###Chapter 8
827 Words
Evangeline frantically hung up, afraid that if she hesitated even a second longer, the demon lurking in her mind would resurface, whispering temptations of self—destruction...
After discharge, Evangeline didn't return home. Instead, she went straight to a therapist.
She refused to let a cheating bastard and his mistress drive her to depression, or worse, suicide.
Leandro's reputation meant the waiting room overflowed with patients, all appointment slots long filled.
The receptionist kindly told her,"Miss, Prof. Hudson will see one more patient at the end. He's leaving tomorrow for a business trip and won't be available for a while."
"I'll wait." Evangeline clung to this lifeline.
If she missed today's session, she feared she'd be dead before his return, succumbing to the demon in her mind.
As patients gradually left, her turn finally approached, only for Leandro to stride out of his office, already removing his white coat.
"I'm needed at Nebula Hospital," he told the receptionist."Mr. Daugherty insists Ms. Wagner requires urgent consultation. Cancel my remaining appointments."
Evangeline was dealt with a blow. Jackson again?
"Prof. Hudson, could you please..."
But he was gone.
She slumped into a chair. Jackson used his influence to steal her last hope for his mistress.
Fortunately, another psychologist met with her.
"He took everything, our baby, our marriage, the future I dreamed of..."
Curled into the sofa's corner, Evangeline mindlessly twisted her shirt hem.
The warm clinic lighting felt like shards of ice in her hollow gaze.
"A demon in my head whispers for me to cut my wrists."
Thankfully, the doctor's expertise helped stabilize her for now.
"Your case isn't simple depression," the doctor warned."You must remove yourself completely from the people, the triggers, even the environment that causes this pain.
"If the urge to commit suicide becomes too overwhelming, suppressing it will only backfire. You might end up completely controlled by that obsession. You could try a symbolic death, letting that part of you believe it has succeeded. But you must be careful, and only do it under the protection of your family."
Jackson was no longer her family. He was the one who had summoned the demon in the first place.
Evangeline made an international call.
"Dad, I want to come to stay with you for a while. I'm ... fine. I just need a change of scenery."
Her father, who she'd lost contact with for years, had found her recently. Yet before she could even share this happy news with Jackson, her marriage crumbled.
But her father had just boarded a luxury cruise.
To spare him worry, Evangeline kept silent, merely agreeing to meet him in one month, the very day of her grand wedding with Jackson.
In a month, it would be the day of her grand wedding with Jackson.
"So be it," she thought."Let that wedding mark the definitive end of their past."
One month remained: either she would defeat the demon, or they would claim her life.
Allies became essential.
Evangeline resolved to meet someone she'd believed was out of her life forever.
They met in a restaurant.
"Are you certain about squandering your final wish?"
Jasper Craig's sharp eyes studied Evangeline with intensity.
She looked fragile, her long hair loosely tied, her delicate face pale.
This wasn't the vibrant woman he remembered. She seemed like a completely different person.
"Not doing well, huh? The so—called 'dotting husband' Jackson doesn't take good care of you?"
Evangeline cupped the warm drink in her hands, taking a small sip. The heat seeped into her veins, warming her cold heart a little.
"You've misunderstood, Mr. Craig. I don't need anyone to take care of me." Her voice was steady."But this time I do need your help."
Back then, the daughter of the Craig family hit her with a car, causing her deafness. Jasper promised her three wishes for a private settlement. She had used up two wishes, leaving only the last one.
Unexpectedly, this final wish became her lifeline.
"I haven't heard about Jackson having financial problems. His current strength has made him top—tier in the business world. Does he still need my help?"
Jasper's light—colored eyes fixed on Evangeline's face as if he were gauging how much truth lay in her words.
Evangeline used her first two wishes to help Jackson, who came from a poor background, become wealthy overnight.
In Jasper's view, she had utterly wasted her wishes. Had she asked him to marry her back then, he would have honored his promise. Yet from beginning to end, she never considered advancing her own position.
Evangeline nodded with a resolute expression."Yes, please help me, Mr. Craig."
"Go on. What does Jackson need this time, you love—struck fool?"
Evangeline looked up, meeting Jasper's slightly mocking gaze.
"Mr. Craig, the last wish is for me."
"Oh? That's new." Jasper finally put away his mocking expression, his mellow voice carrying a rare trace of pleasure."How shall I help?"
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