But over time, cracks started to show. Little things. Like how he’d dismiss my feelings when I was upset. “You’re overreacting, Hannah,” he’d say, or, “It’s not that big of a deal.” And when I’d get mad, he’d twist it around, making it feel like it was my fault. I started to doubt myself, questioning whether I was too emotional or needy.
I didn’t even realize it at first, but everything about us became convenient—for him. I was there when he needed support, when he needed someone to stroke his ego, but when I needed him, he always had an excuse. And somehow, he always made me feel like I was the problem.
Looking back, I didn’t even know why I stayed for so long. Maybe I was holding on to the memory of who I thought he was. Maybe I thought I didn’t deserve better. Maybe I was just scared to leave.
Not this time.
This time, I wasn’t going to let him pull me back in. I wasn’t going to apologize for being hurt, for standing up for myself, for finally realizing I deserved more than what he was giving me. He could think I was throwing a tantrum all he wanted. This was different. This was final.
I walked out without looking back. A sleek black limousine was waiting for me outside, my mother’s driver stepping out to open the door. Without hesitation, I climbed in, my resolve hardening with every mile we drove.
When I arrived at the police station, the officers greeted me and told me they had the man in custody. My stomach churned as I stepped into the room to face him.
The man was sitting there, looking smug until I sat down across from him. Then his face faltered. When I asked him why he had hurt me, his response chilled me to the bone.
“It was Naomi Benneth,” he said. “She paid me to do it. Told me to make you suffer… and to kill the baby so you won’t have something to hold on with Oliver.”
I stared at him, my blood running cold. “Naomi?” I asked, my voice trembling.
He nodded, his tone casual, like he was recounting something trivial. “She wanted you gone, said you were ruining things. So, yeah, she set it all up.”
The room felt like it was spinning. Naomi had done this to me. She had orchestrated everything. She had ruined my life.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay calm. “Make sure Oliver Miller gets this information,” I told the police. “Send him every detail.”