Chapter 7

"Stop screaming. You'll love it soon enough. Better than sleeping with a man, honestly. I guarantee you'll be begging for more after this."

Looking at her twisted expression, all I could think about was every time Dave had taken her side.

The disgust in his eyes.

The way he looked at me like I was the problem.

Tears spilled down my face, but weirdly enough, they made me stop caring.

I was leaving anyway.

Why the hell should I keep letting her bully me?

Right as they grabbed my pants to rip them off, I shoved one of the bodyguards back and lunged at Maggie.

Then I sank my teeth into her hand as hard as I could.

Maggie let out this high-pitched shriek and clawed at my face, trying to pry me off her hand.

I didn't let go.

Blood filled my mouth, metallic and thick, right before half her finger tore free between my teeth.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Dave's furious shout exploded across the course.

The second he ran over, he froze.

My face was covered in blood, and my pants had been half ripped off.

And just like that, he finally figured out Maggie had been hurting me.

His face changed instantly. He kicked the bodyguard off me, yanked my pants back up, then grabbed me like he was suddenly scared.

"Bianca, what happened? Don't be scared. I'll—I'll take you to the hospital."

But Maggie suddenly screamed again, holding up the severed half of her finger.

"Dave, she bit off my finger! My finger's gone! It hurts so bad! Save me!"

Dave froze.

Then he looked at me, shock and hesitation flashing across his face.

Only for a second.

He only said one thing.

"Fingers only have a short survival window. I need to get her to the hospital first. Call an ambulance yourself. I'll come back for you after."

Then he picked Maggie up.

My heart dropped into a bottomless pit.

So it wasn't that he didn't know how cruel Maggie was.

He just always chose her.

I looked up at him.

"Dave Tarrett, this is the last time."

Something in his face shifted. Like he was losing something for good.

But when Maggie trembled in his arms, he still chose her without hesitation.

Before leaving, he looked at me seriously.

"I know you suffered because of this. I promise I'll give you an explanation. Just... don't call the police. Please."

I watched him disappear into the distance.

I didn't go to the hospital right away.

Dragging my injured leg behind me, I made my way back to the mansion.

Sure enough, the second I got home, one of the staff handed me the property deed Dave had already prepared.

The deed to this mansion.

I locked it in the safe.

Then I placed my diary, the divorce papers, and the contract termination agreement together on the table.

Finally, I grabbed a note and left him one last sentence.

[I've paid back everything I owed you. We're done. Dave Tarrett, let's get divorced.]

With my only bag in hand, I boarded a flight out of Hawthorne Bay, headed for Southvale.

Dave, this is where we end.

***

Third-Person POV

After the plane lifted into the sky, Dave dragged himself home, dead tired.

The house was quiet. Empty.

Frowning, he called Bianca.

Then he spotted a note on the bedroom desk. Just as he reached for it, a cold robotic voice came through the phone.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is unavailable..."

His eyes dropped to the bold words on the note.

His pupils shrank instantly.