CHAPTER 22: CHAPTER 22: HER PROUD HEAD WAS FINALLY BOWED BY EVAN GRANT

Just because he glared at her once at the old house, she became more afraid of him than she was in the morning.

Moreover, she had an evasive look, clearly not wanting to talk to him.

Yet Evan steadied himself and said, "You didn’t have dinner. Let Mrs. Young make you a few dishes."

"Can I not eat?"

After she asked, she paused and then changed her mind, "If I have to eat, I’ll just have a little."

She was very compliant, but Evan didn’t quite like this feeling.

"If you don’t want to eat, then don’t. I’ll have Mrs. Young prepare some snacks for later. You can eat if you get hungry at midnight.

Juliana glanced in the direction of the basement, "Is there anything else? If not, can I go up and rest for a while?"

She was still worried he might lock her up.

Evan felt a stab in his heart.

"Juliana, this is your home. You don’t need to ask me whatever you want to do."

No, this was no longer her home.

On the fourth anniversary of their marriage, she planned to give him her big gift, and then she’d have nothing more to do with this man.

Juliana said nothing and went upstairs.

Evan watched her back, his brows furrowing tighter.

Just as he was about to follow her, his phone rang.

It was Stella calling from the hospital...

Juliana returned to the master bedroom, took a shower, and went straight to sleep.

Her body was not as robust as before, always easily fatigued. She thought she might see a traditional Chinese doctor one day.

Given the current severe situation, she could tread on Evan’s red line at any time. Her strength must not fail her.

Half-asleep, she felt someone touching her face.

This was the master bedroom, the only person who could be here at this moment was Evan.

Helping Stella only to come hold her didn’t sit well with Juliana; she felt disgusted.

She awoke with a start, unable to contain her emotions, shouting at him, "Don’t touch me!"

Evan sat on the edge of the bed, stunned by her reaction.

Realizing she’d overreacted, Juliana’s fierce gaze softened.

"Sorry, I thought it was..."

She couldn’t think of an excuse, instinctively hugging herself, and asked, "Is there something you need?"

Evan’s gaze was unusually somber, yet there was indeed an important matter.

"Aunt’s condition doesn’t look good. I will take you to apologize to her."

The dignity she’d held high was, in the end, something Evan would make her compromise.

Juliana did not overreact.

Even if unwilling, she merely sighed silently, got out of bed from the other side, and dragged her tired body to change clothes.

Evan was pained by her weary silhouette, suddenly realizing his folly.

Had he become stupid?

Stella had called sobbing, saying that Lily was bleeding uncontrollably, the doctor considered emotions were playing a role, but further tests would be done the next day.

Without much thought, he agreed to take Juliana to apologize to Lily.

But why was he letting his wife suffer to stabilize someone else’s emotions?

Evan caught up to her, pulling her into his arms.

"We won’t go, we won’t go."

Juliana took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

She gambled on his last bit of reluctance and won.

Thinking of his mixed scent, she felt a wave of nausea.

"If we’re not going, can you let me go? I... I feel like vomiting."

Juliana still resisted his touch, though not as intensely as before.

After being confined in a dark room once, she’d learned to be tolerant, though her body developed a stress response that she couldn’t suppress.

Evan, understanding but choosing not to disclose, advised her to rest well before leaving in a huff.

As for where he was headed in the middle of the night, Juliana didn’t ask.

Because she no longer cared.

...

In a back alley without surveillance cameras, there was a loud "clang".

A figure as thin as paper slammed into a metal garbage bin.

Subsequently, the shrill screams of the thugs punctured the silence of the night.

Blondie got the worst of it.

Lying on the garbage bin, he couldn’t get up, his hands bloody and mangled.

Back in the day, Evan had been sent by Old Mr. Grant to train in a military camp, and he was quite skilled.

But Ethan had never seen him so ruthlessly take on everything before.

"Whose hands have touched my wife?"

Evan’s voice was chillingly cold.

The thugs shook their heads like rattles.

Evan snorted coldly, hitting Blondie just when he sat up, then taking the tissue handed by Ethan.

"I’ve heard that your second uncle is quite capable, so I’ll send you to him. Pass along a message for me that he should prepare paper money for himself."

Blondie shivered all over upon hearing that.

Evan got in the car; finally having vented, the gloom on his face eased a bit.

Ethan handed over some water, worriedly saying, "President Grant, for something like feuding, just give the word, and many would scramble to do it for you."

Evan sprayed some hand sanitizer onto his hands, his eyes cold as a deep pool.

"They harmed my wife, if I didn’t handle this personally, I wouldn’t be fit to be her husband."

Ethan nodded, thinking privately: You found a human punching bag because you couldn’t vent your frustrations on your wife, right?

...

When Juliana woke up the next day and didn’t see Evan, she didn’t inquire.

Her phone simply rested quietly with Evan’s message.

He told her to eat well.

In four years of marriage, she hadn’t kept anything from him, including her phone password, which he knew by heart.

While she was asleep, he released himself from her blacklist.

Let him be released then, Juliana didn’t reply to his message, got breakfast, and headed to the hospital.

Her grandpa had been moved from ICU to a regular ward.

She went to talk with the doctor about using a medicine that cost 1.2 million per dose.

"Think it through, that’s 1.2 million each month, it can’t be stopped."

Rosalind came back with breakfast and ran into Juliana in the lobby.

To keep her grandpa unaware, Juliana shared her decision with Rosalind downstairs.

"Aside from the 1.2 million in hard expenses, if he suffers another illness, he’d need to stay in the hospital. Even if you somehow come up with 1.2 million, it’s not enough."

"So you’re saying to give up and prepare for the worst?"

Rosalind sensed her displeasure and quickly explained, "He’s my father, I wish for his long life. Isn’t it that he’s about to be discharged? The house has been bought, but the property fees are not cheap; I’m just worried about your pressure..."

Juliana frowned, "Didn’t I tell you to find a place in a mid-range neighborhood?"

Rosalind stammered a bit, "Yes... yes, it’s a large flat in Celestial Vista."

Celestial Vista is currently Kenton’s most expensive neighborhood, and the property fees are higher than an average salary.

"Moreover, it’s a fully furnished unit ready to move in, quite convenient," Rosalind added.

Juliana pursed her lips, looking at her with a threatening gaze.

Rosalind became tongue-tied, "The compensation from the developers increased, and it just so happened that the developer offered a discount..."

Juliana’s eyes grew colder.

Rosalind could no longer withstand the pressure.

"The village chief’s son got caught, and the chief came to me, said he had connections with the developers, and could get us a deal to buy the house at a 10% rate as a form of compensation."

"Blondie got caught?" Juliana was surprised.

Rosalind nodded, "It’s true, the police even came to find me, and even his second uncle settled down."

Who has the capability to bring someone like him down?

Except for Evan, there’s no one else who would help her like that.

Juliana suddenly couldn’t describe how she felt, and Rosalind started nagging her.

"President Grant loves you so much, why divorce him? With him around, no one in Kenton dares bully you, and you wouldn’t have to worry about your grandpa’s medical fees. Why let go of such a good man, are you crazy?"

Before Juliana could respond, they saw Stella carrying a thermal container, trailing behind Evan as he entered the hospital.

Juliana’s eyes paused: Wasn’t she supposed to be sent away last night?