Chapter 8
The air seemed to freeze, as Evangeline felt an icy chill piercing her heart.
She had already accepted that Joseph didn’t love her, saw her as a stand–in, and didn’t trust her. But she never imagined he would go so far as to order someone else to violate her.
Behind her, the overweight man exhaled foul–smelling breaths.
Fear gripped her heart, and instinctively, she pleaded, “No… Please, don’t do this to me.”
Joseph looked at her like she was an insect beneath his feet. “Scated now? You haven’t even apologized for pushing Evie last time.”
Evelyn still had tears clinging to her lashes, but her eyes showed not a shred of fear. Covering her triumphant smile, she said leisurely, “Apologize on your knees to show your sincerity.”
Evangeline bit her lip hard but eventually lowered herself to her knees. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Let me go.”
The wounds on her knees hadn’t fully healed. The sharp pain spread from her legs to her chest like needles piercing her heart.
With Evelyn in his arms, Joseph watched Evangeline’s humiliated form with an indifferent smirk. “An apology is one thing, but punishment is another. Since you messed with Evie, there’s always a price to pay.”
At his signal, Antoine whispered instructions to the man.
The man nodded obsequiously. “Don’t worry. I’ll get it done.”
Evangeline’s heart sank. She struggled to escape, but the man grabbed her legs and dragged her away like a lifeless doll.
His slimy hands crawled upward, leaving a trail of disgust.
As the door shut behind her, she caught a glimpse of Joseph walking away without a backward glance and Evelyn’s victorious grin.
Evangeline’s long–dead heart was drowned in despair.
In just two hours, she would leave this world.
Why did they have to push her into hell and make her suffer such agony? Why couldn’t they let her go?
Evangeline struggled fiercely. At first, the man seemed to be teasing her, but as his breathing grew heavier, his actions became increasingly inappropriate.
When she scratched him, he slapped her hard across the face. Her vision blurred with stars, and the taste of blood filled her mouth.
No matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t push the man’s massive body off. Desperately, she called out to the system for help.
“Evangeline, I was seeking higher approval. Given the emergency, we’re making an exception. You can leave early if this body dies.” Evangeline glanced at the open window and forced herself to stay calm.
“Don’t… rush. I’ll take it off myself. I promise to… make it better for you.” Suppressing her disgust and humiliation, she feigned submission. The man, lured by her suggestion, paused and loosened his grip.
Evangeline adjusted her torn clothes. As she pretended to undress, she slowly backed toward the window.
The moment her back touched the window frame, she leaned backward decisively and plunged from the 23rd floor.
Would falling from such a height hurt?
Though terrified, Evangeline felt a flicker of relief.
No pain could surpass the wounds Joseph had inflicted on her. At least now, everything was finally coming to an end,
As she fell, the wind howled in her ears.
The night sky seemed extraordinarily bright tonight.
Evangeline recalled the day Joseph proposed. He held her close as they watched the fireworks and stars. Softly, he called her Eva and told her she was the most precious star in his life. They were all lies.
From now on, they would belong to different worlds, never to cross paths again.
In the final moment before she hit the ground, she thought she heard Joseph’s anguished cries.
She also seemed to hear the system exclaiming that Joseph’s affection for her had reached 100 points and the quest was completed.
There was no way. Evangeline knew it was just her imagination.
With the sound of impact, the starlight vanished.
Evangeline closed her eyes, welcoming the darkness and her rebirth.
