Chapter 170 Telling Joseph

When Joseph was sure that it was Kate walking toward him, he ran up to her and pulled her close. He never noticed that Kate turned her head away so that he would not see the pain in her eyes. He anxiously asked, “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

Feeling safe and relieved in Joseph's arms, Kate could not think of an excuse to give him. She whispered, "Let's go home, and I will tell you about it."

“Okay,” Joseph kissed her forehead and led her to his car.

The streetlamp did not cast enough light for him to notice her swollen and beaten face, and Kate didn't want him to worry, so she stayed quiet. She remembered how he reacted when she burnt her hand earlier in the day. If he found out that a strange man beat her up, she did not know what he would do. At the crucial point, Kate planned to call, but she was out of danger, so she didn't feel the need to worry him.

"Was there a lot of traffic?" Joseph asked her.

"Yes!" She was thankful that Joseph had found an excuse for her, but she would have to explain her missing phone.

"Is your phone turned to silent?" Joseph asked again.

"Phone..." Since she didn't want him to worry, she lied to him again. Kate lowered her head and said, “I lost it…”

"Lost it? Was there anything important on it?”

"I don't think so," Kate said quietly. The most important thing she had was a photo of her and her mother, which was safe at home. To her, a phone was only a tool for communication. They hadn't been back together long, so she and Joseph hadn't taken any pictures together, and so she truly was not concerned about her phone.

"That's good. I'll take you to buy a new one tomorrow."

"Okay," She was glad that he was not upset about her missing phone, but she was afraid that Dave might figure out the password and call him. The more she thought of it, the dizzier she felt.

Joseph noticed that Kate seemed to be in a daze, and so when they got out of the car, he picked her up.

Kate immediately placed her hand around his neck and said, “I am okay to walk. You do not need to carry me!”

"But I can, so I will!" Joseph smiled before going inside. He did not put her down until he reached the bedroom. He laid her on the soft bed, then leaned down to kiss her.

Joseph wasn’t aware that Amy was watching them with envy and then turned red with anger. She cursed Kate as she walked back to the kitchen.

He was too caught up in the kiss. Kate blushed but also tried not to cry out in pain. She was thankful when Joseph's phone rang; she put her hand on his chest and said, "Answer the call."

It was Lisa wanting to know if Kate arrived home.

"Is that Lisa?" Kate asked, looking at him.

Joseph stared at her face more closely, “What is wrong with your face?”

"Face?" She subconsciously stroked her face and answered, “There is nothing wrong with it.”

"It's obviously swollen here," He reached out to touch it gently.

Kate quickly dodged him and said with a smile, "Maybe I am just getting fat?”

"Kate, I'm asking you seriously. Tell me the truth, you didn't lose your phone, did you? Where is it, and why are you acting so strange? You are hiding something," Joseph interrogated her.

"I..." Kate took a deep breath. She looked at him and said, "Please, don’t be angry after I tell you the truth…”

"Okay," He was not angry with her; he was just worried that she was hurt and would not tell him. After hearing about Lisa's blind date, Joseph was furious and picked up his phone to call Lisa.

Kate stopped him, "Joseph, Lisa doesn't know about this. I ran into the man after dinner when I was waiting for a taxi. If you do anything, it will only make it worse for Lisa.”

"You are always worried about others, but you never consider what you went through," He wanted to explode when he thought of what that bastard did to the woman he loved. But he calmly said, "Don't worry, I will only ask Lisa for his contact information."

When he had the information, Joseph called one of his men to investigate and then called the family doctor before putting an ice pack on Kate’s swollen face.

Seeing him upset, Kate apologized, “I am sorry that I caused so much trouble for you.”

“Did he hurt you anywhere else? Or just your face?”

"Here," She pointed to her back and said, "When I went to pick up my phone, he attacked me."

Joseph's face turned gloomy then with an extremely serious expression; he said, "Why did you try to pick up your phone?”

"I... I was trying to call you for help, but I failed. I should have listened to my mother when she wanted me to learn taekwondo. If I had learned, then I could have defended myself.”

"I should have picked you up." Joseph hugged her, feeling very guilty.

"It's okay as long as you don’t get angry with me…” Kate smiled and hugged him closer.

"Fortunately, it's just a little flesh wound, if..."

"If what?" Kate demanded.

Joseph suddenly questioned, “Is he going to come after you or Lisa?”

“Mm…just some threatening words.”

Joseph clenched his fist and cursed, “Bastard!”

Seeing him so angry, Kate hugged him tightly and promised him, “Joseph, I go out on my own. You can pick me up anytime you want, okay?”