She turned to my uncle, the King, standing silently behind her. “Prepare a decree,”
And 50,
for the third time that day, the King issued a royal decree. My four brothers were stripped of their noble titles and reduced to commoners. Their crime? Deceiving the crown, disgracing the Harrington name, and violating the trust placed in them. They were handed over to the royal judiciary to await further judgment.
Logan’s jaw dropped in disbelief. He had spoken in haste, thinking my mother would never take such drastic action. Now, his face was pale as a ghost, and his legs wobbled beneath him.
The others weren’t faring much better. All four of them knelt in unison, their foreheads pressed to the cold harble floor as beads of sweat trickled down their faces.
Jessica, too, was dumbstruck. Without the support of my brothers, her entire foundation had crumbled.
Logan, his voice trembling, pleaded desperately. “I was wrong, Mother! I spoke out of turn! Please, just one more chance!”
My mother’s expression remained cold, her fury undiminished. “When I brought you into this house, you swore–swore–that you would protect Savannah. You promised to treat her as your sister for life. And now look at you! A few years of comfort, and you’ve forgotten everything you
Her words struck like a hammer Edward, always so proud and composed, seemed to crumble under their weight. His body gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor with a dull thud. “Mother, please,” he begged, his voice barely above a whisper. “Please forgive us. I swear I’ll make it right with Savannah, Just… don’t cast us out.”
Victor, seeing that my mother wasn’t moved, turned to my father instead.
“Father,” he cried, tears streaming down his face. “Please! You can’t let this happen! Without us, who will manage the estate? The family
needs us!”
eddling in it.”
My father’s reply was even colder than my mother’s. “This is my household,” he said. “And I don’t need you meddling
With no hope left, Charles and Logan crawled over to me, their desperation palpable. Each grabbed one of my legs, their voices shaking as they begged.
“Sister, Michael whimpered, “please, you have to help us. Mother listens to you more than anyone. Don’t let her send us away. I was blinded by that woman, but I see the truth now. I swear I’ll change
“Yes, Savannah!” Logan added, his grip tightening on my leg. “I’ll never bully you again, I’ll do whatever you say. Just… please, ask Mother to forgive us
I looked down at them–these men who had once beaten me to death in my previous life. I could still remember the suffocating pain, the way the world had grown darker and darker until it finally faded away.
I could still feel the cold regret of not being able to see my parents one last time before I died.
Forgive them? How could I?
The five of them were hauled off by my uncle, the King, who had declared that they must “learn some lessons the hard way. None of those who had mocked me escaped punishment either–they were all thrown into prison.
As for Charlotte, not only did she ruin her own future, but she also dragged her father down with her. My uncle wasted no time stripping him of his position.
When my parents and I were finally ready to leave, Wyatt still had the audacity to cling to my ankle, begging for forgiveness. I stomped down hard on his hand, and his scream echoed through the hall as he crumpled to the ground, on the verge of fainting.
The events of Wyatt’s birthday banquet spread like wildfire. Soon, everyone in the capital knew that the true heiress of the Harrington family had returned.
When news got out that my engagement to Wyatt had been nemulled matchmankers ernetically trampled over each other trying to get to our
10:59 AM
<
But I told my parents there was no rush. For now, I simply wanted to spend time with them and enjoy the peace that had been absent from my life for far too long.
Meanwhile, the noblewomen of the city–whether they knew me, barely knew me, or had only seen me once at a ball–were suddenly tripping over themselves to invite me to their lavish gatherings. Everyone wanted to curry favor with the “Duke’s daughter.”
Even storytellers in the city took inspiration from my tale, weaving it into dramatic fables for their audiences. They painted me as the perfect heroine, a paragon of strength and virtue. I couldn’t help but be pleased.
But peace didn’t last long.
Wyatt returned to disrupt it all, again..
One morning. I woke to the commotion of townsfolk gathering outside. I stepped out to find Wyatt shirtless, his back covered in crisscrossing scars from self–flagellation. He knelt at the gates of the Harrington estate, his head bowed low, a crowd of onlookers whispering and pointing.
“Savannah, I was wrong,” he cried, his voice trembling. “I’ve made terrible, unforgivable mistakes. I’ve come to beg for your forgiveness!”
If I hadn’t known the true depths of his character from my previous life, I might have been moved by the sight
Instead, I looked down at him from the steps like he was nothing more than a cockroach. A laugh escaped my lips, sharp and disdainful. “You think a handful of lashes on your back will make me forgive you? Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve never understood what love really is.”
Tears welled in his eyes as he pleaded, “I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Just give me a chance–please!
I scoffed. “Your ‘rest of your life‘ means nothing to me.
At my signal, a group of burly estate guards appeared, their expressions hard as stone. Without hesitation, they dragged Wyatt out of the estate. His screams echoed as they tossed him into the street, leaving him bruised and humiliated.
The following spring, as my mother and I passed by the gates of Wyatt’s family estate, we noticed white mourning ribbons fluttering in the wind.
“Wyatt Stuart has passed away,” a servant whispered to a passerby.
My mother glanced at me. “Do you want to go in and pay your respects?”
I shook my head without hesitation. “No. A man who chose deceit and manipulation over integrity deserves no sympathy. Wyatt’s fate was his own doing
As we walked away, a familiar voice reached my ears.
“If we hadn’t treated Savannah like a
a sister, we wouldn’t have ended up like this!”
Curious, my mother and I followed the sound to a nearby alley. There, we found Jessica surrounded by my former brothers.
“Run, I dare you! Go ahead!” Victor snarled, dragging his limping leg behind him. His once–gentle demeanor had been replaced by pure rage. “If it weren’t for you, the four of us wouldn’t have fallen so far! And now you have the gall to cry?-We should’ve sold you off to a brothel years ago!”
Jessica’s voice was hoarse, likely from her time in the prison dungeons. “All I ever wanted was to protect what’s rightfully mine! What did I do wrong?”
Michael spat at her feet, velns bulging on his forehead as he pointed a trembling finger at her. “You wretched liar! Father should’ve taken you in! You’re nothing but a parasite!”
never
Jessica, shockingly, still had the nerve to argue. “And you think you’re any better? You were fooled because you’re stupid. You were willing to believe me because you’re weak. Don’t blame me for your own foolishness!”
Her words were the final straw.
The four of them exchanged a glance–one I knew all too well. The same look they had shared before they beat me to death in my last life.
And then, they descended on her.
And then, they descended on her
Fists and kicks flew as they vented all their anger and frustration on the woman who had manipulated them into destroying their own lives.
I stood there, watching it all unfold without an ounce of pity
Jessica had committed countless crimes, hurt countless people. If this was her end, it was nothing more than what she deserved.
“Savannah,” my mother said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Should we… stop them?
I shook my head and looped my arm through hers. No. Mother. She’s not worth it
My mother sighed but didn’t argue. “Let’s go, then.”
The next day, news spread of a woman’s body found on the outskirts of the city. Her face had been mauled beyond recognition by wild dogs.
Not long after, word came of four former noblemen, now crippled and reduced to begging on the streets. The Emperor had issued a decree forbidding anyone from offering them food or shelter.
When winter came, the four of them were found frozen to death in a drafty, abandoned temple.
One by one, the people who had wronged me disappeared from my life.
And finally, I was free t
to step into a future that was entirely my own.
The End.
