"Oh, I''m just the luckiest woman alive. Should I get down on my knees and thank you for this incredible blessing? Maybe bow three times for good measure?" Hannah rolled her eyes and picked up her fork, resuming her meal.


    She knew this would turn into a fight. Good thing she had braced herself, or the sheer hypocrisy would have made her sick to her stomach.


    Lionel wanted to press the issue, but seeing herplete indifference, he sighed. "That''s not what I meant. You''re overthinking it."


    "I already spoke to Sandra," he continued. "I told her to find a time to apologize to you again, properly."


    "Don''t bother. She''ll just do it again with that same rotten attitude, I''ll refuse to ept it, and you''ll get angry with me. We''ll have another fight, and somehow, it will all end up being my fault for bullying someone with a disability. I''ll probably be the one forced to apologize in the end."


    Hannah waved a dismissive hand, signaling him to drop it.


    "If you have so much free time, you''d be better off telling Sandra that if something like this happens again, I''m filing a police report. What she did constitutes defamation, and she shouldn''t be surprised when I stop being so polite. The only reason I''ve put up with it this long is out of respect for you."


    She looked up at him again, her eyes sweeping over him with undisguised contempt before she let out a coldugh. "But now I see how foolish that was. Your reputation isn''t worth a damn, and it certainly doesn''t protect me. Make sure you ry that message clearly, so she doesn''t find herself in a jail cell wondering how she got there."


    Lionel''s heart sank, and he stared at her in shock.


    A faint, mocking smile yed on Hannah''s lips. "If you believe me, go and tell her. If you don''t, I can make the call right now. After all, if I wasn''t right about what she did, you wouldn''t have asked her toe here and apologize in the first ce."


    Sandra had hired someone to take those photos and spread rumors, creating three viral hashtags that had caused so much turmoil and so many fights between them. She hadmitted such a huge transgression, and Lionel''s solution was to have her offer a simple, half-hearted apology and call it a day.


    Hannah couldn''t help but wonder what Lionel would do if she were the one who had done something like that.


    He would have raged, screamed, and humiliated her. He probably would have dragged her by the hair and forced her to kneel before Sandra.


    The thought killed her appetite. She put down her fork.


    “None of these are my favorite dishes. Next time..." Hannah stood up, ncing at the food on the table. e paused, then smiled sweetly. "Actually, there won''t be a next time. I''ll be moving out in a few days anyway."


    Cora had prepared all of Lionel''s favorites, catering perfectly to his pte. Not a single dish she liked had ever appeared on the table.


    Hannah walked over to the sofa, sat down, and pulled out her phone to order takeout, then found a movie to watch.


    From the dining room, Lionel watched her. "Starting tomorrow," he said loudly, "I want everything on the menu to be what Hannah likes."


    Cora frowned. "Sir, there''s no need for that. You don''t like any of the things she eats. You don''t have to..."


    "Just do what I said! When did you get the right to question my decisions in this house?" Lionel roared, throwing his napkin down before storming upstairs.


    "Sir, you''ve barely eaten anything!" Cora cried, her voice full of concern as she hurried after him.


    Hannah overheard their exchange, her expression darkening. Lionel waspletely oblivious. Cora''s attitude and behavior were wildly nappropriate, yet he did nothing to set a proper example.


    A few momentster, Cora came back downstairs, her eyes red and brimming with tears o indignation.


    She red at Hannah her her face &


    mask of fury, and stalked toward her