Chapter 196 Chapter 196
The dinner was still going on smoothly. People were eating, laughing, and chatting, but Savannah excused herself quietly and headed to the restroom to freshen up. She needed a break from all the noise.
Nathaniel sat at his table, staring at her every move. He didn’t even realize when he stood up. His heart was racing, and before he could stop himself, he followed her down the long hallway that led to the restroom.
Savannah was standing in front of the mirror, wiping her hands when she saw his reflection behind her. Her heart skipped. She turned slowly, her eyes wide.
“Nathaniel…” she whispered in shock.
He stepped closer, his eyes filled with tears. “Savannah,” he said softly, his voice breaking, “I had to talk to you. Please… I can’t keep pretending.”
Savannah froze, gripping the edge of the sink. “What do you want from me?” she asked coldly.
“I just…” he stammered, tears rolling down his cheeks. “I missed you, Savannah. Every day since you left, I’ve missed you. I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop regretting everything I did.”
Savannah’s eyes turned red. She blinked hard, fighting back tears, but his words broke something inside her.
“Nathaniel, stop,” she said weakly, shaking her head. “You have no right to say that. Not after what you did to me.”
He took another step closer. “Please, Savannah, just listen to me. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was angry, stupid, and blind. I thought you—”
“Enough!” she shouted, tears finally streaming down her face. “You thought wrong! You threw me out like I was nothing! You gave me divorce papers and never looked back!”
Nathaniel’s lips trembled. “I know… I know I destroyed everything. But seeing you today, seeing you with your husband and your little boy—” he broke down completely, crying like a child. “It hurts, Savannah. It hurts so much.”
Savannah covered her mouth, shaking as tears flowed freely. “Do you even know what I went through?” she cried out. “Do you know how many nights I begged God to help me forget you? You broke me, Nathaniel. You destroyed me.”
He reached out to touch her arm, but she moved back. “Don’t,” she said sharply. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
“Savannah, please—”
“No!” she screamed, her voice echoing through the hallway. “Don’t ever appear before me again! I hate you, Nathaniel! I hate you for what you did to me!”
She turned away, crying heavily, her shoulders shaking. Nathaniel stood there, frozen, his tears falling silently.
Just then, Adrian came rushing down the hallway. He had been looking for Savannah after noticing she had been gone too long.
When he saw her crying and Nathaniel standing there, his heart exploded with anger.
“What the hell did you do to her?!” Adrian yelled, storming toward Nathaniel.
Nathaniel tried to speak. “Adrian, I—”
But Adrian didn’t let him finish. He pushed Nathaniel hard against the wall. “You made her cry, didn’t you? You made my wife cry again!”
Savannah ran forward, holding Adrian’s arm. “Please, Adrian, stop!” she cried.
Nathaniel looked down, ashamed and broken. “I didn’t mean to hurt her,” he whispered. “I just wanted to talk.”
“Talk?!” Adrian shouted, his eyes dark with rage. “You’ve done enough already!”
The noise drew the attention of nearby security guards. They rushed in, separating both men before the situation got worse.
“Sir, please calm down,” one of the guards said, holding Adrian back.
Savannah was still crying, her face buried in her hands. Adrian turned to her, his anger melting into worry. He pulled her close gently, wrapping his arms around her.
Nathaniel stood there, watching them together, his heart tearing apart. He wanted to say something, anything—but his voice was gone.
The guards led him away quietly as Savannah sobbed in Adrian’s chest.
The laughter and music from the dinner hall continued, but down that hallway, it was nothing but pain and memories.