Chapter 459
The words were like a curse, an incantation of humiliation. "Devil... devil..." they echoed, piercing Joseph's mind and forcing him to clamp his hands over his ears in a futile attempt to block them out.
The harsh words, filled with loathing, were spoken by the woman he loved. He was all too aware of his illness; why did she feel the need to ridicule him further?
Rosalind, panic etched across her face, clung to Joseph's arm. "Joseph, you can't do this to Rosalind. She didn't mean those words. She was just jealous seeing you and Joyce Ray so close..."
But Joseph was beyond reasoning. He pushed Rosalind away with such force that she fell, her head striking the ground with a thud that echoed in the silence. She blacked out instantly.
It was only after Joyce Ray administered a sedative that Joseph finally stilled, his body collapsing into unconsciousness.
A heavy silence descended upon the living room, broken only by the haunting echoes of Cassie's screams from the cellar. Joyce Ray's lips curled into a smile, a tender look in her eyes that belied the deep-seated hatred within her.
"Cassie, you never thought you'd see this day, did you?" she mused.
---
In the cellar, Cassie's voice had grown hoarse from her relentless screams, but no one responded.
The cellar, despite its lack of windows, was equipped with light and temperature control. After a night of turmoil, Cassie was utterly exhausted.
She had never imagined that she would mean less to Joseph than a deceased person, let alone a mere stand-in. The courage to fight for him had evaporated, leaving her feeling hollow and defeated.
Even if she managed to piece herself back together, she knew a happy ending was still out of reach. All she wanted now was to escape.
She had expected the door to remain locked, but after a fitful slumber, she awoke and approached it. To her surprise, the door swung open at her touch.
She hesitated, then slowly stepped out into the eerily quiet living room. It was already nine o'clock the next morning.
She had planned to leave immediately, but the memory of Joseph's rage made her hesitate. She found herself tiptoeing towards the bedroom.
Peering through the barely opened door, she saw Joseph sprawled out on the bed, his chest bare. Joyce Ray, clad in a camisole, was perched on his back, gently massaging his muscles.
"Does that feel better, Joseph?" Joyce Ray's velvety voice floated through the air, making Cassie's stomach churn.
Without a second thought, she turned and walked away, not bothering to look back. After being locked up all night by him, she was still worried about his well-being. Yet, he was too engrossed in Joyce Ray's comfort to remember anything else.
The thought that they might have been intimate on the bed she once slept in made her stomach churn even more. She had truly had enough of him.
Unbeknownst to her, once she left, Joyce Ray dismounted from Joseph and turned his body over to find him still unconscious. She quickly dressed and dialed Michael's number.
Approximately thirty minutes later, Michael and Lucas arrived, their faces etched with panic.
Looking rather pale, Joyce Ray recounted the events of the previous night. "I came in a haste after Rosalind called last night, saying Joseph had an episode. I managed to calm him down with some medicine. After seeing me come back, Rosalind hit me, and then she had a huge row with Joseph when he woke up."
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