Chapter 5 Provocation

Scarlett wandered around New York City for hours. Her head felt like it was going to burst, and she truly believed that she was losing her mind. Clearly, everyone she passed on the road was thinking the same, as she received pitiful gazes from people taking in her tear-streaked face and her arms wrapped tightly around herself in a pathetic attempt to find some comfort.

Now that she'd lost everything in a single day, Scarlett was starting to wonder if her life meant anything at all. Who was she without her father, without her fiancé Austin? She was nobody. Her entire existence had depended on others, and now that they were gone, she was doomed. She couldn't see a single way out of her situation.

The sky had taken on shades of pink and purple as the sun began to set behind the tall skyscrapers. The roads were packed with cars, and New Yorkers rushed left and right to get home or hang out in bars. Scarlett stood in the midst of that chaos, not knowing what to do with herself.

Going home wasn't an option, obviously. She didn't want to run into her dad again. He hadn't even bothered to give her a call or a text to see if she was okay. She really didn't exist for him anymore. Scarlett wouldn't be surprised if he was already busy moving Megan and her mother into their family home. No, she really couldn't return there.

Another option could be to go to her other friend's house: Charlotte. The idea brought a little smile to her face, but it quickly faded away as she remembered that Charlotte was out of town... Plus, she didn't trust any of her friends anymore. It would take her some time to get over what Megan had done to her.

Scarlett decided to walk around again, hoping that might help her figure out her next move. She passed in front of a restaurant and felt her stomach beg for food. She hadn't eaten anything all day long, and the smell of grilled steak and roasted potatoes made her salivate.

Now that her mind had been distracted by food, she came to realize that the neighborhood she was in was very familiar. She used to come here often with her parents-before her mother's death, of course. They'd dined out at least twice a week... Those were the happy times.

Following the lead of her memories, Scarlett found her favorite restaurant at the end of the street. It hadn't changed much, and being in front of it reminded her of sweet memories-memories of her mother. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips when she noticed that the restaurant was part of a luxurious hotel. It was like a sign the universe was handing her. She could eat and stay here for the night.

Scarlett walked in, scanning the restaurant with careful eyes. There were a lot of people there, and she searched for an empty table in the dining room. When her gaze fell on the bar at the other end of the restaurant, a gasp escaped her lips. She had just met the eyes of someone she really wasn't expecting to run into again.

Megan was clearly not done ruining her day.

Scarlett took a step back, hoping to walk out of the restaurant without being seen, but it was a lost hope. Megan had already spotted her, and the surprised expression on her face was quickly replaced by a sly smirk, knowing she had just won another opportunity to humiliate Scarlett. She was drinking cocktails at the bar with her mother, but now she'd found something more entertaining to do.

Megan took her glass and walked toward Scarlett, swaying her hips left and right, her black dress hugging the curves of her body perfectly.

"Well, well, well..." she laughed. "If it isn't Scarlett Devins."

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Scarlett said through gritted teeth.

"I should ask you that question. I was here before you, and if I didn't know better, I'd say you're following me."

Scarlett fisted her hands. A few people in the restaurant were already throwing curious glances in their direction. She felt so emotionally exhausted, she didn't think it was worth it to start another scandal here. Yet, Megan didn't seem to share her opinion on that:

"Dad invited us to eat out," she sighed, looking at her manicured nails. "You know, after the way you treated us earlier, we needed to relax and get our minds off things... I think Dad will be very upset when he finds out that you followed us all the way here to torment us some more... And, oh. We invited Austin as well. He should be here soon. Maybe you can stay and say hi to him when he arrives, uhm?"

Scarlett's eyes filled with tears. She really didn't want Megan's words to seep into her heart, but she couldn't help it. They hit her hard. Her father was taking his other family to the same restaurant she used to go to with her mother... Even her fiancé was no longer on her side.

"Just... fuck off, okay?" she said in a soft voice, too broken to scream.

"But I'm not done yet, Scar. I haven't told you the best news. Guess what... We're moving in with Dad tomorrow! Do you think he'll let me take your room?"

Scarlett cringed, feeling the burn of rage in the pit of her stomach. Megan saw the glint of it in her eyes and laughed, leaning closer to Scarlett and whispering:

"Shit, Scar... What are you going to do? I took your dad, your home, and your man within the span of a single day. How do you cope?"

Of course, Megan was hoping to provoke a reaction out of her, and she almost succeeded. But Scarlett decided to swallow her anger in the end and turned on her feet. She was not going to fight against Megan anymore. Someone as shameless as her didn't deserve a second of her time. She started walking out of the restaurant, but Megan, who couldn't stand the humiliation, yelled after her:

"Don't you want to know why Austin gave up on you?"

Scarlett didn't know why those words made her stop in her tracks. She knew Megan was only trying to hurt her, and she was letting her-like an idiot. But she was so hurt... Hurt that Austin wasn't taking her calls anymore and she didn't know why. What had Megan told him to destroy their relationship? What could have possibly convinced him so much that he didn't even try to hear Scarlett's side of the story before giving up on her?

The restaurant grew quiet as everyone's gaze turned to them, waiting for Megan's next words.

"I told him what kind of slut you are, Scar. I told him that you slept with men while being in a relationship with him. I told him that you had plenty of abortions, and man... He was so pissed, I'd never seen him like that before. And with the proof I showed him... he had no choice but to believe me and turn to me for comfort."

Scarlett spun around slowly to look at Megan's despicable face. It was a mix of smug pride and hatred.

"Don't look at me like that!" she said. "This is what you deserve, alright? You and your mother are the ones who stole from us first. Your mother took my dad away, and you thought I would let it happen without doing anything? Wrong. I'm only giving you your payback. I've taken your man as well, but I'm not going to stop there. I will take everything from you, including your last name. Everything that belongs to you now will be mine. Just you wait and see. I will destroy you, bit by bit. This is only the beginning."

Scarlett couldn't hold it in anymore. She had reached a point of hatred she'd never experienced before. She rushed back toward Megan, grabbed her shoulders, and headbutted her. The entire restaurant gasped. Megan screamed in pain, and Scarlett held on to her forehead. She'd hoped to break her fucking nose, but to her greatest despair, Megan was relatively fine. The worst she'd get would be a bump on her forehead the next morning.

"Ow! What's wrong with you?!" Megan screeched.

"I will kill you," Scarlett breathed out in a low tone. "I will fucking kill you, bitch."

And she really wanted to. She would have wrapped her hands around her neck and squeezed the life out of her if it wasn't for the angry voice that boomed behind her:

"Scarlett!"

Scarlett turned around and saw that Austin had arrived-and he'd seen her in the worst way possible. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach at the sight of her fiancé's disappointed face.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

Her mouth fell open, but no words came out of it. Really, what was she doing?