I Called Off the Engagement After Our Pre-Wedding Trip Chapter 03

I Called Off the Engagement After Our Pre-Wedding Trip Chapter 03

“Savannah? What are you doing here?” Caleb’s eyes went wide.

I fired back, “What are you doing here?”

They were soaking wet, looking trashed.

“Don’t even get me started. This place is a nightmare—total rednecks everywhere. We were just out on the boat, and out of nowhere, a bunch of locals straight-up kicked every single one of us into the river and took our boat!” one of his friends complained.

“Yeah, we paid, and they gave us triple the money back just to take the boat away!”

“If we hadn’t run, they would’ve caught us.”

I got it. The villagers had gone after them for me.

I gave them a nasty smile. Good.

Brianna saw my face and stormed over. She knocked my bowl of soup right out of my hands.

“Look at you! Got yourself out of the river, found a nice place to crash, and now you’re eating?”

I stared at the broken ceramic on the ground, the soup all over her shoe. Rage hit me like a wave.

“Are you insane?!”

I didn’t hold back. I slapped her.

Brianna fell, clutching her face, staring at me like she couldn’t believe it.

“You hit me?!”

“Bri!”

Caleb rushed over and helped her up.

She grabbed his arm, sobbing, “Caleb! My own parents have never even laid a hand on me! You need to teach her a lesson!”

“Savannah. Apologize.”

His eyes were cold. His voice was an order.

I clenched my fists. “No.”

“I won’t say it again.”

He reached into his collar and pulled out a pocket watch necklace.

My heart stopped.

That was my grandmother’s—my late grandmother’s. My only heirloom.

My bag had been on the boat when they threw me in.

Caleb remembered to grab the necklace as he fell in.

And now he was using it against me.

“If you don’t apologize to Bri, you’re not getting this back.”

My throat closed up. “You know how much this means to me…”

His face stayed hard. He pulled the necklace off, ready to snap it.

“Third time’s the charm.”

Every bone in my body ached. I bit my lip and forced the words out.

“I’m sorry.”

“Not enough.”

Brianna’s face twisted with malice. “You slapped me. I’m getting those back.”

She walked up and hit me. Hard.

I wanted to fight back, but I heard Caleb’s warning.

“Savannah.”

Just my name. And I froze. Didn’t move.

Brianna smiled and kept swinging.

One!

Two!

Three!

Until I couldn’t stay upright anymore. I fell, my palm scraping across broken ceramic. I winced.

She finally stopped. “My hand hurts.”

Then, like a queen, “I’m hungry. Go make me something to eat.”

I looked down at my bleeding palm. My eyes burned.

I wiped the tears with my other hand and looked at Caleb. “Give me back the necklace.”

“Cook first,” he said. “Then you get it.”

I had no choice. I dragged myself up off the ground, walked into the kitchen under their laughing, mocking, pitying stares.

I pulled a piece of ceramic out of my palm, bit down on the pain, wrapped the cut in a clean cloth, and pulled out my phone.

[They’re at the house.]

My cousin texted back in one second.

[Coming now.]

I exhaled in relief—then my phone was snatched out of my hand.

“Who are you texting?”

Caleb stood there, frowning at my screen.