Chapter 9
Joseph held Evelyn as they left, offering her comfort the whole way.
Although his words were filled with concern, the indifference and insincerity in his eyes were unmistakable.
It was so clear that Evelyn tightened her grip. Her heart sank with each passing floor in the elevator.
“My legs feel so weak, Joseph. I can’t walk anymore,” she said pitifully.
Without hesitation, Joseph scooped her up and carried her out of the hotel lobby before placing her in the back seat of the car.
Evelyn pressed her chest tightly against Joseph’s. She even buried her face in his neck and deliberately exhaled warm, suggestive breaths.
But no matter how hard she tried to seduce him, Joseph remained unresponsive. He calmly called out, “Antoine.”
From the driver’s seat, Antoine immediately brought up the surveillance footage on his phone and handed it over.
The video showed the overweight man pawing at Evangeline, who struggled in panic. The disparity in strength left her helpless. Her clothing was torn piece by piece, which exposed her bare skin.
Evelyn felt a surge of satisfaction but feigned discomfort. She even pleaded with Joseph, “Maybe we should stop. Even though Eva did that to me, nothing serious happened. She’s your wife, Joseph. If another man touches her, she won’t… be worthy of you anymore.”
Joseph’s face remained impassive, and his eyes revealed nothing. “She’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing.”
Before leaving, he had instructed Antoine to tell the man to just scare Evangeline but not to cause her any real harm.
Evangeline repeatedly stirred things up with Evelyn out of jealousy. This was just a small punishment for her.
Joseph didn’t like jealous women. He believed that after this, she would learn to hold back and stop messing with Evelyn.
Looking at his confident expression, Evelyn couldn’t help but feel amused. Based on her understanding of Joseph, he likely only instructed the man to put on an act and frighten Evangeline. But he didn’t know the man had been drugged. Soon, he would completely lose control. Evangeline was destined to be doomed tonight.
Evelyn recalled how she had been trying to reconcile with Joseph over the past weeks. Though he seemed attentive and gentle, he avoided her advances. Their interactions never went beyond holding hands or hugs.
Once, emboldened by alcohol, she had kissed him and begged him to divorce Evangeline and marry her.
Even drunk, Joseph had pushed her away without hesitation and said, “I’m Eva’s first man, and she hasn’t done anything wrong. I can’t just discard her like that.”
It was then Evelyn realized that Joseph resented her for leaving him and being with other men abroad. He saw her as filthy.
But if Evangeline lost that same purity, Evelyn was certain Joseph would abandon Evangeline and return to her side.
On the screen, the man’s breathing grew heavier, and his movements became more aggressive. It seemed that the drug was starting to take effect.
When Evangeline resisted, he slapped her hard across the face.
Seeing her cheek swell, Joseph frowned. His eyes flickered with a hint of unease. Something felt off, like something was spiraling out of control.
He hesitated for a moment, then reached for the car door.
Evelyn immediately clung to him.
“Thank you, Joseph. Thank you for standing up for me. That man slapped me too. If you hadn’t saved me earlier, I would’ve been the one suffering like this,” she cried out. Joseph’s hand paused on the door handle and lowered.
After all, Evangeline had gone too far. A harsher lesson seemed justified.
She wasn’t working at the moment anyway. Even if her face was bruised, a few days of rest at home would heal it.
And so, Joseph missed his one chance to stop the tragedy. He continued watching the footage with a detached expression.
As Evangeline’s panic gave way to despair, an inexplicable irritation gnawed at him.
He had intended to teach her a lesson, but seeing her so pitiful made him relent. When a tear rolled down her cheek, a wave of pain tightened around his chest.
Since when had Evangeline become capable of affecting him so deeply?
Joseph couldn’t answer that question. But he knew he didn’t want to see her suffer any longer.
“Antoine, this ends now. Go,” he ordered.
“Yes, Mr. Cunningham.” Antoine opened the car door but hesitated. His gaze lingered on Evelyn as if waiting for her signal.
Evelyn’s heart leaped into her throat. She had worked too hard to set up this trap. Tonight was her chance to ruin Evangeline and ensure Joseph’s disgust. She couldn’t let it all fall apart now. “Wait,” she blurted out.
