Walter had heard every harsh word Julia’s family had thrown. There was no way he could ignore it.
All that, and he stood by her side, shielding her from more harm. The unspoken truth of his loyalty did not need to be spelled out.
Evangeline’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, and as she looked at Walter, a wave of emotion washed over her, burying both her tears and the last bits of her daydreams about him.
She wanted to confront him, to ask, “Walter, does Julia mean that much to you? And what about me? Am I just someone you spent one night with?”
The words would not come, however.
Her pride, the pride of the Foster family’s darling daughter, had been crushed once when she pressured Walter into marriage. She could not let it happen again.
Evangeline inhaled sharply, her face a mask of frost, her eyes glinting like ice. “Give me Julia, and I’ll disappear.”
Julia’s actions were beyond forgiveness.
Evangeline might not have cared what Walter thought. However, she wanted Julia to pay with her life. “Impossible.” Walter checked the time, his voice devoid of emotion.
Had Evangeline asked half an hour earlier, there might have been a chance. Julia, however, was already on a plane to Northern Montavia, out of reach.
Besides, Walter had no intention of handing Julia over to Evangeline.
He would not touch Julia with a 10–foot pole, so why would he let Evangeline sully her hands? Letting Julia go off to Northern Montavia to deal with her own mess was the best outcome he could imagine.
“Why can’t it be possible?”
Evangeline, clueless about the real story, demanded with fierce clarity, “Is it because she’s your darling. so you’re scared she won’t end well if she ends up with me? What about me?”
“Why is it that she can do all sorts of wrong and walk away without a scratch, while I, who did absolutely nothing, who just wanted to enjoy a drink and dance at the club, have to suffer in silence? Is it all because Julia has you as her guardian angel?”
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