Chapter 9

The hospital's stark white walls were almost painful to look at. After the blood transfusion, the doctor insisted that Savannah stay overnight for observation. Throughout it all, Hendrick never showed once. Her phone, however, buzzed endlessly. They were photos from Chantelle, most of which displayed Hendrick feeding her soup, sitting by her bedside, and her sneaking a kiss on his cheek while he slept. Savannah deleted each one without blinking. It turned out that when her heart stopped beating for him, the pain would magically disappear as well. On the final day of the divorce waiting period, Savannah woke up early. Sunlight streamed through the curtains as she packed the last piece of clothing into her suitcase. The flight ticket to Alvaria sat quietly in her bag, and the departure time was 3:00 pm. Right then, the doorbell rang. Hendrick stood at the door, suit sharp as ever, like he had just stepped out of an important meeting. "Chantelle's out of the woods," he said flatly. "I'm a man of my word, so I'm coming with you to cancel the divorce." Savannah stared at him quietly. "But…" he added, "if you mess up again, I'll file for divorce without hesitation." She almost laughed at the possibility of that. It wouldn't happen again because she would finally be living her life for herself, away from him. The car ride to the courthouse was quiet. When they pulled up at the entrance, Savannah gripped the strap of her bag tightly. "We're here." Hendrick unbuckled his seatbelt and said, "Let's get this over with. Once we're done, I need to head back to the hospital for Elle." Savannah glanced at the familiar glass doors of the courthouse. Her fingers subconsciously traced the edge of her phone. She had to get rid of him somehow—he couldn't go in with her! "I—" As soon as she spoke, his phone rang. "Elle?" Hendrick frowned as he answered the call. "What's wrong? It's okay, don't cry. I'll be right there." He ended the call and turned to Savannah. "She's not doing well. I need to go now. Just go in, cancel the filing, and text me when you're done." She lowered her gaze, hiding the wave of relief washing over her. "Okay." It wasn't until she watched his car speed off that she turned and walked into the courthouse. The familiar clerk smiled and greeted her, "Mrs. Cook, here to cancel your application again?" "No," she answered, pulling out the prepared documents from her bag. "I'm here to pick up the divorce certificate today." Back home, Savannah placed the divorce certificate belonging to Hendrick on the coffee table, then grabbed her suitcase. The door closed softly behind her, but it felt like a knife cutting through seven years of hopeless dreams. The sun was shining bright on her way to the airport. She rolled down the car window, slowly closed her eyes, and breathed in the air of freedom. Goodbye, Hendrick. This time, she was giving up on him for good.