Chapter 21
Joseph said self–righteously, “Back then, I only pretended to love Evelyn. You didn’t know it was all an act, so you were jealous of her and constantly mocked her. You even pushed her, and worse, you tried to hire someone to assault her. Isn’t that too much?
“Eva, do you know what I had to deal with after you left? I was the one who stayed behind to clean up your mess. I wanted revenge on Evelyn, but because of you, I ended up owing her. I had to swallow my pride and atone for your mistakes. After all I’ve done for you, do you feel no guilt or gratitude at all?”
His accusations made Evangeline want to laugh.
So this was the sincerity behind his so–called longing and regret? He claimed to love her, yet he had never truly understood or trusted her.
Hearing Joseph’s bold claims, Kayden, Eliza, and Sterling didn’t even pause to think before siding with Evangeline.
“Listen here, punk. Eva would never do something like that!”
“If you don’t even have basic trust in her, you’re not qualified to talk about love.”
“Eva’s an honest person. She wouldn’t stoop so low. Are you delusional?”
With her family’s unwavering support, Evangeline felt a warmth in her heart.
“Joseph, I never did anything to harm Evelyn. Everything she accused me of was a complete lie. I never pushed her; she framed me. The man in that private room was in on it with her. Whether you believe it or not makes no difference to me.”
Joseph froze as he looked at Evangeline’s calm and composed expression. His instincts told him that she was telling the truth.
Seeing how her family trusted her unconditionally, and reflecting on his own words, he felt a pang of guilt and unease creep into his heart.
He was beginning to understand why Evangeline wouldn’t forgive him, but he wasn’t ready to face it.
“I believe you, Eva! I believe everything you’ve said!” Joseph blurted, desperate to ease his growing anxiety. “I’ll make sure everyone who hurt you pays for it!”
With that, he hurriedly left.
The wedding was still a week away. There was time. He could prove his sincerity and win her back. There had to be a chance.
After returning home, Joseph immediately launched an investigation.
The truth was brutal.
Evelyn had conspired with Antoine all along. Every word Evangeline had said was true.
Worse still, Evelyn had drugged the man in the private room. If Evangeline hadn’t jumped out of the window, she would have been violated,
Evelyn was dragged over by the bodyguards, and Joseph gripped her face tightly.
“First your parents drugged Eva and left her for me to ‘rescue,‘ and now you pull the same stunt? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it? Since you enjoy these disgusting games so much, why not experience them yourself?”
Joseph forced Evelyn to swallow the drug and locked her in a room with the bodyguards.
The next morning, Evelyn emerged, disheveled and limping.
Joseph kicked her to the ground, making her kneel on shattered porcelain.
Evelyn was now experiencing the pain and humiliation Evangeline had endured tenfold.
When Brandon and Madeleine tried to intervene, Joseph sneered coldly. “You two have hurt Eva too. I haven’t even begun to settle the score with you.”
Terrified, the couple exchanged nervous glances and quickly left.
Brandon and Madeleine, upon hearing that Evangeline was back, decided to seek her out.
“My dear, we came right away when we heard you were still alive!”
“We’ve missed you so much since you’ve been gone, my dear. Thank goodness you’re okay.”
When they arrived at the Decker residence, they wore obsequious smiles and called Evangeline “my dear” at every opportunity.
Kayden and Eliza were furious. How could these shameless people dare to claim their daughter?
However, Brandon and Madeleine shamelessly insisted on reconnecting with Evangeline.
Evangeline smiled faintly. “That’s funny. You weren’t like this before. You only ever favored Evelyn. Is this because you can’t rely on her anymore and now think of me as an option?” Brandon and Madeleine vehemently denied it.
“No, no! We’ve always loved you. We were just a bit stricter with you, that’s all.”
“We did everything for your own good. Please don’t turn your back on us. Joseph said he wanted revenge on us because we mistreated you. Only you can stop him.”
So that was it. They had come to her out of self–interest, as always.
“I’m curious. Why did you treat me the way you did back then?” Evangeline asked the question for the original Evangeline.
