Marrying the secret divine healer turned Billionaire

Chapter Seven

Evelyn Sterling adjusted her silverware, her polished calm masking the irritation she felt inside. Across from her sat her three friends, Amelia, Vivian and Victoria each impeccably dressed and accompanied by their equally ostentatious husbands.

Tonight’s dinner was meant to be a casual gathering, but Evelyn knew better. These dinners always devolved into competitions of who had the wealthiest, most accomplished husband. Tonight, however, the stakes felt higher; because this was the first time she’d be introducing Damien to her friends.

Something she has been avoiding since she walked in there with him.

Damien sat beside her, calm as always, his hands loosely folded on the table. His quiet confidence only made Evelyn more aware of the condescending glances being cast in his direction.

“So, Evelyn,” Amelia began, her voice lilting with faux curiosity. “We’ve all been dying to know about your husband. You never even told us you got married, I can see why you hid it from us, so what does he do?”

Evelyn straightened, her smile tight. “Damien works as a gynecology nurse.”

The table fell silent for a heartbeat before the laughter began. Vivian nearly choked on her wine, and Victoria covered her mouth as if trying and failing not to laugh.

“A gynecology nurse?” Vivian gasped, her perfectly arched eyebrows shooting up. “Evelyn, darling, are you serious?”

“Of course, she’s serious,” Victoria said, smirking. “But Evelyn, why on earth would you marry someone with… such a lowly job?”

Damien’s jaw tightened, though his expression remained neutral. Evelyn’s friends laughed, but she could feel Damien stiffen beside her. A spark of anger flared in her chest, something she has never bothered to do before in her life came so naturally.

“That’s enough,” she said in a firm voice. “What my husband does is none of your business. He enjoys his work, and he’s excellent at it.”

Amelia leaned back in her chair, her lips twitching into a smug smile. “Oh, Evelyn, don’t get so defensive. We’re just surprised, that’s all. We thought you’d marry someone with… more to offer.”

“Like what?” Evelyn snapped, her perfect composure slipping. “Someone who spends more time flaunting wealth than actually doing something meaningful?”

Victoria gasped, clearly offended by her words. “Meaningful? Are you implying our husbands don’t contribute to society?”

“I’m implying that your opinions about what defines success are shallow,” Evelyn shot back.

Damien turned to her with surprise flickering in his eyes. She had always been composed and reserved, but tonight, she was openly defending him.

“You’re really defending this?” Vivian interjected, gesturing at Damien. “Evelyn, darling, he doesn’t even make enough to support you. What’s the plan? Are you going to be the breadwinner while he stays home and plays house husband?”

Evelyn’s hand moved under the table, resting lightly on Damien’s. It was a small gesture, but Damien felt that the touch was mostly to reassure herself not him. He didn’t mind what they were saying and couldn’t care for it.

“My marriage is none of your concern,” Evelyn said firmly. “My husband doesn’t need to ‘support’ me financially for us to be happy. And for the record, he earns more than enough. But even if he didn’t, I wouldn’t care because I didn’t marry him for his wallet.”

The table went silent, the women were wondering if an alien had taken over Evelyn’s body. While she might not be loud about her wealth and position in the society, they still expected her to marry someone in a high place as her.

“You didn’t marry for his wallet,” Vivian sneered. “That much is obvious. But what about status? Don’t you care about how this looks to everyone else?”

“I don’t but it looks like you care about it more than I do. Did it ever occur to you that the person you are talking about is seated right here on this table? You just say whatever comes to your mind, not caring if the recipient is offended. You might care about all those things but I care more about substance than status,” Evelyn retorted. “Perhaps you should try it sometime.”

Damien couldn’t suppress the faint smile that tugged at his lips. He was so proud of her for standing up for herself. Her friends on the other hand didn’t appreciate her veiled insults. Her words stung them like a whip, and their expressions betrayed their bruised egos.

“Substance,” Victoria said, laughing bitterly. “Well, let’s see how long substance pays the bills.”

In that moment, Damien’s phone buzzed on the table. He glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” he said in a polite tone despite the fact they didn’t deserve it. “There’s an emergency at the hospital, and I need to go.”

Evelyn turned to him, concern flashing across her face. “Do you need me to drive you?”

“No, I’ll manage,” he said, standing and adjusting his jacket. He leaned down, his voice low and meant only for her. “You don’t need to waste your energy defending me. Just enjoy your dinner.”

As soon as Damien left the table, the women wasted no time resuming their critique.

“An emergency at the hospital?” Amelia said, rolling her eyes. “How convenient. Or maybe he just couldn’t take the heat. He is not even a doctor and there are several nurses who could be working tonight.”

They burst out laughing.

Evelyn turned to face them, her glare sharp enough to make them squirm. “You’re all unbelievable,” she said, her voice cutting through their smug laughter.

“Excuse me?” Vivian said, feigning innocence.

“You sit here judging Damien for not meeting your shallow standards, but what have your husbands done lately? Show off their overpriced watches? Close deals that serve no one but themselves?” Evelyn shook her head. “Damien spends his days helping women in vulnerable situations, saving lives. Can any of you say the same about your so-called ‘accomplished’ husbands?”

Amelia flushed, and Vivian’s smug grin faltered. Victoria, however, crossed her arms defensively.

“It’s not about what they do,” Victoria said. “It’s about appearances. You can’t deny that marrying a nurse….”

“Marrying a nurse,” Evelyn interrupted, “is the best decision I’ve ever made. Damien is a better man than any of you could have hoped to marry, and if you can’t see that, it’s your loss.”

Amelia cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable. “Well, Evelyn, if you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

“I am,” Evelyn said firmly. “And if any of you cared about me as friends, you’d respect that.” She stood up, suddenly fed up with the pretense, “excuse me, I am going home.”