Chapter 28
Savannah
Sheets of water poured from the evening sky—relentless and unapologetic—turning the campus pathways into rivers of reflected light.
I muttered under my breath, cursing myself for not bringing an umbrella as I lingered beneath the overhang of the Whitlock building. The rain fell in heavy sheets, blurring everything beyond it, like the world had decided to put up a barrier I didn’t ask for—but maybe needed.
Students rushed past in clusters, ducking under umbrellas and laughing through the downpour, already halfway into their weekend.
I didn’t move.
My heeled boots tapped once against the pavement before going still, my grip tightening slightly on my bag.
My mind hadn’t left that room.
Hadn’t left Lori’s voice.
Her smile.
The certainty in her tone.
You’re going to end it.
The words had been on repeat for the last twenty-four hours, weaving themselves into everything—lectures, notes, even the quiet moments I usually relied on to think.
I hadn’t gone to Jaxon.
Not yesterday. Not today.
And I hated that.
My plans had fallen apart the second Lori walked through that door, and the apology I’d been ready to give suddenly felt… pointless. Because what was I supposed to say when I didn’t even know what I was choosing?
It should’ve been an easy choice.
I worked too hard to get here—built something solid, something I could actually be proud of—and I wasn’t about to let it unravel over something like this—over her.
I swallowed, my jaw tightening slightly.
But if those screenshots got out, it wouldn’t just be gossip. It would be detrimental. It would follow me into every room I worked so hard to get into.
And just like that… everything I’d achieved would be hooked into this with an asterisk.
But you’d have Jaxon.
The thought came uninvited—and stayed.
That was the problem.
Because I wanted him.
Not in the neat, controlled way this was supposed to be. Not in the “mutually beneficial arrangement” we agreed on.
Something messier than that.
And I didn’t know what to do with that.
Did I know if there would even be an us after this? No.
Did I want the chance to find out?
…Yes.
My lips pressed together as I let out a quiet breath, shaking my head slightly.
But was I really going to let Lori decide that for me?
No. Absolutely not.
I wasn’t stupid. And I definitely wasn’t desperate. Nothing good came from giving in to someone like her. If there was one thing I’d learned, it was that you didn’t reward manipulation—you outmaneuvered it.
Still… that didn’t mean I had a plan.
So instead of going to Jaxon’s studio yesterday, I stayed home with my trusty whiteboard and tried to think my way out of this like I always did.
BLACKMAIL DEFENSE
Option 1: End it publicly
Pros — I control the narrative
Cons — She still has leverage, and I hand her exactly what she wants
Option 2: Call her bluff
Pros — I keep control
Cons — If she follows through, everything blows up in my face
Option 3: Tell Jaxon
Pros — We'll figure it out together
Cons — If this gets worse, he might get dragged into it too
I stared at that last one longer than I should have because the last thing I wanted to do was hurt him. If anything Lori said was true, Chase would be looking for any way to get even. I just… didn’t know how to do this without handing over more than I was ready to lose.
So yes, I was at an impasse.
I stepped closer to the edge of the overhang, letting the cool mist brush against my skin. My gaze dropped to my phone, my thumb hovering over the screen.
It felt heavier than it should have.
Biting my lip, I clicked into Jaxon's chat and my shoulders dropped.
No messages.
No missed calls.
Nothing.
I didn’t know what was worse—him not reaching out or the fact that I noticed. As pitiful as it was to admit, his chat was the first one I went to after Lori left, and the fact that there was nothing there hurt.
“Enjoy your weekend, Savannah!” Professor Hargreeve waved as she walked out of the lecture hall.
“You too, professor!”
I glanced back out at the rain, my thoughts circling again.
Going home wasn’t an option.
Nerissa wouldn’t be there—dance practice, she’d said—and the idea of sitting alone with my thoughts all night…
Yeah. No.
I could go see my grandma. Her worried texts after the fight at the rehearsal dinner warmed my heart, and maybe a visit was just what I needed.
No overanalyzing. No whiteboard. No pros and cons.
Just… peace.
I ordered an Uber and tucked myself further beneath the overhang as the rain continued its relentless assault on the city. By the time the car pulled up, I was more than ready to leave the campus—and my thoughts—behind.
The drive to my grandma’s place was just under twenty minutes, and I rested my head lightly against the window, watching raindrops race each other down the glass, blurring streetlights into streaks of gold and white.
