After He Humiliated Me Repeatedly, I Married His Rival

Grief surged through her like a tidal wave, threatening to consume her whole. Anger twisted with heartbreak and Savannah trembled uncontrollably.

Behind her, Tobias’s friends chuckled without mercy.

"This is the 97th time. That move never fails!"

"Did Savannah really think Tobias bought it for her? How naïve. The moment he saw that ring, he decided to propose to Tessa with it. I heard it’s her mother’s relic. How perfect for a proposal!"

"Look at her shaking. Is she about to cry?"

Her nails dug deep into her palms, drawing blood, yet she felt nothing.

Her eyes locked on the ring in Tobias’s hand, unable to look away.

In the next breath, her composure shattered. With tears brimming in her eyes, she lunged forward, trying to snatch it.

"Tobias, give me back the ring!"

But he was faster. Just as her fingers nearly grazed it, he jerked his hand away, clutching the ring even tighter.

The momentum sent Savannah crashing to the floor. Gasps and laughter echoed around her.

"Look at her, just like a drowned rat!"

"So filthy!”

Seeing this, Tessa leaned sweetly into Tobias’s arms, her voice laced with grievance.

"Tobias, why is she trying to steal my engagement ring? Is she planning to sell it for money? If she’s really that desperate, maybe we should just let her have it. You’ve already given me so many rings..."

The moment the word sell reached his ears, Tobias’s expression turned cold.

"That would be far too easy for her."

With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the ring straight out the window.

It traced a perfect arc through the winter air before vanishing into a blanket of snow, swallowed whole by the cold.

"Savannah, since you want it that badly? Go find it. If you manage to dig it out, it’s yours."

Savannah froze. Her mind blanked for a second, then instinct took over.

She bolted outside and dropped to her knees in the snow, clawing desperately at the ground. Flakes clung to her cheeks, mixing with tears that burned hot against her frozen skin.

Her clothes soaked through almost instantly and the wind whipped across her body like cold blades, but she didn’t stop.

In no time, her hands turned bright red, numb from the biting cold, but she never stopped digging. Her mind held onto only one thought, the ring.

By the time Savannah finally found the ring, she didn’t even know how many hours had passed.

The moment her eyes landed on it, the string that had kept her heart wound tight finally snapped. She cradled the ring in her hands and tucked it away, desperate to leave this nightmare behind.

But just as she straightened up, a wave of dizziness crashed over her. Her vision blurred, the world spun and the next moment, everything faded into black as she collapsed backward.

***

When Savannah opened her eyes again, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. A doctor stood by her side, his expression serious.

Seeing her awake, he let out a faint sigh before delivering the blow.

"Miss Rossi, I’m sorry, but you’ve lost the baby."

Her breath caught. For a moment, she thought she misheard him.

"...Baby? What baby?"

The doctor furrowed his brows, surprised. "Miss Rossi, you didn’t know? You were already pregnant when you were brought in. By the time Mr. Duncan brought you here, your body was nearly frozen. We barely saved you, but we couldn’t save the child."

Pregnant? When had that happened?

She had forced Tobias to take precautions every single time.