The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 381

The night was long.

Penelope felt like a fish caught in a raging sea. He would toss her to the crest of a wave, only to let her crash back down into the depths. She would struggle, gasping for air, and just as she was about to drown, she would finally cling to him. But he was cruel, allowing her only a moment’s breath before dragging her back into the storm.

“I was wrong…” she sobbed, her voice hoarse, begging for his mercy.

But he wouldn’t relent, his lips brushing against her ear. “Wrong about what?”

“I shouldn’t have… thought about…” she cried.

“Divorce?”

“You told me not to say it…”

“Your words were like a knife.”

“I’m sorry…”

“You stabbed me.”

“Sorry…”

“Now I’m going to stab you back.”

“Don’t…”

He took her again and again, until she no longer had the strength to even beg. All she could do was cry, her tears running dry long before the sky began to lighten. She was truly terrified now. She would never say those words again.

The punishment finally ended just as she was about to pass out. The man who had been a savage only moments before gently gathered her in his arms, cleaned her, and carried her back to bed, cradling her against him. She rested her head on his chest, listening to the strong, steady beat of his heart, and felt fresh tears well up in her eyes.

“Your mother called me a defective product.”

“I told her I’m in love with you.”

“She said I was Cinderella.”

“I told her you’re the only one for me, for the rest of my life.”

“She said I was greedy.”

“After our fight, I had Hogan follow you.”

“What?”

“I was afraid you would run away.”

Penelope rolled her eyes. “I’m not a thief. What would I be running from?”

“Of course you’re a thief. You stole my soul and then tried to discard the body.” As he spoke, a hint of anger returned to his voice.

She quickly kissed his throat. “I know I was wrong. Can’t you let it go?”

“Hmph.”

“That day,” she continued, her voice trembling at the memory, “I felt like my world was collapsing. Just as I was about to be crushed, you showed up and held it up for me.” The sudden death of her father had been a devastating blow. “On the drive to the station, I was thinking about the house I’d prepared for him, wondering if I had bought everything he needed. I was planning what to cook for lunch, thinking about how we could stay up late talking. I was planning all the things we would do together.”

“But the moment I saw the urn, I knew there would be no ‘together.’”

“It was just like when my mother died so suddenly. I never even got the chance to tell her I was sorry.”