By the time we pulled up to the mid-luxury building, the rain was in full swing, promising a storm tonight in more ways than one. I stepped out quickly, thanking the driver before hurrying toward the entrance, the familiar sight grounding in a way I didn't realize I needed.
And three rings after I pressed the buzzer, my grandma's voice came through the intercom, slightly breathless.
“Hello?”
A small smile tugged at my lips. “Hi, Grandma.”
“S-Savannah?” There was a quick pause, followed by the unmistakable sound of the door unlocking. “Oh! Um, come up, baby.”
Once I stepped inside, I shook off the dampness as I made my way to the elevator, pressing the button for the fourth floor.
My grandma had lived in apartment 403 for years, and it still burned that Chase would sabotage her staying there. Just another person who ended up being collateral damage because of Chase and Lori.
I walked down the hall and barely had time to knock before the door swung open. Mama V stood there in a royal blue silk robe, her fingers tightening on the opening and a curious expression on her face.
“Oh baby, did I miss you callin’ me? You doin’ alright?” One brow lifted as her gaze swept over me. “You here to tell me you're pregnant?”
I blanched. “What? No!”
It was beyond mortifying that she looked disappointed by my answer.
“I just—” I opened my mouth to answer, already halfway into explaining Lori, the threat, the absolute mess of it all, when I noticed movement behind her. I froze, my eyes widening. “Is somebody in there?”
Mama V glanced over her shoulder and swore. “Now Darrell, I done told you to stay put. Go put something on. My grandbaby is here.”
A deep voice floated faintly from somewhere inside the apartment, sounding completely amused. Heat rushed to my face so fast it was almost impressive.
“Oh my God,” I breathed, taking a step back. My grandma was… oh, kill me now. The universe should’ve just opened up a black hole and sucked me in. “I can go. I should definitely go—”
“Nonsense,” she cut in immediately, reaching for my arm and pulling me inside before I could protest further. “You are not runnin’ out into this rain.”
I let myself be dragged in, still slightly horrified because there was only one thought looping through my head now—somehow, my Friday evening turned into me just interrupting my grandma from getting some.
I physically shuddered.
“Savannah.” She beamed, entirely too calm as she dragged me to the living room. “This is Darrell.”
A middle-aged man appeared from the direction of the kitchen, offering me an easy, unbothered smile like this was the most normal thing in the world.
His deep, cocoa brown complexion was etched with smile lines, and his head was shaved close, showing off a salt-and-pepper dusting that matches his neatly-trimmed goatee.
“Pleasure,” he said.
I blinked. “Hi.”
“Viv, how ‘bout I start some dinner? Three plates?”
“Be careful now. Keep reading my mind like that and you'll start somethin’.”
Darrell chuckled and disappeared into the kitchen, and my grandma pulled me onto the sofa.
“Now that,” she said, lowering her voice slightly as she leaned toward me, “is a man who knows his way around a kitchen, let me tell you. Finest beef stew I've ever had.”
“I didn’t know you had… company,” I managed, still trying to recalibrate. “I’m sorry, really. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
She waved a dismissive hand, already guiding me toward the living room.
“Please. I am always here when my grandbaby needs me,” she said firmly. Then, softer, more knowing, “And it looks like you need me.”
And just like that… everything I’d wanted to say, to explain, spewed out of me with no remorse.
“—then she just demands that I break things off with him or else she'll release the photos!
As if she hasn't already taken everything from me once.
I mean, how selfish can she be? If she thinks I'm going to fold just because she has some screenshots, then she doesn't know me as well as she thinks she does. But ugh—” I groaned, running my fingers through my hair as I paced.
“Why is she doing this? Isn't Chase enough?”
“You mean to tell me that you and that tall glass of champagne started a… fake relationship?”
“His name is Jaxon, Grandma.”
“He's still tall champagne in my eyes, baby.”
I shook my head, trying—and failing—not to smile.
“All this foolin’ around and you think I'm gonna believe it was fake? Oh, I don't think so.”
“I'm sorry we lied to you—”
“Child,” she waved a dismissive hand, “you lie to yourself.”
My brows furrowed at her. “What does that even mean?”
Mama V didn’t answer right away. She just looked at me the way she always did when she was about to say something I wasn’t going to like.
“Come here,” she said, nodding toward the couch.
I hesitated for half a second before dropping down, lips twisted in a frown. She turned to face me, tying the robe and smoothing it over her knees.