CHAPTER 8

At that moment Hailey stared at the screen for a long time.

Benjamin's words repeated in her head like poison.

Her fingers hovered above the keyboard. She wanted to respond. She wanted to curse him, to scream through the screen, to throw back every insult he had spat at her twice as hard.

But instead…She closed her eyes, took a shaky breath, and pressed Block.

Benjamin Taylor was no longer worth her words.

Her chest rose and fell as she set the phone down beside her. Her face was still damp from tears, and her wedding dress felt like a cruel costume. She was exhausted. But more than that she was done.

She had had enough drama for one day, enough pain.

She might have escaped the disaster of a wedding with her heart barely intact, but the battle wasn't over. No, Benjamin wasn't going to stop here. The message proved that.

And the Taylor family? They had never supported the marriage. Not once. She remembered clearly none of them had shown up at the wedding. Not even one member of the Taylor bloodline had taken a seat in the hall. They saw her as a stain on their name, a poor girl trying to climb a ladder too tall for her reach.

Now, after the humiliation she suffered, they would see her as a threat, they wouldn't let it go. Not people like them. People who thrived on control, image, and revenge.

How the hell was she going to deal with the Taylor family now?

Hailey clenched her fists.

She had no money. No power. No protection. But she still had her truth. And somewhere deep inside, she still had her dignity even if it had been ripped to pieces today.

Josephine and her mother had lied. They created the fake pictures. They planted the strangers. They twisted everything. Hailey didn't need anyone to tell her it was all a setup. And even though her heart refused to believe it…She knew Benjamin was involved too.

There was something about the way he spoke. The way he slapped her. The way he called her names.

That wasn't just a man reacting to betrayal. That was a man fulfilling a plan. A man who wanted her to fall.

Hailey had seen Benjamin angry before but never like this. Never with that much hate in his eyes. Never with that much cruelty in his voice.

He called her a whore, he called her mother a prostitute also.

Even if she managed to clear her name, even if the world believed her again… she knew deep down, she would never never have anything to do with Benjamin Taylor again.

At that moment Hailey sat quietly on the floor, her back pressed against the wall beside her mirror, knees drawn up to her chest. The soft yellow light in the room reflected her weary face the same dress from earlier clung to her loosely, and her eyes, though calmer now, were still swollen from crying.

Her mind was running in circles.

She felt sad—lost, she had no idea where to begin clearing her name. The lies Josephine and Scarlett told had poisoned everything, and now even strangers believed she was the woman they painted her to be. It was overwhelming, but deep down, Hailey knew something about lies—they always came with cracks. No matter how carefully stitched, there were always holes.

And that was where she would begin, Find the loopholes, she told herself.

Expose the truth.

But just as the thought settled into her mind, her phone rang.

She looked down and saw the name flashing across the screen it was Granny Charlotte.

Immediately her stomach fluttered.

She wasn't ready. She felt dirty. Heavy. Her heart still ached, and her energy was too weak to fake a smile.

In a rush, she jumped to her feet and hurried into the bathroom.

She washed her face gently, letting the cool water numb her skin. She changed into a soft blue casual dress simple, modest, and neat. As she stepped out, she took a deep breath to prepare herself.

Then came the honk from outside.

She walked to the window and peeked.

Immediately her eyes blinked twice.

A blue Rolls Royce, Parked perfectly in front of her building.

Standing beside it was Granny Charlotte, radiant as always in her elegant scarf and gentle posture. And right next to her, leaning casually against the car, was Simon sharp, calm, and striking in a matching blue suit also.

Hailey's heart gave a tiny thump.

She hadn't expected this.

As she stepped outside, Granny Charlotte immediately smiled and clapped her hands together. "Simon said he wanted to do something different tonight," she said cheerfully. "And I told him, if it's about Hailey, it has to be blue. That's her favorite color."

Hailey's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. She glanced at the car, then at Simon's outfit, and finally at her own dress.

Everything matched, any other day she would've smiled maybe even laughed softly but her heart was too cluttered. The weight of everything still sat on her chest like a stone. The dinner was supposed to be a moment to breathe. That's what she told herself. Just a little break from the chaos.

Then Simon walked forward and opened the backseat door for her and his grandmother. He didn't say much just a quiet nod, a soft look and Hailey appreciated the silence.

Once they were both seated, he moved around and got into the driver's seat, starting the car without a word.

The drive was smooth, quiet, and oddly calming. The city lights reflected off the blue paint like glittering stars, and for a moment, Hailey let herself forget everything else.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Simon stepped out first, moved around the car, and opened the door again this time with a gentle smile as he offered his hand to Hailey.