Chapter 13
Nathan’s heart skipped a beat as his head snapped around. For a split second, he thought it was Annabelle,
But when he saw the person standing at the entrance, he realized it was Daphne.
“Daphne?” Nathan froze. “Weren’t you traveling abroad? Why are you back so suddenly?”
Daphne strode into the room in a sharp suit and high heels. Her gaze was frosty, and when it landed on Evelyn, there was nothing but unfiltered disdain in her eyes.
“It I didn’t rush back, who knows what kind of woman you’d end up with?” Daphne sneered. Her eyes locked onto Evelyn. “Evelyn, right?”
Evelyn shrank back under Daphne’s gaze. Her eyes welled with tears. “Daphne, 1-1 don’t think I’ve ever offended you. Why do you hate me so much?”
Daphne ignored her pity act. Instead, she pulled a thick stack of photos from her bag and flung them at Evelyn. “You’ve never offended me. But on my trip overseas, I heard quite a bit abour your… accomplishments.”
The photos were scattered across the floor. Evelyn glanced down, and her face turned deathly pale.
The photos showed her partying at nightclubs, tangled up with different men. And then, the worst of them all–her in bed with five men at once.
Daphne watched her coldly. Her voice dripped with mockery as she asked, “Evelyn, did you really think no one would find out? Nate likes you, so I stayed out of it. But you just had to test your luck.
“So I asked around at your school while I was abroad, and surprise, surprise. Your life overseas was quite the spectacle.”
Evelyn’s face grew even paler. Her voice trembled as she tried to explain, “It’s all a misunderstanding! Someone set me up!”
“Misunderstanding?” Daphne let out a sharp laugh.
“Then explain these photos. Your so–called friends abroad had a lot to say. Apparently, you had quite the reputation for sleeping around with plenty of men. Now that you’re back, you suddenly want to play the innocent little sweetheart?”
The air in the banquet hall grew suffocating.
Daphne’s words had desonated like a bomb, sending shockwaves through the crowd. Whispers spread like wildfire. Everyone’s eyes darted between Evelyn and Nathan.
Evelyn’s face turned ghostly pale, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
She grasped Nathan’s arm in desperation. Her voice wavered, barely holding itself together, “Nate, these photos are fake! Someone must have edited them! You told me you’d believe in me. Please, tell me you do!”
Nathan didn’t respond immediately. Crouching down, he picked up the scattered photos and scanned each image closely.
In the photos, Evelyn was either partying in nightclubs or getting intimate with strangers. Each image was painfully clear, leaving no room for doubt.
Nathan’s fingers trembled slightly as an indescribable wave of emotions surged through him.
Evelyn grew more frantic at his silence.
She clung to his arm as if her life depended on it. Her voice cracked as she shouted, “Nate, you have to believe me! 1–I never did any of this! When I was abroad, so many people bullied me. They were jealous of me, so they tried to ruin my reputation!”
Nathan slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her eyes were filled with desperation and silent pleas.
At that moment, something sharp twisted in his chest.
Then, he exhaled deeply and said at last, “I believe you.”
