Chapter 8

Joanna was shoved hard through the iron door, her injured leg barely able to keep her upright. The wound on her leg had been hastily bandaged, but the blood had already seeped through. Limping and disheveled, she stumbled forward, trying to find somewhere to sit. Her face was ghostly pale, completely drained of color. Just as her hand reached the cold concrete wall for support, a metal food tray came flying out of nowhere and slammed into her face. Laughter echoed through the cellblock as several women stepped out of the shadows. The woman in front didn't hesitate. She lifted her leg and kicked Joanna hard, right in the injured calf. Joanna grunted and crumpled to the floor on her knees. Before she could recover, someone yanked her hair back so viciously that it felt like her scalp was about to tear clean off. The sting spread across her entire body, but she bit it down. The woman sneered. "Well, look at you, Joanna. You're finally getting a taste of what real life feels like. "You probably don't know this yet, do you? Mr. Swanson already gave us the green light. As long as we 'teach you a lesson', he'll sign off on our release." She froze, unable to process what she had just heard. Joanna froze. She hadn't expected Rowan would truly go this far for Hattie. He had actually arranged for them to "discipline" her. The agony on her scalp was nothing compared to the chill that sank into her chest. They saw her go quiet and took it as permission. One of them shoved a rag into her mouth while another jerked her head back so hard it felt like her neck might snap. Then, without warning, a chunk of her hair, along with skin, tore straight from her scalp. Two women pinned her down as she writhed in agony, while the others rained punches and kicks on her abdomen and lower body. When they saw the blood trickling down her leg, they dragged her limp form to the iron bars and yanked her violently in opposite directions. A sickening crack echoed through the space. The veins on Joanna's forehead bulged from the sheer pain. The torment was so intense that she wanted to slam her head into the wall just to make it stop. But before she could even move, someone yanked her hair and slammed her skull down hard against the concrete floor, again and again. The abuse lasted three full days. When they finally threw her out, she hit the pavement outside the prison like a broken animal. One of the women stood nearby. She didn't leave right away. Instead, she gave Joanna a nudge with the tip of her boot. "Mr. Swanson says Hattie hasn't slept for three days because of what you did. He wants you to apologize to her first thing tomorrow." With that, she turned and walked off. At that moment, Joanna couldn't get a single word out. Pain tore through every inch of her body, so sharp it made her cry. For three days, she had lived through hell. And during that same time, Rowan had been losing sleep because Hattie couldn't rest. Joanna was left under the blazing sun, her body too weak to even stand. Calvin arrived, and he froze in disbelief before sprinting straight to her side. His voice cracked with rage. "Joanna! Who the hell did this to you?" He loaded his gun on the spot, ready to charge back in and confront whoever was responsible. But just as he turned, Joanna clutched his shirt with a bloodied hand, her fingers trembling from exhaustion. She used the last of her strength to whisper through a throat scalded by boiling water, the sound rough and barely human. "Take me… Take me to this place…" Calvin didn't hesitate. In just 30 minutes, he had gotten her to the location she had asked for. There, on a private helipad, a team was already waiting. The moment they saw her unconscious body, they rushed forward to take her from Calvin's arms. "You should come with us," one of them said. Calvin shook his head, fists clenched tight. His eyes burned with fury as he stared at Joanna. She was so broken and bloodied that he barely recognized the woman he had sworn to protect. For 12 years, he had watched her stay by Rowan's side. Through chaos, violence, and bloodshed, she never once turned away. But this, this was what her loyalty earned her. He rasped, "No! Just get her out of here. And make sure she never comes back to this goddamn place again."