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.

She didn’t want to believe it, but the discomfort in her body and the doctor’s words left no room for doubt.

Touching her flat belly, Savannah felt as if a knife had pierced straight through her heart, the sharp pain spreading rapidly through her whole body.

She covered her face in despair, letting her tears slip through her trembling fingers.

Her lower lip was bitten so hard that it bled, the taste of blood mixing with her tears, salty and bitter.

After a long while, she finally trembled as she asked, "Doctor, may I ask where the gentleman who brought me here went?"

"He should be in the room next door. A woman came with him and said she felt unwell too. Mr. Duncan went to accompany her first."

Savannah nodded faintly. After the doctor left, she forced her frail body out of bed and staggered toward the neighboring ward.

She needed to find Tobias and get a clear answer.

But just as she approached, an angry voice from inside slammed into her.

"Who told you to tamper with the condoms?!"

Why was Tobias so angry? Savannah couldn’t make sense of it.

But soon, the others provided her with the answer.

"Tobias, we poked holes in the condoms to speed up your plan! Wouldn’t it be dramatic if Savannah got pregnant by accident? We just didn’t expect her to miscarry."

"Yeah, Tobias, this is already the 98th time. A few more and once we hit a hundred, you’ll finally erase those three years of humiliation."

But the explanation didn’t seem to calm Tobias. If anything, it only fueled his rage.

"There were so many other ways to do this. Why use this method?!" His voice trembled with anger, causing everyone to fall silent. After a long pause, someone spoke hesitantly.

"Tobias, haven’t we always done it this way? Why’s it different now? A miscarriage is just a miscarriage; it doesn’t hurt us. Do you really want to back out now? After all, you’ve never forgotten those three years of humiliation when Savannah treated you like a servant… could it be…"

The question hung in the air, unspoken but clear. "Could it be you’ve actually fallen for Savannah?"

At that, whispers erupted around them, spreading like wildfire.

"Come to think of it, Tobias could’ve forced Savannah to drink all the white wine at the table, but he stopped her. Was it because he felt sorry for her?"

"If that’s the case, should we still carry out the plan?"

For a moment, the room fell silent. Every eye instinctively turned to Tobias, waiting for his response.

Standing in the middle of the crowd, Tobias’s face was as dark as a storm cloud.

To say there hadn’t been a trace of affection between them during those three years would have been a lie.

But throughout those years, the constant sneers, the mocking glances and the disdainful looks from others were like daggers piercing his soul, always reminding him that he and Savannah were never meant to be.

To stay by her side, he had lowered himself to the dust, casting aside every ounce of pride.

Then, when she went bankrupt, he found himself once again with nothing, not even enough money to pay for school and he had to endure the cruel laughter of those around him.

It was Tessa who had helped him rise from that darkness.

For countless nights after, Tobias couldn’t shake the memories of those three years. He had used every method to keep Savannah by his side, seeking revenge over and over, desperate to rebuild the pride that had been shattered.

But when he watched Savannah nearly die before his eyes, when he heard that their child was gone, a pain so fierce gripped his chest; it was almost suffocating.

At that moment, he realized the truth: trying to erase those three years of humiliation by continually humiliating Savannah wasn’t what he truly wanted.

Yet, there were only two more steps to go until he reached a hundred.

He had come this far. No matter what, he couldn’t stop now.

A cold sneer curled on his lips as he pressed his lower lip into a thin line.

"Of course, we’ll continue."

"Fall for her? You’re overthinking it. I never loved Savannah."

Outside the door, Savannah's fingers tightened reflexively around the doorknob. She forced a desolate tug at the corner of her mouth before turning to walk away.

Not long after she returned to the hospital room, Tobias came searching for her. When he saw her pale face, his heart twisted in a painful knot.

He sat down beside the bed, his voice stiff as if struggling to find the right words.

"Sorry, I didn’t know you were pregnant. As compensation, whatever request you make today, I’ll agree to it."

Before Savannah could respond, Tobias’s phone beeped.

He pulled it out and opened the message. From where she stood, Savannah caught sight of the name Tessa in the chat box.

[Tobias, I’m back in my hospital room. Why aren’t you here? This hospital gown is so big, it’s falling off me.]

[My fever hasn’t gone down yet. Would you like to try the 37-degree version of me?]

In the picture, Tessa kneeled on the bed, the gown pulled provocatively low, showing just a hint of her snow-white chest.

Tobias’s expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he typed a quick response.

[Still know how to seduce even with a fever?]

Watching it all, Savannah let out a bitter laugh, the sound sharp with sarcasm.

The relentless blows had already numbed her. Now, seeing this scene unfold, Savannah felt no more stirrings in her heart. Her mind was fixed on one thing: three days left and she would finally be free.

After Tobias finished replying to the messages, she spoke, "Does what you just said still count?"

Tobias froze for a moment, surprised. "Of course, it counts."

His answer seemed to ease something within Savannah. She lifted her eyes, meeting his gaze with determination.

"Good. I want to use the death of my child to erase everything between us. From now on, there’s no more connection between you and me."

Her words hit Tobias like a slap to the face, sharp and jarring.

"No more connection?"

Tobias’s eyes locked onto Savannah’s resolute gaze and he suddenly let out an angry laugh.

"I let you make a request and this is what you choose?"

Savannah said nothing, her gaze steady as she watched Tobias's expression shift, his brows furrowing deeper, his eyes reddening.

Curiosity stirred inside her. If hearing her say "no more connection" had made him so angry, how would he react when he found out she was about to marry his sworn enemy?

Suddenly, Tobias sneered again, his voice dripping with coldness. "You seem to be under some kind of illusion about our relationship. What feelings could there have ever been between us? You didn’t really think I had feelings for you, did you?"

"I’ll agree to your request, but you have to do one last thing for me."

"Yesterday, Tessa and I unlocked a new position. Just like before, I need you to record it for us."

Savannah’s body went rigid for a moment. "Tobias, you’re insane. I just had a miscarriage."

"So what if you miscarried? Die first and then we’ll talk."

Tobias’s sneer deepened and without another word, he lifted her from the bed and carried her toward the adjacent hospital room.

When he pushed open the door, Tessa was lying on the bed, dressed in the same clothes from the photo. As soon as she saw Tobias, she quickly rushed to him, eager.

Tobias effortlessly pulled her into his arms, his large hand slipping suggestively over her body.

"Waited long?"

Tessa blushed deeply. "Not too long. But why did you bring her here? Won’t the marks you left on me show in the recording?"

Tobias’s hand slid lower, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

"Isn’t it even more exciting with her here? Don’t be shy. There will be plenty more marks soon enough."

Pressing forward over her, Tobias tossed the camcorder to Savannah, his eyes full of eager desire.

"Film it properly. Don’t miss a single movement."