Chapter 81 Everything I Do Is for Her
"Loves you? Haven't you noticed she never posts about you on her social media? Honestly, she's never even admitted to having a boyfriend. She's just using your feelings to achieve her goals," I said.
"Her goals?" The kid looked confused.
I smirked, "Yeah, her goal isn't to run away with you, spend money on a motorcycle, or start a band. She wants to take my place as Edward's wife."
"Become Mrs. Howard?" The man was shocked, his eyes wide. "No, you're Mrs. Howard. She's Mr. Howard's sister. How could she become Mrs. Howard?"
I didn't want to explain too much to him; he didn't need to know. This was a family matter, and even though the three of us were tangled in a mess of love and hate, we still had to keep up appearances in front of outsiders.
Seeing he wasn't a threat, I decided to let him go. "You should leave. You and Anne don't have a future. I'll pretend this never happened and won't tell anyone. You know what happens if the cops get involved."
His eyes were full of disappointment. "Do I not even have a chance to fight for it?"
Seeing he wasn't so bad, I told him earnestly, "There's nothing wrong with going after someone or fighting for a chance, but you're going about it all wrong."
"But everything I did was for her!" he interrupted.
I nodded, "Yeah, everything you did was for Anne. But does she really appreciate it? To be with her, you shouldn't rely on her or act recklessly. You should work on yourself until you're her equal."
"Rely on her?" he sneered. "Aren't you also dependent on Mr. Howard? Why can't I?"
'Yeah, wasn't I also dependent on Edward?' I couldn't help but question myself.
As I got lost in thought, he suddenly stepped forward and grabbed my collar. "Mrs. Howard, don't you want to help me?"
I was startled but quickly regained my composure. "It's not that I don't want to help you, but what you're doing is pointless. You only see me depending on Edward, but you don't know the effort I put in to be with him. I learned everything he knew, and I never lost sight of what I wanted. Even now, without him, I can still be a great lawyer and live the life I want." I stared into his eyes, sensing his emotional shift. As lawyers, we have a knack for finding a crack in our opponent's defenses and breaking them down.
"But look at yourself. Without Anne, what are you?" Under my verbal assault, his arrogance quickly faded, and his eyes darkened.
He let go of me silently, muttering as he turned to leave, "What am I? What am I?" His frail figure disappeared into the vast night. I exhaled lightly, feeling much more relaxed. Not daring to linger on this small path, I quickly walked in the opposite direction towards the main road.
As soon as I reached the main road, I bumped into a man. "Sorry."
"Sorry." We both apologized at the same time. That voice was so familiar, I had to look up. Standing there was Joshua, solid as ever.
I didn't expect to run into him here. His expression made it seem like he'd been waiting for me.
Seeing Joshua again made me feel a bit guilty. He'd lost his job because of me, and even though he got it back, his spark seemed to have dimmed.
"Are you okay?" We both asked at the same time again, and I couldn't help but look down, embarrassed. Joshua's lips tightened, his face resolute, but I noticed a hint of redness in his eyes.
"You called me earlier, but you didn't say anything when I answered. I heard you arguing with someone, so I came over," Joshua explained.
I was a bit shocked and quickly pulled out my phone. Sure enough, the call with Joshua was still active; neither of us had hung up.
I remembered that during my internship, he was assigned to protect me. For convenience, I saved his number as an emergency contact. Whenever I called him, my location would automatically be sent to his phone. I must have accidentally dialed his number earlier in my nervousness.
"Do you have time? Let's grab a meal together." Seeing that I was okay, Joshua invited me.
I hesitated.
Joshua tried to play it cool, "I remember you still owe me a meal. How about you treat me today?"
I looked down and didn't say anything.
His eyes dimmed. "It seems you're not available today. Maybe another time. If you're okay, I'll head back." It seemed like he was talking to me and also to himself.
Before I could respond, Joshua gave me a formal salute and then turned to leave. Even in casual clothes, I could see his determination, and a hint of bitterness rose in my heart.
I recalled when he was assigned to protect me during my internship. Back then, he was young, tall, and strong, with brightly shining eyes. His smile, revealing two rows of white teeth, gave me a reassuring feeling.
Did he confess to me back then? But at that time, I was focused on graduating and marrying Edward, not giving him a chance. To me, he was just a passerby in my life. I knew that once my internship ended and I married Edward to become 'Mrs. Howard', I would have no further interactions with him.
Like many separations, perhaps the last glance was eternal, just like Eric and Alice. Being together was love but also a bond. I couldn't imagine what other hardships Joshua might face if we were together. The identity of Mrs. Howard was both my shield and my shackle.
This day had been quite thrilling. At that moment, I felt extremely tired but still didn't want to go home, the home with Edward and Anne. They were probably having a heart-to-heart talk, and my return would ruin the atmosphere. Thinking of this, I took out my phone and called Lila.
"Lila, where are you?" I asked.
After a moment, it finally quieted down, and Lila's excited voice came through, "Diana, I'm out having fun. Do you want to join?"
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