A Man with Nerves of Steel (Joseph Hart) novel Chapter 340

Chapter 340

“Cora, do you still expect me to be the same man I used to be? Do you think you can still deceive me whenever you want to?” Joseph asked. Deep down, however, he knew Cora was right. He could stand by and let Jonas die, but he could never do it to a child like Mia.

Whether Jonas’ closeness to Cora had been genuine or merely a convenient cover, Joseph had every intention of making Jonas pay dearly. But what did an innocent little girl have to do with any of it?

And Shirley’s desperate plea ignited Joseph’s compassion as a doctor.

“I never deceived you!” Cora answered instinctively, but she still felt a flicker of guilt. As she looked at the chessboard in front of them, Joseph had already sealed off any possible escape she had. Under normal circumstances, she would have resigned.

Joseph calmly took a piece and said, “Both with Frank and with Warren. You refuse to admit anything happened, but whatever relationship you had with them definitely crossed the boundaries of what I consider acceptable.

“You might call it socializing or keeping up appearances, but to me, it’s unacceptable and unforgivable.”

No man wanted to imagine his wife soaking in a hot spring with another man. In a private space like that, it would hardly be surprising if they crossed the line.

Joseph simply couldn’t accept it.

There was still one piece left on the board. He didn’t mention anything, but Cora could clearly guess that it represented Jonas.

Her heart sank. Was this board a reflection of the future awaiting her?

Was she going to be a woman who had betrayed her marriage, losing her love, her family, her career, and everything else that mattered?

She had nothing left to say. She played a few more meaningless moves before quietly resetting the board.

A new game began, but the result was no different. By the middle game, Joseph had already taken most of her pieces. She shamelessly switched several of Joseph’s pieces, temporarily reversing the situation. Even so, she still ended up losing.

The gap between them was enormous.

Cora was completely dispirited.

Joseph no longer had any interest in playing. He merely took out some religious texts and read them as he drank the tea.

Cora said, “Honey, do you really not want the girls or me anymore? Do you really intend to give yourself to religion? You wouldn’t be that heartless, would you?”

Looking at him now, Cora felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

Everything Joseph had done recently, from shaving his head to living at the monastery and reading texts, all seemed like preparations to leave the secular world behind.

Most importantly, he no longer came home and no longer touched her.

Was that the celibacy of religion?

1/2

+15 Bonus

Joseph didn’t even bother looking up. “Stop lingering here and go home.”

He ignored her completely, continuing to read and contemplate the teachings before him.

Cora refused to leave, even though countless matters still demanded her attention.

Watching Joseph sit there, doing nothing and refusing to help her, even insisting on divorcing her… The man before her felt unfamiliar, even selfish.

She wanted to explode and scream, to vent every ounce of frustration bottled inside her. In the end, she did none of those things. Instead, she quietly stayed by his side, leaning against the couch as she drifted off to sleep.

A shrill ringtone suddenly jolted her awake. She was surprised to see that Jonas had actually activated his private number just to call her.

She hesitated for a moment, but still answered in the end. Joseph already suspected Jonas anyway, and she didn’ have a way to explain herself convincingly.

Jonas said, “Cora, where are you? Come to the usual place. Hurry.”

Cora replied, “What happened? Just tell me over the phone.”

There was no way Cora could meet Jonas at the usual place. If Joseph followed her and she was exposed, she would never be able to clear her name.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify