Chapter 2
The first time Savannah ever heard the name Delilah Monroe was in court, exactly one year ago.
Delilah had shown up as the defense attorney–young, self–righteous, and laughably underprepared. Her understanding of the law was paper–thin, but she made up for it by constantly preaching about morality.
That day, she stood in court defending a seventy–something man accused of molesting a neighbor’s little girl.
After the hearing, Delilah cornered Savannah in the hallway, flushed and agitated, ready to lecture.
“Do you seriously lack empathy?” she snapped. “He’s old. Lonely. That’s why he did it. Do you really need to see him rot in prison for the rest of his life just to feel satisfied?”
Savannah hadn’t dignified that with a response.
But later that night, when Julian heard about the case, he pulled her close, dark eyes stormy with barely restrained anger.
“People like that shouldn’t breathe free air,” he muttered, brushing her hair back. “Babe, say the word and I’ll make sure he never sees daylight again.”
Savannah had told him no. She wanted justice, not vengeance.
She never imagined that six months later, Julian would hire Delilah as in–house counsel for Ford International.
He’d said it like it was nothing, murmuring sweetly in her ear, “Relax, babe. We were short–staffed, that’s all. And honestly, I think her fiery attitude’s kinda fun to watch, don’t you?”
After that, Delilah’s name came up more and more. At first, Savannah didn’t care–Julian loved her, always had. No other woman had ever been a threat.
But now, the same man who once swore he’d swallow a thousand needles if he ever broke her heart was standing on the other side- ready to bury her and her entire family just to make Delilah smile.
“Fine,” she said hollowly, voice void of emotion. “I’ll do it.”
She signed the agreement he handed her without reading it, each pen stroke more numb than the last. When she finished, she didn’t look at him. She turned and walked out of the room without a word.
The moment she stepped outside, her phone rang.
It was her mother.
“Savannah, come quickly–the hospital… it’s Emily… she tried to kill herself!”
Savannah’s heart nearly stopped. She ran as fast as she could to Memorial Hills Medical Center, only to find Helen Doyle collapsed on the emergency room floor, cradling Emily’s blood–soaked body and pleading with the doctors in complete desperation.
“Please! Please save my daughter!” she sobbed. “She’s still warm. I stopped the bleeding the best I could. She can make it, I know she can!”
Her hair was tangled, her face pale and stained with tears. There were scrapes and bruises on her forehead–she’d clearly hit the ground hard, maybe more than once, in her frantic attempts to get someone to listen.
But the doctors just looked at each other helplessly.
“We’re sorry,” one of them said. “All emergency staff are under orders from Mr. Ford to remain on standby. We’re late to assist Ms. Monroe’s dog–she’s been inconsolable since it fell ill.”
The words hit Savannah like a sledgehammer.
She nearly lost her balance, grabbing the wall as she stumbled forward.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she rasped, eyes glassy. “There are vets for dogs. You’re doctors–your job is to save lives. Human lives. Chapter 2
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Are you seriously going to let my sister die here?”
But the doctor simply shook his head and stepped away.
“I hope you understand, miss,” he said coldly. “If anything happens to Ms. Monroe because of her grief, we’ll all be held responsible.”
They walked off.
Savannah chased after them, screaming for help until her throat gave out, until the walls rang with desperation.
But by the time she made it back, it was over.
Her mother was on the floor, clutching Emily’s lifeless body, howling in anguish.
Savannah sank to her knees beside them, her entire world caving in around her. The grief
was so heavy, so endless, it felt like drowning.
She slapped herself across the face–once, twice, over and over.
“This is my fault,” she whispered, breaking. “I did this. I let this happen to her.”
But Helen caught her wrist and stopped her.
Emily’s blood still stained Savannah’s skin.
Helen’s tear–swollen eyes hardened with sudden resolve.
“No,” she said, voice shaking but firm. “We’re taking Emily home. We’re leaving this place.‘
“We’ll find someone to help. In seven days, we’re disappearing–new lives, new names, a new country. We‘
Chapter 2
