The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 179

Night fell on the quiet alley.

A woman in jeans, a white hoodie, and a high ponytail was locked in combat with a group of thugs. She wielded a long wooden staff, her movements swift and powerful. Each strike landed with the force of a thunderclap, a blur of deadly precision.

Her opponents, who had been laughing and jeering just moments before, were now crying out in pain. Five minutes was all it took. One was clutching his head, another was doubled over, and a third had been tripped by the staff and sent flying.

Colin watched in stunned disbelief. Refusing to accept what he was seeing, he charged in himself, only to be sent crashing into a wall with a single, practiced kick.

When all her adversaries were lying on the ground, the woman stood tall, staff planted firmly on the pavement. She lifted her chin to the night sky, a figure of righteous, triumphant power.

“Wow, Penny, you’re amazing!”

“Penny, you’re a true warrior!”

“From this day forward, I am your biggest fan!”

“Penny, I love you!”

The skater kid shouted from the sidelines, his eyes shining with adoration.

The woman cast a cool, 45-degree glance in his direction and gave a slight wave, a perfect blend of pride and humility.

“It’s nothing special. Just a little self-defense training. I’m only a seventh-degree black belt.”

“Penny, you’re a legend!”

Just as they were basking in the glow of their victory, the wail of a police siren echoed from the end of the alley.

Two hours later, at the local police station.

When Theodore arrived, he found Penelope and the skater kid standing against a wall, heads bowed like two naughty schoolchildren being punished.

Nearby, a group of young men, all sporting fresh bruises and swollen faces, groaned in pain. The one at the front was so puffed up, his own mother wouldn’t have recognized him.

“Are you the parent of one of these two?” a middle-aged officer asked Theodore.

Theodore felt a surge of secondhand embarrassment and was tempted to turn around and leave.

“Hubby!”

“Bro!”

The two shouts came simultaneously. A beat later, one of them let out a confused “Huh?”

Penelope rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll admit, I probably should have figured it out.”

Theodore walked over, his face like a thundercloud. He shot a glare at each of them before sitting down at the desk in front of them.

“So, you’re the husband of the one with the weapon, and the brother of her accomplice?” the officer asked.

Theodore crossed one leg over the other, adjusting his suit jacket. “Correct.”

The officer swallowed hard. He had a feeling that the husband of a woman this formidable was probably not someone to be trifled with.

“Well, your… wife is quite a fighter. One against six, and she didn’t get a scratch. But she’s an adult, and brawling with a bunch of kids like this is, frankly, a bit much.”

“My wife is a woman. Six men attacking one woman isn’t a bit much?” Theodore countered, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, when you put it that way, I suppose.”

“And my brother didn’t lay a hand on anyone, did he?”

“No.”

“Then he’s not an accomplice. He was a bystander.”