The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 295

“You don’t like my cooking? Fine! Go find some old lady who can cook better! I’d be happy for the break!”

“What old lady are you talking about?”

“Hah! You think I don’t know? You go to the town square every night to chat with a bunch of old women. One of them must be your sweetheart.”

“I… I was asking them what kind of birthday presents women their age like.”

“You’re planning to celebrate someone else’s birthday?”

“Your birthday is in two days!”

The old woman blinked. “My birthday? You remembered?”

“How could I forget?”

“Well, you should have just said so instead of making me think the worst.”

“I just wanted to surprise you, like the young people do.”

“So, what did you get me?”

“I was thinking of buying you a new pot.”

“Make it a big one. So I can cook you in it.”

“I only have a hundred dollars on me.”

“You dare to keep a secret stash of money from me!”

“I saved it up from selling empty liquor bottles.”

At this, the old woman turned to Penelope, gripping the back of the passenger seat. She launched into a long tirade about her husband’s drinking habits, how the empty bottles could build a mountain, and how he insisted on drinking despite his poor health. The old man, embarrassed, leaned toward Theodore and muttered, “Young man, never marry a fierce woman, or you’ll be oppressed for the rest of your life.”

Theodore smiled. “Haven’t you ever thought of fighting back?”

“I wouldn’t dare. I’m afraid she’d hit me.”

Penelope, who had been getting aroused, burst out laughing at his words. “For that, you get fifty cents.”

He bit her lower lip playfully. “You’re such a stingy old woman.”

“If I’m an old woman, then you’re an old man!”

“But you’ll still be beautiful when you’re old.”

“And you’ll still be handsome.”

Theodore looked at Penelope, and Penelope looked at Theodore. In that moment, they both knew with absolute certainty that they would be together until the very end.

That night, Penelope slept soundly, but she was woken early the next morning by Theodore. The sky was still dark as he led her up a mountain path, following a trail of stone steps to the summit. As they watched, the dawn slowly broke through the darkness, casting a golden glow across the horizon. The night receded, and the sky began to lighten.

Nestled in Theodore’s arms, Penelope watched as the mountains were painted with color and the morning mist thinned. Then, the fiery sun peeked over the edge of the world. Golden rays pierced through the clouds, shattering into a million shimmering fragments that scattered across the mountains, forests, and the distant, smoking chimneys of the village below.

“I’m seeing the most beautiful sunrise from my mother’s eyes,” Penelope whispered. She turned to face Theodore, the morning light illuminating his features, making him look as ethereal as a dream.