Chapter 20
Not only were Timothy and Hannah completely stunned, but even Benjamin, standing at the hospital room door, froze in his tracks.
Was Evelyn really going to cut ties with Matthew completely?
Several pairs of eyes fell on Evelyn at once, filled with obvious doubt, confusion, and deep concern.
She didn't want to explain anymore.
Her past image of being blinded by love was deeply ingrained in everyone's minds. No matter how much she said, probably no one would believe she could be ruthless toward Matthew.
Rather than constantly explaining, she might as well just take action.
"I've thought it all through."
Evelyn looked down at Preston lying in the hospital bed, her eyes flashing with both heartache and anger.
"The Thomas family treated him so well, but instead of being grateful, he tried to ruin my reputation and made Grandpa so angry he got sick. This kind of person absolutely cannot stay."
"What? What do you mean, ruin your reputation?" Timothy's brows furrowed, a cold look flashing in his eyes.
He wasn't some old-fashioned person who would talk about a woman's virtue.
But if Matthew dared to hurt his daughter, he would never let Matthew off!
Evelyn explained in detail how Sophia and Matthew had conspired to drug her.
Under Timothy and Hannah's complicated gazes, she smiled.
"But I should thank them for doing something so shameless. It helped me see their true colors and know who really cares about me."
"From now on, I'll get along well with Benjamin and absolutely won't mention breaking off the engagement again."
Unless he wanted to end it.
In her past life, she had let him down, yet he still found her at the last moment...
Evelyn didn't know what happened after that, but she owed him nonetheless.
So in this life, as long as he didn't let her go, she definitely wouldn't leave him.
Hannah and Timothy exchanged glances, unsure what to say, when voices arguing came from the doorway.
"What are you doing here?"
Matthew sat in his wheelchair, staring at Benjamin with heavy hostility in his eyes, and beneath that, an unspeakable inferiority complex.
Benjamin narrowed his eyes slightly. "I'm here to see my fiancée. But you—are you here to humiliate yourself?"
His condescending attitude didn't seem like bullying; rather, it was proud and noble, making others dare not look up to him.
Benjamin and Matthew's statuses were worlds apart to begin with. Add to that Matthew's broken legs in the wheelchair, and standing next to the tall and elegant Benjamin created the most piercing contrast.
"Benjamin."
Benjamin's grandfather, Xander White, and Preston had been close friends in their youth, which led to Benjamin and Evelyn's engagement.
Plus, Benjamin liked Evelyn, so even though there was a big gap between the two families, Benjamin had always acted respectfully as a junior, making the Thomas family quite fond of him.
Besides, Timothy had heard that Benjamin had been protecting Evelyn recently, which made him like Benjamin even more.
"Whatever it is, come inside to talk. Don't stand at the door."
Benjamin nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then walked into the hospital room, which fully exposed Matthew's embarrassing state with his broken legs.
"How did this happen?"
Hannah had heard he'd had an accident, but didn't expect the injury to be so severe. She instinctively showed concern. "Matthew, how did you get hurt so badly?"
The Thomas family had taken care of Matthew for over twenty years.
The Thomas family treated Matthew as one of their own, caring for him with everything they had.
"He deserves it," Evelyn answered first. "He even wanted to use his injury to make everyone believe I was fighting him for the inheritance."
Matthew was no longer in his drunken state from last night. Though he still looked disheveled and down on his luck, his face wasn't twisted with ugliness.
"Dad, Mom."
His eyes reddened as soon as he called out. He glanced at Evelyn, then returned his gaze to Timothy and Hannah.
"I've always kept your kindness in raising me close to my heart. I've done my best to take care of Evelyn and manage the company. It's just that because Evelyn has had an engagement since childhood..."
He paused, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "Now that she's upset with me, I have no choice but to leave the Thomas family."
His sorrowful appearance made it seem like it wasn't that he didn't respond to Evelyn's love for him, but rather because she was bound by an engagement, so he couldn't respond to her.
As a result, Evelyn's love turned to hate, which was why she was forcing him to leave!
"Matthew, I never realized before how good you are at acting. You've really mastered the art of retreating to advance."
She directly exposed his lies, speaking coldly. "But since you've already said it, the Thomas family naturally won't force you to stay. You can leave now. First, get out of my grandfather's hospital room."
Evelyn's icy tone was completely devoid of her usual tenderness.
Especially the way she looked at Matthew—you could call them enemies, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Evelyn, don't be like this." Hannah's heart softened.
How could she just drive away a child they'd raised for over twenty years with a single sentence?
Besides, Matthew was injured now. His pale face really made her feel sorry for him.
She looked at Timothy as she spoke. "No matter what happened between you two, Matthew is still injured. Everything can wait until his injury heals."
"Right." He agreed almost without thinking.
In the eye contact between Timothy and Hannah, there was a hidden consideration.
After Evelyn confessed to Matthew, he became cold toward her, but she became more persistent.
Because of this, the Thomas family firmly opposed Evelyn's canceling the engagement with the White family, worried that Evelyn would get hurt.
Now Matthew was saying it was because of Evelyn's engagement that he didn't dare accept her, which made their minds start working.
Benjamin was great, but Evelyn's happiness was most important.
If Evelyn and Matthew had feelings for each other, they should still give them a chance.
Evelyn wanted to say something more, but Hannah spoke up. "Evelyn, you should go home first."
Hannah and Timothy had rushed to the hospital straight from the airport, and the fatigue on their faces was obvious.
No matter how eager she was to deal with Matthew, she couldn't ignore Hannah and Timothy's health.
Benjamin was very perceptive. He immediately personally escorted Hannah and Timothy back to the Thomas Villa, completely ignoring Matthew in his wheelchair.
Matthew wasn't bothered. Instead, he watched them walk into the elevator with a smile on his face.
But after the elevator doors closed, the bone-deep hatred in his eyes was no less than what was in Evelyn's.
Evelyn had planned to let Hannah and Timothy return to the Thomas Villa first to eat something and rest.
But then the usually quiet Benjamin spoke up, and when he did, it was quite shocking.
"Evelyn has been staying at my place this whole time. So there might not be much food at the Thomas Villa. How about we eat out before going back?"
She could clearly feel Timothy and Hannah's eyes fall on her.
Living at her fiancé's place before marriage, and now having Timothy and Hannah find out—that was enough to make her feel guilty.
"What are you talking about?"
Evelyn's rebuke lacked conviction. "Mom, Dad, after I was set up and then Grandpa had his incident, he was worried I'd have more trouble, so I stayed there for a few days."
When explaining things, if you're even slightly guilty, it seems like you're trying to cover something up.
Plus, there was Benjamin next to her, trying to muddy the waters.
"Can't I say it?" Benjamin kept his voice as low as possible, but the car's space was only so big—how could Timothy and Hannah not hear?
Benjamin was definitely doing this on purpose!
He was saying it specifically for Timothy and Hannah to hear!