When He Forgave, She Was Gone

Chapter 3

The sounds drifting from inside the villa followed her like a curse, each muffled cry and rhythmic creak carving deeper into her raw nerves. Scarlett couldn't stay any longer. She turned and stumbled down the steps, flagging down a taxi to escape.

Outside the car window, tree shadows blurred past in dark streaks as hot tears cascaded down her cheeks unchecked. She'd thought herself numb by now, but the knife-like pain twisting in her chest proved her wrong.

A vicious cramp seized her gut, and she fumbled through her bag with trembling hands, dry-swallowing two painkillers.

Her phone vibrated nonstop on the seat beside her. When she finally glanced at the screen, Grace was spamming their long-dormant class group chat with digital cash gifts.

A: What's the occasion for this sudden generosity?

someone asked.

Grace's reply came not in words but in a screenshot that sent shockwaves through the group: a digital wedding invitation with gold lettering and intertwined roses.

The silent chat erupted like fireworks.

A: No way! Our queen bee's finally getting hitched!

B: Talk about the ultimate power couple. This is practically celebrity status.

C: Wait, wasn't Maxwell completely crazy about Scarlett back in the day? They were like that scandalous duo in high school. I swear I saw them shopping together last year.

The comment ignited a frenzy.

D: Are you blind? She's literally the housekeeper's daughter. Get real. Maybe she was just his personal assistant that day.

E: Alright, let me start: wishing the happy couple a lifetime of #RelationshipGoals!

F: Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness together!

G: A match made in heaven, obviously.

The flood of congratulations continued relentlessly, each notification a fresh sting. Scarlett's fingers shook as she finally typed a single line:

"Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness together."

With a shaky breath, she tapped "Exit Group" and vanished from the chat entirely.

The organ donor registry page still sat open in her browser. This time, Scarlett read every line carefully before finally checking the box marked "Confirm Donation." Her thumb hovered over the submit button for a long moment, then pressed down.

Just as she closed her eyes to rest against the seat—

A violent impact jolted the car from behind. The force sent her body lurching forward, her head smashing into the passenger seat headrest with a sickening c***k. Blood poured down her forehead in dark, warm streaks.

Before she could react, the door was wrenched open, and a rough hand dragged her out onto the pavement.

"Scarlett." Maxwell's voice cut through the air like ice. "Do you have a death wish, disobeying me?"

Still dazed and bleeding, she barely registered him snatching her phone from her limp grip. His face darkened as he scanned the organ donor confirmation page. With a snarl, he hurled the device to the ground. The screen shattered instantly into a web of cracks.

"First you bail on the group chat, now this?" His glare seethed with contempt. "You just love stirring up drama, don't you?"

"Do you have any idea how your little stunt made Grace look?" He stepped closer, towering over her. "If you've got issues with me, fine. Take them out on me. But I won't let you humiliate her. You will apologize. Right now."

Scarlett clutched her pounding head, the world still spinning violently around her. Then suddenly Grace grabbed her arm, tears glistening theatrically in the afternoon light.

"Please, don't be angry with her." Grace's voice trembled with perfectly practiced vulnerability. "I love Maxwell too much. Just... don't take him from me. I'll give you anything. Anything you want."

Maxwell pulled Grace close, his tone dripping with protective pity. "Stop this. You've done nothing wrong. She's the one who needs to apologize."

The scene exploded into chaos. A crowd gathered in seconds, their murmurs swelling into a roar of condemnation.

"Shameless homewrecker!" a woman shrieked from somewhere in the crowd.

Then the attacks came. Rotten vegetables slapped against Scarlett's chest, their slimy leaves clinging to her blouse. Raw eggs exploded on her shoulders, yolk and shell sliding down her arms. Scalding coffee splashed across her dress, burning through the thin fabric. Each projectile was a badge of public hatred, and the crowd cheered with every hit.

The chaos erupted into pandemonium as a woman in a baseball cap suddenly lunged forward, flinging a foul-smelling liquid toward Scarlett's face. In a flash, Grace shoved her aside. The corrosive liquid splashed across Grace's arm instead, releasing an acrid stench that made onlookers gasp and step back.

With a sickening thud, Scarlett crashed into the side of the car. Her head swam as the world tilted violently, colors bleeding into each other before everything went dark. Time blurred until a ragged chorus of urgent voices finally pierced through the haze.

"Mr. Owen, Miss Carter has severe chemical burns. She needs immediate skin grafts or she could lose her arm."

Through her fading awareness, Scarlett saw Maxwell's gaze lock onto her. Glacial. Devoid of all mercy.

"Take it from her." His voice was a scalpel, sharp and final. "Save Grace first."

"But sir, this woman's injuries are critical too. She has a severe head wound and possible internal bleeding. The procedure could kill her if we harvest skin in her condition."

Maxwell's expression didn't flicker. "She brought this on herself. If she dies, then she pays for what happened to Grace."

Each syllable stabbed through Scarlett like shards of glass, leaving her hollow and gasping. Tears seeped into her hairline as darkness crept at the edges of her vision.

And suddenly, she was back in the past.

That same man who had once charged through roaring flames to drag her from suffocating smoke.

Who had performed chest compressions for thirty agonizing minutes after she'd stopped breathing, refusing to give up until her heart stuttered back to life.

Who had held her afterward, shaking and sobbing, begging her never to scare him like that again.

Now he stood over her, his eyes empty, deeming her life worthless.

The darkness swallowed her whole.