Was it possible for all our problems to be solved just like that? The Lewis family relied on their authority and power. Now they were faced with someone with more power than them. Maybe that was what it took to beat them at their own game. On their turf, by their rules.
I had to believe that. Otherwise, I would live in fear that, after my ostentatious escape with Jayden, the consequences would be cruel.
I'd humiliated Dominic in front of his parents, friends, and mistresses. I'd humiliated him in a way no one had ever dared to try.
But it felt good. He deserved exactly that.
***
In the morning, we returned to the caravan. Our friends were waiting for us there.
Some walked around as guards. Others worked on restoring the garage.
In fact, the garage already looked almost as good as new. The windows had been replaced. The facade was plastered. Only here and there, some remaining black traces reminded me of the fiery hell.
"Welcome home, Savi!" Carmen threw her arms around my neck the moment she saw me.
I hugged her tightly.
"Are you alright, Savi?" she asked me, hints of anxiety amidst her apparent happiness.
"Yes. I'm fine now," I answered her.
Then I sighed. I looked around. Yes. I was fine. I was home.
Jayden walked straight into the garage, but he was kicked out a moment later.
"You have no business here! You should rest. We've got everything covered here! You promised you'd rest once you got Savi back," Cohen said.
Jayden raised his hands. "Okay. Okay. I promised."
He came over to us and hugged me.
"I'm going to the motel, guys," Carmen informed us. "You just... well, do whatever you want. Savi, don't let Jayden get out of bed. I'll bring you some food later."
"I'll take care of the food, Carmen. You need a rest, too," I insisted.
"No. You have a boy to take care of." Carmen winked at me. "I'll take care of everything else."
She jumped on her bike without leaving me time to oppose her decisions.
After she left, I looked around again. "Wow!"
"Yes. An entire brigade," Jayden said. "They haven't moved from here since the fire. Almost everything has been restored."
While Jayden and I were talking and about to go inside, a car pulled up out front. The driver opened the back seat, and a woman dressed in a formal dark blue jacket and pantsuit stepped out.
She walked towards us. The high heels of her shoes occasionally slipped on the gravel, but she didn't seem bothered by it. Her gait was confident; her head held high.
"Good morning," the woman greeted firmly.
Jayden and I looked at each other in amazement.
"Jayden Hill and Savannah Lewis?" she asked.
"And you are?" Jayden asked her, raising an eyebrow.
The woman held out her hand to him. "Everleigh Thompson," she proudly introduced herself.
Leaving no time for us to ask any more questions, she reached into the briefcase she was holding and pulled out some documents. "So. Let's see—"
Jayden cut her off. "I'm sorry. But why are you here?"
The lady narrowed her eyes. Maybe her name should have told us something.
"I am Attorney Everleigh Thompson. Mr. Clive Wright personally contacted me and sent me here."
"Thanks for the quick response," I told her, impressed.
"When the Vice President calls you at five in the morning and arranges a private jet, you leave immediately." She sounded flattered by that. "But let's go on." She looked down at the papers. "Blackmail. Arson. Causing moderate bodily injury."
Everleigh Thompson turned the other page, but Jayden interrupted again. "With all due respect, suing someone over these issues sounds like a pointless idea. I don't think we can prove any of it."
"Leave that to me, Mr. Hill." The attorney looked at the paper again. "Blackmail." Then she turned to me questioningly. "Mr. Wright told me that your husband is preventing the divorce? Are the financial problems unsolvable?"
"No. I had no claims for anything. There are no financial problems. I filed for divorce and wanted it to happen by mutual consent. But it didn't. I was waiting for a date on which the court would agree to grant me a divorce, but I haven't heard anything yet."
"I requested your file. It says here that there is a dispute regarding movable and immovable property, including that you have claims to receive the house where you lived with your husband, two cars, and part of his company. If the financial problems are not resolved between you, the case will go to court."
"What?" What I heard was unbelievable. "I didn't ask for anything like that! There are no financial issues to resolve! I don't want anything from Dominic. I just want a divorce! My lawyer assured me that we would just have to wait for the court to set a date and that my husband has no legal right to prevent that."
"Okay." Attorney Thompson wrote something on the paper and then looked up at us again. "I will contact you again soon. Have a nice day."
She then walked to her vehicle without another word.
I turned to Jayden. He stood without saying anything, but his eyes betrayed indescribable anger.
That was ridiculous. I hadn't asked for any of Dominic's property. What was going on?
The question haunted me for the next few days. Fortunately, the lawyer called us three days later to let us know we were invited to a meeting with Dominic's lawyer. The last such meeting had not ended well, but this time, Dominic's father was the initiator.
Despite my worries about what would happen, Jayden and I set off for Boston.
We entered the Lewis company's conference room. While my walk was timid, Jayden appeared confident.
"Hello." Sebastian greeted us kindly, standing up from his chair. He adjusted the lapel of his jacket and approached us, extending his hand for a handshake.
Then he returned to his chair next to his lawyer and his son. Dominic's usual arrogant expression had been replaced with one of concern.
"I believe we are all civilized people and will agree on all issues at hand," Sebastian said. "There is no need for the indictment to go to court." He fixed his jacket lapel again.
