Chapter 4 Targeted by Online Abuse

Evelyn couldn't be bothered with him and pulled open the storage room door.

She didn't have much stuff - just a few things scattered sparsely around the room, with some clothes even thrown directly on the floor.

Evelyn quickly gathered a few sets of clean clothes, neatly folded them, and prepared to leave.

"Where are you going?" Luke blocked her way.

"None of your business."

Evelyn pushed past him, dragging her suitcase toward the exit.

"Where is Evelyn going?" Maggie's voice came from behind. "Mr. Miller, please talk some sense into Evelyn. It's so late at night..."

But Luke acted as if he hadn't heard, his voice cold and mocking: "If she wants to leave, let her leave. If she's got the guts to go, she better not come back."

Evelyn ignored him completely.

In the darkness, her eyes were clear, cold, and determined as she strode out through the villa's front door.

By the time she reached the lab, it was already past midnight. The temporarily arranged dormitory was cramped and basic, but she felt more relaxed than ever before.

She had finally left that suffocating place.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket - a message from Joseph:

[Changed your flight to Starlight City to the day after tomorrow morning. Gives you a day to handle things at the lab. Let me know if you need any help.]

Evelyn: [Thank you.]

She put down her phone and took a deep breath.

Walking to the window, she watched the researchers hurrying about on the campus below, and the tight feeling in her chest eased a little.

Work was the best painkiller.

Early the next morning, Evelyn put on her white lab coat, tied up her hair, and entered the sterile operating room.

The neural network samples in the petri dishes were growing steadily. Under the microscope, those tiny synaptic connections showed an amazing complexity.

She immersed herself in it, recording data and adjusting parameters. Before she knew it, it was already afternoon.

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

The caller ID showed Luke.

Evelyn stared at the name jumping on the screen, hesitated for a few seconds, but still answered.

"Where are you?" Luke's voice came through the receiver.

"At the lab," Evelyn replied.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Luke's tone was as impatient as ever.

Evelyn gripped her phone tighter.

"Luke," she tried to keep her voice steady, "think about the divorce."

"Evelyn."

Luke's voice suddenly rose, clearly annoyed. "Haven't you had enough? Trying to get my attention by threatening divorce - once or twice is enough. Any more just gets annoying."

There it was again.

In his eyes, her decision was just throwing a tantrum, being petty.

As if her world consisted of nothing but him and Andy.

Evelyn let out a cold laugh.

She suddenly felt exhausted.

"I have things to do," her voice was icy. "Hanging up now."

The call was abruptly ended, the busy tone beeping.

Luke slammed his fist on his desk, venting his anger with nowhere else to go.

Maggie brought over a freshly brewed cup of coffee and gently placed it on Luke's desk.

"Mr. Miller, have some coffee." Maggie's voice was gentle, with a hint of concern. "Is Evelyn still angry?"

Luke rubbed his temples irritably. "Let her be."

Maggie lowered her eyes, her lashes casting a small shadow below them, making her look vulnerable and understanding.

"Evelyn is probably just upset for the moment. Mr. Miller, why don't you go pick her up? After all, she's Andy's mother - there's no such thing as a grudge in a family."

She said this out loud, but her fingers unconsciously clenched tighter.

"Coax her?" Luke snorted coldly, as if disdainful.

He didn't believe at all that Evelyn would divorce him. She had schemed so hard to marry him and become part of the Miller family - how could she be willing to leave now?

"However," Maggie hesitated, her face full of difficulty, "if Evelyn just moves out like this and people find out, I'm afraid there will be gossip. It won't be good for you or the Miller Group's reputation."

"And Andy asked this morning if his mom doesn't want him anymore. Kids may be young, but they're sensitive."

At the mention of Andy, Luke's expression darkened even more.

"Take care of Andy for me," Luke said, looking at Maggie, his tone softening slightly. "Thanks for all your hard work lately."

Maggie quickly shook her head. "It's not hard at all. I genuinely like Andy and treat him like my own child. It's just..."

Her eyes reddened slightly. "I'm not his real mother after all, so there are some things I can't really say. But seeing Andy wanting his mom but not daring to say it - it really breaks my heart."

"Don't mention her anymore." Luke waved his hand, looking increasingly irritated.

"If she wants to stay out there, let her. I'd like to see how long she can last."

A barely perceptible smile flashed in Maggie's eyes, though she sighed out loud: "I hope Evelyn comes to her senses soon. A family should be complete to be good."

Over the next two days, Evelyn went to Starlight City.

Her schedule was packed - data analysis, project progress meetings, phone calls with partners... She was swamped.

So when David's call came, she didn't react at first.

"What did you say?"

David's voice was anxious: "Go check the Oceancrest City academic exchange group! It's blown up!"

Academic exchange group?

Confused, Evelyn opened the group chat. The first message she saw made her freeze completely.

[Did you hear? That Evelyn, who recently got funding for neural cultivation, apparently her marriage fell apart.]

[Really? I thought her marriage was good - isn't she married to Luke from the Miller Group?]

[Good? Apparently, she couldn't stay at home and insisted on working, neglecting her husband and child.]

[I heard that too. She even moved out? The kid's pretty young, right? Pretty heartless for a mother.]

[See, this is why women should put family first. Too much career ambition isn't a good thing...]

A few anonymous comments, like stones thrown into water, rippled outward in waves.

Evelyn stared at the screen, her fingers going cold.

Except for family and a very few friends, she hadn't told anyone about her separation from Luke.

People at the lab only knew she was temporarily staying in the dorm because the project was intense. David might have guessed something, but he would never leak it.

Where were these rumors coming from?

She closed the chat and forced herself to keep working, but the string in her heart had already tightened.

The real attack came the next morning.

Evelyn was woken by continuous phone notification sounds.

Dawn was just breaking, the light in the restroom was dim, and her phone screen by the pillow was flashing crazily, buzzing non-stop.

She was a light sleeper, and with things on her mind these past few days, she slept even more restlessly.

Half-asleep, she reached for her phone. The moment she unlocked the screen, she froze completely.

In the notification bar, the red number on the text message icon kept jumping and increasing.

WhatsApp was the same - countless friend requests and unread messages crowded the interface.

She opened the most recent text message. It was from an unknown number, but the content made her blood freeze instantly:

[You bitch who abandoned your husband and child! Do you deserve to be a mother? Go die!]

[Abandoned your kid for your own pleasure - how do you even dare to live?]

[Poor Andy, stuck with such a selfish mother!]

The messages got more vicious and nastier with each one.

Evelyn's fingers trembled as she opened WhatsApp.

Dozens of friend requests from strangers, all with messages full of insults and curses.

Her social media accounts had also been overrun.

Someone had even exposed her lab's address online, dug up old photos from her university days, and others were confidently fabricating details about how she abused her child and latched onto the Miller family.

In response to her latest post on experimental progress, the comments were filled with vile language.

[What independent woman? You just got tired of family life and want to hook up with other men, right?]

[Your child was hospitalized with allergies, and you didn't even care - are you even human?]

[Mr. Miller is a good man. It's your own problems that made him angry. You deserve to be kicked out!]

[Women like this should be exposed online! Everyone remembers her face - Evelyn, the woman who abandoned her husband and child!]

Evelyn sat on the edge of the bed, holding her phone, her whole body ice cold.

She forced a smile.

She thought, 'Luke, Maggie - well done, both of you.'

Evelyn took a deep breath and picked up her phone again.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"Evelyn?" Joseph's voice carried the hoarseness of early morning. "What's wrong? Calling at this hour?"

"Joseph," Evelyn spoke, only to find her voice terribly hoarse. "I need a favor."

"Tell me..."