Chapter 32
Chapter 32 Are You So Eager to Get a Divorce?
Josephine turned to look at Tyler.
After a bout of silence, Tyler spoke up, "I'll go down first."
Josephine couldn't let him go alone, so she quickly followed him and got out of the
car.
When they came up to Lewis's car, he was smoking in the driver's seat with his window down.
"Lewis, I've sent Josephine home. You..." Before Tyler could finish his sentence, he was cut off by Lewis's cold and piercing gaze.
Lewis didn't say anything. He flicked the cigarette ash with his fingers and tossed the butt on the ground. Glaring at Tyler, Lewis opened the car door and got out.
Josephine felt the subtle tension between the two men. She walked up to Lewis and tugged at his sleeve timidly.
Lewis glanced at Josephine, his eyes devoid of any warmth or pity.
"You, go inside."
Josephine gestured, "It was Tyler who saved me..."
"Josephine!" Lewis interrupted her and sneered, "Since he was the one who saved you, are you going to give him a medal?"
Josephine's hands froze in mid-air as she saw the contempt in his eyes. She silently lowered her arms.
Tyler spoke up, "Lewis, didn't you know that Josephine had claustrophobia?"
Lewis's expression remained stony. He stared at Tyler as his lips curled up into a mocking smile.
"You seem to be very aware of that."
Stunned, Tyler didn't know what to say. He sighed. "Okay, I won't interfere in your family's affairs. Josephine has just returned from the hospital, so you should know your limits." After speaking, he turned around and got back into his car, speeding off.
Tyler had guessed that something like this would happen when he agreed to help Avery out.
It was a gloomy day. At five in the evening, the sky was already dark.
The porch lights of the mansion automatically lit up. Attracted to the light, moths. gathered around the lampshade, looking for a way to get inside.
Josephine stood by Lewis's side, looking down at her feet.
He stared at her for a moment in silence before entering the mansion.
She followed him without a word until they came to the living room.
Suddenly, Lewis stopped in his tracks and turned around. Josephine managed to stop in time, avoiding a collision with him.
He examined Josephine's face closely. Her hair was a mess, and there were some stains on her cheek.
She hung her head and stood still like a statue.
"What did the doctor say?"
WW
Josephine looked up and met Lewis's gaze. It was obvious that he'd asked this question in an off-handed manner and not out of concern, He seemed to have forgotten that it was he who had locked her up. Claustrophobia? He didn't care at all.
Josephine remained motionless for a long time.
Lewis's brows furrowed slightly.
Josephine bit her lower lip as her eyes filled with tears. She turned away to hide her tears from Lewis.
However, Lewis grabbed Josephine's chin and turned her face to him so that he could stare into her eyes.
"What? Do you feel aggrieved?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, showing that he didn't really care what she felt.
Josephine broke free from his grasp and gestured, "Let's get a divorce."
Lewis's gaze turned frosty. "Say that again?"
Fixing her gaze on him, Josephine repeated her request in sign language firmly, "I want to get a divorce."
"Is that really what you want?" Unexpectedly, he did not fly into a rage like the last time. However, anger was burning in his eyes. Josephine nodded. Yes, she really wanted a divorce.
Lewis stared at Josephine for a moment, his face devoid of emotion.
Suddenly, he laughed dryly. "Fine, pack your things and get out. Come back in two weeks to sign the papers with me."
With that, he nonchalantly turned around and left the mansion.
Josephine stood there and watched him leave, dumbfounded.
Clenching her fists tightly, she silently went upstairs to pack her things.
She didn't have many belongings as she didn't want to take anything that Lewis had bought for her. Josephine put together a few things in a suitcase and walked out of the mansion. She gave the mansion a last look. She had lived here with Lewis for three whole years.
Finally, she turned away and left with everything she owned without another glance.
Josephine didn't know where she could go. Aimlessly, she walked along the road that led to the mansion.
What did he want to prove by giving her two weeks before finalizing the divorce?
Did he want to prove that she couldn't live without him?
Josephine was penniless, and she really had nowhere to go. Just like what Lewis said, if she left him, she would be homeless.
Josephine didn't know how long she had been walking. The night grew darker, and the air was freezing. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering from the cold.
At long last, she came to a bridge. The area under the bridge was dimly lit by groups of people huddled around a fire, minding their own business.
Josephine hesitated for a moment before walking to a spot far away from the others. She sat down against the wall and held her suitcase tightly to her chest. The group seemed to have realized her presence and looked over at Josephine.
Josephine curled up into a heap and tried to avoid their
gazes.
People who slept under bridges were typically either homeless drifters, migrant workers who wanted to save money, or thugs who had time to kill.
Among them were two thugs. They were dressed better than the others and even owned a phone.
The two thugs approached Josephine and whistled at her, "Hey, gorgeous, what are you doing here all alone?"
Josephine clutched her suitcase tightly and kept her head down, ignoring them.
The two men sat down on either side of her. The strong smell of cigarettes and body odor wafted into her nostrils. When they spoke, she could even smell their bad breath. "We're not bad guys; let's have a nice chat."
"Yeah, you're dressed so nicely, why are you living under the bridge like us?"
Josephine felt breathless, getting flanked in between the both of them.
She stood up to leave, but one of the thugs pulled her back.
Josephine lost her balance and fell to the ground.
"We said we're not bad guys, why are you trying to get away? Say something." The thug on her left put his arm around her.
Josephine's heart almost jumped out of her chest. She was so frightened that her palms were clammy with sweat.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you dumb?" One of the thugs laughed and caressed her face.
Josephine turned away to avoid his touch.
The thug was surprised that he hit the nail on the head. "Are you really a mute?"
Josephine bit her lower lip and looked up at the thug..
Her pale and delicate features were illuminated by the firelight.
The thug was mesmerized by her beauty. He never thought that such a beautiful woman would end up living under the bridge.
The two thugs exchanged glances silently. It would be a waste to let this golden. opportunity slip through their fingers.
Since she was mute, things would be easy.
"It's too cold to live under the bridge, why don't we bring you to a hotel?" one of them said.
"Yeah, the hotel sounds good. It would be warm there."
Saying that, the thugs grabbed Josephine's arms and dragged her out from under
the bridge.
Josephine wasn't a fool. She knew that these two men had bad intentions and she struggled to break free from their grip.
Although Josephine was struggling so much, she didn't cry for help. The thugs were fully convinced that Josephine was really a mute. They pulled her toward a dark area under the bridge.
Josephine saw that her resistance was futile. In a fit of panic, she bit one of the thug's arms.
"Ouch!" he cried out in pain and let go of her.
Josephine tried to run away, but the other thug grabbed and twisted her arm behind her back, pinning her down.
The thug, who was bitten grinned, wickedly and rubbed the spot where he was bitten.
"You're really a mute." Cackling, he squeezed Josephine's cheeks forcefully and -pried her teeth open with his other hand.
"Here, bite me again! Why aren't you biting me anymore?"
The thug stuck his dirty fingers into her mouth.
Josephine couldn't do anything as her jaw was restrained.
The salty taste from his fingers and the foul smell caused her stomach to churn, making her almost throw up.