Chapter 157

When Penelope called his bluff about going to the courthouse the next morning, Zebulon didn’t dare respond. He seemed to finally realize that she might actually go through with it, and that her love for him was no longer unconditional.
When she arrived home, she was shocked to find Rebecca and Mrs. Winters there. Rebecca had been discharged from the hospital, and the two of them had shamelessly moved back into her apartment, acting as if nothing had ever happened.
“Penelope, you’re home! I made some soup for Rebecca. Would you like a bowl?” Mrs. Winters chirped, bustling into the kitchen as if all was right with the world.
Penelope felt a moment of genuine confusion and had to mentally replay the recent events.
Rebecca had said: “How could you be so vicious? Drop the act! You tried to kill my baby! You’re no friend of mine!”
Mrs. Winters had said: “You attacked my daughter! You’re cruel and vicious! You’re a murderer!”
They had conspired to frame her. That had actually happened, right?
And Rebecca had been sleeping with Zebulon behind her back. The baby was his. That was also true, right?
After all that, how could they possibly have the audacity to be in her home?
Penelope’s gaze fell on Rebecca, who was sitting on the sofa with a laptop, working on a design draft. When she saw Penelope, she waved her over.
“Penelope, come and help me with this. You can revise it until you’re completely satisfied, and then you can approve it for us.” She rubbed her lower back. “I’ve been so stressed over this draft, I haven’t been eating or sleeping well. It’s affecting the baby.”
Penelope walked over and sat down opposite Rebecca, her expression cold and hard. “When did you and Zebulon start sleeping together?”
Rebecca stiffened. “What a crude way to put it. We… It was that year you got that huge bonus from the HONH Group project and treated the whole team to dinner. I didn’t know about the dinner, so I brought a bottle of wine to your apartment to celebrate with you.”
“Zebulon was home alone, drinking by himself. He said you were neglecting him for work. So, to comfort him, I had a few drinks with him, and… well, one thing led to another.”
Penelope let out a dry, humorless laugh. “So you’ve been sneaking around behind my back for four years.”
That was before her accident, before her infertility was even an issue. The baby was just an excuse. The truth was, they were just a cheater and a homewrecker.
“And you’ve been carrying on this affair ever since-in my home, at the office, everywhere!”
“I know I wronged you, but we did break it off for a while.”
Penelope raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because I felt guilty.”
“Really?”
More likely, Zebulon wouldn’t commit, and Rebecca realized she was on the losing end of the arrangement.
“We were broken up for about six months. Then you had your car accident.” Rebecca sighed
dramatically was so worried
about you. I stayed by your side
at
the hospital day and night.
Seeing the look of pure disgust on Penelope’s face, Rebecca pouted. “Later, Mrs. Sullivan came to me. She said the doctors told her you had damaged your uterus and couldn’t have children She asked me to have a baby for the Sullivan family.”
“And you agreed?”
“For you, I agreed.”
Penelope pressed a hand to her chest, feeling a surge of rage so intense she thought she might actually vomit. How could a person be so completely shameless? For her sake?
“So, what’s your plan now? How do you see this situation with you, me, and
Zebulon playing out?”