Jason's cold gaze unsettled Evelyn. Clearly, Cecilia had provoked her first, yet in Jason’s eyes, her reaction was unforgivable. The three of them—Jason, Cecilia, and Evelyn—stood in silence, while the restaurant manager attempted to disperse the growing crowd of onlookers.

Cecilia was the first to leave, her eyes downcast, a few tears glistening as she sniffled pitifully.

“Oh, give it up, Brooks!” Jean said bluntly, refusing to indulge Cecilia's act of innocence.

Evelyn met Jason’s gaze with a calmness forged from enduring scenes like this countless times.

“Come outside. I have something to say.” Jason’s eyes darkened with a simmering anger.

Evelyn didn’t move. She knew that if she followed him out, she’d be met not with understanding but with unfair accusations.

Jason’s stare held an unyielding intensity. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

The sound of his retreating footsteps shattered her heart into pieces.

After half a minute, Evelyn finally walked out of the BeyondSoul Tower. Jason was standing by the curb, smoking a cigarette, the white tendrils curling around him, shrouding his expression in mystery.

“Quite the power move, wasn’t it? Making a public scene, you and Jean ganging up on her.” Jason’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Jason,” she said, her voice catching. “Whenever Cecilia and I have a dispute, you never ask what happened. You always side with her.”

“I saw it with my own eyes—you threw soy milk at her.” He spoke coldly, standing half in shadow with the cigarette nearly burning down to his fingers.

“I…” Evelyn felt her desire to explain fading away. “If you care enough to know the truth, you can check the security cameras.”

She’d been met with this kind of suspicion and slander countless times over the past three years. Jason’s distrust in her was so entrenched that no amount of reasoning could change it.

“First, you provoke someone, and then you put on this attitude,” he said harshly. “You think this is Lycheeville? No Johnson family here to back you up.”

The mention of “Lycheeville” cut into Evelyn’s memories like a knife. It was her hometown, where she’d been raised as a carefree princess, cherished by both her parents until she was thirteen. If it hadn’t been for that disgraceful incident three years ago, she would have made it a point to visit several times a year, no matter how busy she was in Riverton.

For her, a woman’s sense of belonging came from her man. But Riverton, like her marriage, felt cold and unwelcoming—a city with no warmth, just like the man she’d married.

Jason mistook her silence for guilt and ground his cigarette underfoot. “You think if you hadn’t married me, you’d still be back in Lycheeville as the mayor’s son’s wife.”

He had a talent for finding her most vulnerable points and digging the knife in.

“I never thought that,” she replied, eyes red. “Since last year, all I’ve wanted was to make this marriage work. You’re the one who keeps getting tangled up with other women.”

Jason pulled out another cigarette, biting down on it in frustration. “A few words, and you’re already getting emotional? Adrian isn’t in Riverton, so who are these tears for?”

“Cecilia cries, and Mr. Stark cares. Who am I supposed to cry to?” she replied, swallowing her tears as she remembered the “pregnancy vitamins” Grace had given her.

Crying, she realized, was useless. She refused to let herself become a pitiful victim.

“Adults have to take responsibility for their mistakes. Call Cecilia and apologize,” Jason said, his tone slightly softer.

Evelyn’s expression hardened. “It was your Miss Brooks who started this; she’s the one who should apologize!”

“In front of everyone, you and Jean were shouting that she’s a mistress. Now she’s been humiliated and embarrassed. You owe her an apology.”

“We’re married, and Cecilia’s been meddling in our lives all along. If she’s not a mistress, then what is she?”

Jason frowned as he flicked his lighter twice, but the cigarette remained unlit.

“Are you worried about losing face now? Did you care about dignity when you went brawling for her at Midnight, with all those sleazy comments online?”

Evelyn’s words grew sharper, oblivious to the storm brewing in Jason’s eyes.

“This is your last warning—apologize to her now.” Jason tossed the lighter into a nearby trash bin, his gaze hard and unyielding.

Evelyn stood tall, defiant, without a hint of backing down. They locked eyes, each unwilling to relent.

After a beat of silence, Jason’s gaze turned frigid, and he walked away, leaving Evelyn with a dull ache deep in her chest. The pain was thorny, digging into her flesh and bone, making even breathing hurt.

“Is that bastard gone?” Jean hurried over, noticing Evelyn’s pallor and wrapping her arms around her. “You already have a nodule in your left breast. Stop stressing over those two scumbags.”

“Don’t worry; I’ve long since seen it for what it is,” Evelyn replied with a forced smile. “To shake off the bad vibes from just now, I’m ordering a bottle of wine. We’re drinking till we can’t walk.”

Clinging to Jean, Evelyn steered them back into the BeyondSoul Tower. The restaurant manager offered them a private room when a reservation got canceled, and they gladly accepted.

In Riverton, there was a local tradition of drinking during holidays to ward off evil spirits. To Evelyn, Jason and Cecilia embodied everything she wanted to ward off.

“Now that’s the spirit. No matter how much that bitch flaunts, she’s still a mistress.” Jean quickly shifted the topic.

Evelyn, who usually took great care of her voice by avoiding alcohol, spicy food, and carbonated drinks, broke all her rules for this meal. Jean, with a similarly low tolerance, soon found herself tipsy as well.

With the alcohol loosening her tongue, Jean couldn’t hold back her questions. “Jason’s defending that bitch so much—why haven’t you divorced him? Is it his looks or his skills in bed that keep you hooked?”

“Not only do you have a lousy husband, but a nightmare of a mother-in-law. Eve, those pills weren’t prenatal vitamins at all. That old hag lied to you.”

“Back then, you and Adrian were head over heels in love. Why did you suddenly marry Jason, who you barely knew?”

“And Adrian’s engagement is next Saturday. Are you going back to Lycheeville to attend?”

Jean’s curiosity got the best of her, and she rattled off questions that she’d long wondered but never dared ask.

Evelyn’s head spun as she slumped against the table. “Three years with Jason. The first two were nothing but cold wars. It was only in the third year that we finally shared a room. And then, I... I fell for him, really wanted to have his child—”

“He’s in love with Cecilia, and you were dreaming of having his baby? You’re a complete fool.” Jean ruffled her hair with a sigh.

Evelyn, swaying slightly, pushed Jean’s hand away and murmured through her drunken haze, “I am a fool. Both men I’ve loved turned out to be unfaithful, unreliable… Adrian’s engagement has nothing to do with me. I’m Mrs. Stark now…”

The two women continued their muddled chatter, lingering at BeyondSoul Tower until the late afternoon. Around three, a knock came at the door, and before either could respond, Tyler entered with a grave look directed at Evelyn.

“Bad news, ma’am. Miss Brooks… she’s attempted suicide by slitting her wrists.”