Chapter 622

“You gave the Stapleton family two wonderful grandsons like these,” the old man said to Penelope. “You deserve this seat. If I weren’t so old and stiff, I’d give you my own chair at the head of the table.”
“Oh, no, please don’t.” Penelope quickly stopped him. “You’ll get me into trouble.”
If she sat at the head of the Stapleton table, she’d become a thorn in the side of far too many people.
The patriarch’s gesture left Yvonne utterly mortified. Marico’s mother, who was very conscious of appearances, had no choice but to usher Yvonne to the lone seat at the far end of the table.
But Yvonne’s pride wouldn’t allow it. She looked to Marico, hoping he would speak up for her, but he was completely absorbed in his phone, oblivious to the drama unfolding around him.
Fuming, Yvonne had no choice but to grit her teeth and take the seat. If she could marry Marico, she could surely swallow this insult.
The rest of the meal was relatively relaxed. The family avoided business talk, sticking to casual conversation. The only busy one was Theodore, who was constantly attending to his sons’ demands—one moment Hubert wanted ribs, the next Julian wanted soup, and neither would let anyone else help. Theodore had to serve them both personally.
“I want shrimp! Daddy, peel some for me!”
“I want fish! Daddy, get the bones out!”
“I want meatballs!”
“I want beef!”
The two little boys had turned it into a competition; if one asked for something, the other had to have it too, just to keep Theodore from having a moment’s peace.
Theodore didn’t say a word, simply serving them whatever they asked for until their plates were piled high like little mountains.
Just as they were about to make another request, Theodore tapped each of them on the forehead.
“You have to finish every bite. No wasting food.”
This stunned the boys, who stared in dismay at the sheer amount of food in front of them.
Theodore just grunted. “If you can’t finish it, I’ll help you.”
After dinner, Mr. Stapleton Sr. asked Penelope to join him in his study. His hair was completely white now, but he emed more vigorous than he had six years ago. fo
Back then, the Stapleton family’s world was on the verge of collapse, and he, at over eighty years old, had been forced to hold it all together.
Penelope still remembered the day he had come to her, his voice almost pleading as he said, “Penelope, please leave Theodore. Let him have a chance to breathe.”
She had been pregnant at the time, and it was devastating to hear Mr. Stapleton Sr. say such a thing.
“Over these past few years, I’ve often wondered if I did the right thing, asking you to leave Theodore six years ago,” Mr. Stapleton Sr. said with a long sigh.
Penelope shook her head. “You didn’t make me leave him. It was my own decision.”
“He’s been so unhappy these past six years.”
“But he finally got back on his feet, didn’t he?”
Mr. Stapleton Sr. was silent for a moment before saying, “He’s stopped seeing his therapist.”
Penelope could only offer a bitter smile. Did that mean her leaving had been the right choice after all?
After what happened to Norton, she had thought that if she just stayed by Theodore’s side and helped him through it, he would eventually. recover. But he only grew thinner, began losing his appetite, and couldn’t sleep at night. His mental state deteriorated day by day.
She felt helpless, not knowing how to save him. Then Mr. Stapleton Sr. came to her
and told her that Theodore had started therapy, but it wasn’t going well.
“What can I do?” she had asked desperately.
Mr. Stapleton Sr. sighed. “If you really want to help him, then you need to leave him
for a while. Give him some space to breathe.”
“Why?”
Why did she have to leave
Theodore? They loved each other so
much; they needed each other.
Nearly every night he would hold fer
and whisper “I love you. So, so
much. Don’t ever leave me.”