzled all night by Savannah's indifferent reaction to his closeness with Chantelle, and now, he finally understood. She was secretly jealous! That realization stirred a secret pleasure in his chest, but his face only grew darker. "It was just a game! Do you have to get all jealous like this?" he chided. "Besides, we're in the middle of a divorce. Who I'm with and what I do have nothing to do with you." He stared at Savannah's pale face, enunciating every word. "Hurting Elle won't get you anywhere. If you want to get back together, you'd better start acting like it." "I didn't hit her," Savannah said calmly. "She did it to her—" "I don't want to hear it!" Hendrick interrupted her. "You're all about schemes and games now, aren't you? Well, how about spending a night in this restroom?" The next second, the door slammed shut with force, followed by the unmistakable click of a lock. Savannah pounded on the locked door until her palms turned red and numb. She had no idea how much time had passed when the lock finally turned with a hopeful click. She sighed in relief, ready to leave this place, only to be cornered by three thugs into a blind spot at the end of the hallway. The one in front with dyed hair grabbed her by the hair and said, "You're Savannah Johnson, right?" "I'm not…" Savannah immediately knew something was off. She prepared to flee, but suffered a heavy blow to her abdomen the next second. The pain made her body curl inward, and seizing the moment, another thug yanked her head up by the hair. He slapped her hard across her face, leaving her ears ringing. Even her lips were smeared with blood. "Now, what good does being shameless do for a pretty lady like you?" The thug with dyed hair pinched her chin and patted her cheek with the other hand. "Let us show you a few of our moves tonight!" Fists and leather shoes rained down on Savannah like a storm. Curled up on the restroom floor, she instinctively shielded her head like a scared child. A sharp crack came from her ribs, and the pain exploded through her body. Her vision went black at the edges, but she bit down hard on her lip, refusing to let a single cry escape. "That's enough. We don't need her dead," one of the thugs finally said. "Ms. Stone only told us to teach her a lesson." As their footsteps faded into the distance, Savannah lay sprawled on the cold floor, every inch of her body screaming in pain. She tried to move just one finger, but even that sent waves of agony through her. Cold sweat soon soaked her back. From the end of the hallway came Chantelle's victorious laughter. "Let's see if she'd get smug again." Savannah forced herself to roll over, staring up at the blinding ceiling light. A drop of blood slid down from her temples, and she suddenly laughed. "Is this what you wanted, Hendrick?" she thought. "You said you love me, but you yearn for my suffering. Is this what you wish to see me like, broken, humiliated, and barely clinging to life? Fine, you win." But this… this would be the last time he had the last laugh.