Chapter 3

3

A month later, it was time for Savannah to be discharged. Garrett was there to pick her up.

Unlike my lonely death with only Silas by my side, Savannah's room was packed with people. Her friends and family were celebrating.

When Garrett walked in, the room erupted in cheers.

"Garrett, when are you finally going to marry our Savannah? You clearly adore her. She's a lucky girl."

Savannah lowered her head shyly, her voice barely a whisper.

"Stop it, guys. Garrett is already married. I don't want Lyra to misunderstand us. I don't want to be the other woman; she'll just make my life miserable again."

One of her friends snorted in derision.

"Who cares about that bitter, jealous woman? Garrett loves you. In a relationship, the one who isn't loved is the real intruder."

"All Lyra does is hurt you. If I were him, I would have divorced her ages ago!"

I found it hilarious. Apparently, in their eyes, I was the villainous third wheel in my own marriage.

Savannah always did this. she manipulated Garrett into believing everything was my fault.

What really hurt was Garrett's silence. He didn't say a word to defend me; he just quietly packed her things while everyone else sat around.

I thought back to our marriage. He promised to love me, but I did all the chores and took all the emotional abuse.

I thought he would protect me from the storms of life. I realized too late that he was the one causing the storms.

"Garrett, Savannah has waited for you all these years. You can't let her down now," one girl said, grabbing his arm to push them together.

My heart felt heavy. This was how they talked about me behind my back―as if I were a criminal who deserved no mercy.

Garrett didn't answer. I suppose he agreed with them.

He took Savannah back to his luxury bachelor pad. It was a place he bought after one of our big fights, a private sanctuary he never once let me enter.

I should have seen it coming. Savannah was his exception. All his rules and principles disappeared when it came to her.

Garrett was tidying up her things when Savannah suddenly walked up and wrapped her arms around his waist.

My chest tightened. I wasn't even cold in my grave yet, and they were already playing house. They acted as if he had never been married at all.

Garrett stiffened. It looked like he wanted to pull away for a second, but Savannah held on tighter.

"Garrett," she whispered against his back. "Give us another chance, please. I didn't mean to leave you back then."

"My mom was so sick... I only took your father's money because I had no other way to save her."

So that was it. The classic tragic misunderstanding involving money and a sick parent. A cliché story that Garrett had mourned for years.

Garrett let out a hollow, bitter laugh.

"If you had just told me the truth, we wouldn't have been a tragedy. Do you really think I couldn't provide the money my father did?"

Savannah faltered for a second.

But she was smart. She knew Garrett hated me right now, so she immediately shifted the focus.

"You hated me for leaving, so you just stood by while Lyra bullied me? She hired people to ruin my reputation at work. She even hired thugs to try and... well, you know."

"She wouldn't even donate a kidney to save me. Was that your way of punishing me?"

Lies. Every word out of her mouth was a disgusting lie.

I didn't even know where Savannah worked, let alone how to hire people to ruin her.

I was an orphan with no connections; where would I get a gang of thugs?

If Garrett had investigated for even five minutes, he would have seen the holes in her story. But he chose to believe her blindly.

He had already punished me for those lies. I remembered when he found out about her accusations; he dragged me out of my office in front of all my coworkers.

He looked like a monster, as if I were the scum of the earth.

He actually hired a group of lowlifes to corner me and beat me while he watched.

I had huddled in a corner, shivering and terrified, while those men filmed me being humiliated.

Garrett just sat there, watching the show. He eventually leaned in and shoved his phone in my face.

"If you ever touch Savannah again, I won't hesitate to upload this. I will ruin you for life."

No matter how many times I screamed that it wasn't me, he acted like he was deaf. He never believed a word I said.

Now Savannah was bringing it all up again. Garrett didn't tell her how he had already tortured me on her behalf.

It was so pathetic. Why did he even marry me if he hated me this much?