The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 82

She shouldn’t be so squeamish about it. If she was going to have a baby, this sort of thing was inevitable.

“Close your eyes,” he said, his voice low and enticing.

“Huh?”

“If you watch, I’ll be the one at a disadvantage, won’t I?”

Penelope froze for a second before a surge of anger made her slap his hand away.

“You—!”

“Relax,” Theodore cut her off. “I don’t like wasting my efforts. For the three months you’re on the fertility treatment, I won’t touch you.”

Wasting his efforts? What did that mean?

Penelope forced her wine-addled brain to work, and after a moment, it clicked.

His only reason for being intimate with her was to have a child. Since her body wasn't ready to conceive yet, any intimacy would be a "wasted effort."

Once her mind caught up, she pursed her lips.

“You make it sound so principled. I’m starting to think you just can’t get it up.”

“What did you say?” Theodore raised an eyebrow.

Penelope deliberately glanced down at his lap. “I’m just saying, you should probably take your medicine on schedule. Wouldn’t want you to waste my efforts.”

Theodore’s eyes narrowed, and in an instant, he closed the distance between them, pressing her against the wall.

“You think I can’t perform?”

“Then why are you taking medicine?”

“Who said I was?”

“The other day, at Dr. Olson’s office…”

As she said it, the truth dawned on her. He wasn’t there to see the doctor for himself; he was there to see if she had any issues, if she was capable of conceiving.

Theodore let out a sharp, derisive sound. “Figured it out now, have you?”

She had, but she wasn't about to admit it. She was just about to retort with something like, ‘I still think you’ve got a problem,’ when she felt something press against her.

Theodore didn’t seem to have expected his own reaction. A faint blush crept up his neck, and he quickly spun around and disappeared into the bathroom.

As the door clicked shut, Penelope tried to hold it in, but a snort of laughter escaped her.

Was he talking about her?

Even though Theodore wasn’t there, she rolled her eyes in his direction.

She let the staff get to work while she went to take a shower. As she turned on the water, she noticed a bandage on the soft flesh between her thumb and forefinger.

She’d felt a sting when she broke the wine bottle last night but hadn’t thought much of it afterward.

So Theodore had put this on for her?

A small smile touched Penelope’s lips. The heir wasn’t completely heartless, after all.

After her shower, she went upstairs for breakfast.

The moment she entered the restaurant, she saw Zebulon and Rebecca. They didn't see her right away; they were busy talking to a well-dressed woman in her forties wearing a sharp black skirt.

“Ms. Laurier, we came to the island specifically to meet with you,” Rebecca was saying, her voice brimming with excitement. “You have to give Stone Group a chance! How about this? We’ll be your hosts for the next few days. We’ll make sure you have a wonderful time!”

Penelope felt her lips twitch. Rebecca had clearly mistaken this woman for someone else.

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