Right after that, his lawyer took the floor. "My clients agree to all your requests. All damages to the garage and affected machinery and vehicles will be paid to Mr. Hill. His hospital stay and medical's bills will also be reimbursed." The lawyer flipped a page and looked at me. "Mrs. Lewis, the prenuptial agreement between you and Mr. Dominic Lewis is stringent. But he agrees to give you the car. Despite the clauses in the contract, he is inclined to make the house available to you."
"I hope that's enough, Savi," Sebastian added. "But if you need anything else, we will be happy to assist."
I was shocked. I had not expected this to happen. Yes, I was hoping Clive would help in the unequal battle with Lewis, but I'd never imagined such a twist.
It wasn't just the last meeting here that had gone differently. Sebastian's last words to me at the party had been so ominous that I'd been unable to get them out of my head.
But now, it was as if a completely different person stood before me.
Attorney Thompson was just about to start talking, but I took the floor. "I don't want anything from you," I told Dominic and his father as emotionlessly as I could. "I never asked for anything. Not cars, not a house, even less a part of your company." Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly, surprised by what he heard, but I continued. "I only asked for a divorce from your son." I looked at Dominic for a moment so I could address him. "All I want is a divorce. And for you to give my father the money back."
"What money?" Sebastian also turned to his son.
I hurried to give the answer. "Dominic wanted me to pay him $500,000 for my wedding ring as a condition to give me a divorce. Of course, he knew that I can't do that. Then my father gave him the requested money."
Sebastian adjusted the lapel of his jacket again. "The debt to your father will be paid today."
At the same time, Attorney Thompson stood up and served Dominic with the divorce papers. He affixed his signature without saying anything and handed the folder back to the lawyer.
Jayden stood up and moved closer to Everleigh. The two exchanged a few words.
After that, our lawyer turned to Sebastian. "Given the agreements, Mr. Hill will withdraw all charges."
Sebastian walked over to Jayden and held out his hand to him again. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused, Mr. Hill. If there's anything else we can do to compensate, just say so."
Jayden extended his hand to Sebastian. "I'm glad we are on the same page." As he shook Sebastian's hand, Jayden moved closer and whispered, "But the next time your son comes near Savi, I will kill him with my bare hands." Then he took a step back again. "We're all civilized people, after all."
"There won't be a next time," Sebastian replied. "You have my word."
A few more formal farewells followed. Was it all over?
We left the office.
"Thank you!" I turned to Attorney Thompson the moment we exited the building.
"You are welcome. I did a check. Your previous lawyer, Peter Newland, has closed his office and disappeared. He has already been charged with forgery. If you wish, you can also make a claim against him."
"No, thank you. That won't be necessary. I don't want anything." I smiled and sighed. "I am free. And I believe we won't hear anything more from Dominic and his family. That's all I need."
The lawyer nodded, then looked at Jayden. "I will withdraw the indictment."
"Thank you," Jayden answered shortly.
"Okay. Working with you was a pleasure," Attorney Thompson said as she got into the car.
Jayden and I hugged each other tightly. I still couldn't believe it was really over.
At the same moment, I noticed a figure in the distance.
"Jayden, look," I said, discreetly pointing his attention to the figure.
We both looked at the man in a dark suit who was looking at us, too. The lapel of his jacket was turned up high. Black glasses covered his eyes. Almost nothing of his face was visible, but we knew who he was.
Jayden nodded at him.
Clive nodded as well, turned, and left.
***
It'd been a week since the divorce was finalized. It was a week filled with happiness, love, and peace. No fear. No panic. No worries about Dominic showing up at the door.
We spent the time celebrating our freedom.
"Savi, when will the food be ready? It smells so good! I'm starving!"
I turned my head to my father, who was standing impatiently at the small table in the caravan. "It would have been ready by now if anyone had told me you were coming."
"We thought you knew. Jayden invited us a few days ago," my mother said. "And where is he?"
That was a good question. Where was he? And why had he invited my parents without even telling me?
"I'm going to look for him. The food will be ready in ten minutes." I said to my parents and went to the garage.
"Jayden," I called from the door. "My parents have arrived. I guess you forgot to tell me they were coming!"
Jayden didn't answer me. He didn't hear me at all because of the horrible scraping sound coming from the machine on the counter in front of him. He was so focused that he might not have noticed me, even without the noise.
"Jayden!" I shouted with all my voice. Finally, he turned his head towards me. "What are you doing here every evening?"
"I had some work to do," he answered. "I just finished. Come here, Savi."
He turned off the machine and leaned back on the chair he was sitting at. I walked towards him, wondering why he was acting so weird. He held something with two fingers in front of his face, examining it. It wasn't until I was already at the counter that I noticed that the object in his hand was actually... a ring!
My heart rate accelerated.
Jayden removed his big yellow glasses and placed them on the counter. "It may not have diamonds, but I've put a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears into shaping it for you." He looked into my eyes. "I fell in love with you the moment I first saw you, Savi. You gave meaning to my world. From that moment on, all I wanted was to hold you in my arms. To kiss you. To love you. To protect you. Forever."
I stepped closer to him, rested my hands on his shoulders, and stared into his eyes. They were glistening with emotion, just as mine probably were.
"Will you marry me, Savi?" Jayden asked. "Will you let me love and protect you as your husband, forever?"
"Yes!" I replied without even a moment's hesitation. I cupped his face in my hands. "Yes! Yes! Yes! A million times—Yes!"