Chapter 58 You Hurt Me

After speaking, Joseph suddenly stood up, bent down to pick up Harper horizontally, took big steps, and kicked open the bedroom door.  

He threw Harper directly onto the bed. Before she could get up, he had already pressed down on her.  

A fierce kiss followed.  

It was more like punishment than a kiss as if the man was attacking her with a sense of revenge.  

The hot breath fell on her neck, making Harper anxious. "Joseph! What are you doing? Why are you going crazy for no reason!"  

"Yes! I am going crazy!" After Joseph said that, he exerted force with his hand.  

Feeling the chill on her body, Harper was truly scared, but she couldn't move him on top of her at all.  

"Joseph, stop it. Let me go!"  

Ignoring Harper's pleas, Joseph held her tightly, kissed her wildly, and unbuttoned her belt with his other hand.  

Harper never expected Joseph to have this side to him, like a wild beast.  

"You hurt me!"  

Joseph just paused for a second and then continued.  

Harper raised her hand to struggle, and slapped Joseph directly in the face, making a loud sound. It was jarring in the quiet space.  

Both of them stopped their actions simultaneously, both incredulous.  

Harper had just slapped Joseph, and her hand still stung.  

Their eyes met, and both of their hearts were in turmoil.  

Joseph looked at the tears on Harper's face and the clear red marks under her collarbone that he had pinched. She was truly scared, curled up, and trembling. In her eyes, there was only fear and resistance.  

Regaining his senses, Joseph closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was truly losing control. His erratic and irritable behavior was anything but what one would expect from a doctor.

A deep sense of exhaustion washed over Joseph. Why did he become so unlike himself whenever he was with Harper?  

After a moment, Joseph got up decisively, picked up his clothes from the floor, and walked out.  

Harper instinctively curled up in the bed and pulled the blanket over herself. As she heard the loud slam of the door, Harper shivered. While relieved, she also felt bewildered.  

What had gotten into he today? Why was he suddenly treating her like this?  

Joseph went straight downstairs, sitting in the car for a while. Then he took out his phone and called Eric. "Where are you?"  

Eric's voice was hoarse, which sounded like he had just woken up. "Do you know what time it is? Where do you think I am? Of course, I'm in bed with a beauty."  

Joseph couldn't be bothered to argue with him and simply said, "Come out. Meet me at the usual place."  

Eric didn't say anything. Before he could object, the other party had already hung up.  

Eric gritted his teeth, and cursed at his phone. Then he got out of bed.  

The bar vividly portrayed the city. Beneath its glamorous exterior, countless darkness and desires sank together.  

Joseph downed a glass of alcohol. His Adam's apple rolled as he swallowed. A few drops of liquid dribbled from the corner of his mouth down his neck.  

"Who hurt you this time?" Eric sat next to him, full of gossip.  

Joseph turned his head to look at him coldly, not saying a word.

Suddenly, Eric turned his head as if discovering a new continent, exclaiming, "What's the matter with you? Have you been in a fight or tangled with a cat?"

There was a trail of blood on his face. The cat's claws were truly sharp.

Joseph raised his hand and lightly touched the protrusion with his fingertip. There was a conspicuous elevation that strangely lacked any sensation of pain.

Cat?

Indeed, the innocent little bunny had transformed into a feral cat.

He recalled his own demeanor tonight and the pitiful sight of Harper lying on the bed. His gaze inadvertently became gloomy.

"You don't say a word. Why do you call me here?" Eric poured a glass of wine, took a casual sip, then suddenly remembered. "Weren't you supposed to attend your father's wedding banquet tonight? How did things turn out like this?"

Joseph remained silent. He poured another glass of wine, casually clinking his glass with Eric's. He said heavily, "Can you just shup up and drink?"

In the dim light, Eric couldn't discern his expression. He looked at Joseph maliciously, then glanced inside his loosened shirt. "I have to say, you're quite wild today!"  

He didn't look like the serious doctor he usually was. He seemed to have a bit of a rogue air, more like a playboy than him.  

Joseph looked at the glass in his hand, puzzled. "Is that so?"  

"Yes." Eric nodded affirmatively, then leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Did you just have a fight with your wife in bed, still feeling the rush, so you came out looking for some excitement?"  

As Eric spoke, the glass in Joseph's hand shattered with a resounding crash. Glass shards embedded into his hand, yet he remained oblivious. His countenance bore an indescribably sullen and fierce demeanor.

"Damn it!" Eric was taken aback. "What are you doing?"

The waitress inside clearly did not anticipate that this man would crush the glass with one hand.

"Let me see!" Eric attempted to inspect his hand, only to be immobilized by a cold glare from Joseph.

Having known Joseph for all these years, he had never seen him lose control like this.

What exactly happened today?

Was it because of his ex-girlfriend Olivia? Or was it because of his current wife Harper?