Chapter 671
“But you gave up on me.”
But you gave up on me…
Penelope felt as if a heavy hammer had struck her heart. What had she been thinking back then? Why had she given up on him so easily?
Maybe it was the countless nights she watched him, unable to sleep, quietly slipping outside to smoke so as not to disturb her. Maybe it was seeing him eat less and less, his spirit fading day by day. Maybe it was the day she saw him on the rooftop, the moment the world shattered, when she truly believed he was going to jump…
So she had given up. She had divorced him, decisively, ignoring all his pleas as she
walked away.
For the past six years, she had never once regretted her decision. But in this moment, she did.
If she had just held on a little longer, just a little longer, maybe she could have been there to help him climb out of the abyss.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. It was all she could say.
“But I love you.”
Her heart jolted again. She looked at him, her eyes wide and shimmering.
Theodore took a long drag from his cigarette, then threw the butt to the ground and crushed it under his heel. He stepped toward her until they were only inches apart. “No matter how much I hate you, my love for you has never disappeared. So, Penelope, don’t even think about running away again. You’ll stay in Orenth, and if you feel the least bit guilty, you can spend the rest of your life making it up to me!” With that, he gave a slight, bitter twist of his lips and went back inside.
Love and hate, so intricately entwined.
Penelope’s mind was a storm of complex emotions. She knew she had been wrong, but she also had to ask herself: did she still love Theodore? And if she did, should she try to win him back? And if she did, could she be sure that this time, they could both be happy?
…
Hamilton had been out drinking with Simon. He’d had a lot, but he wasn’t completely drunk. When he walked in the door, Maria ran out from the living room to support him.
“Why did you drink so much?”
Hamilton pushed her away. “I’m not drunk.”
His steps were unsteady, but he managed to sit down on the sofa. Maria brought him a glass of water.
“Should I ask the maid to make you something to help you sober up?”
“No need.”
Hamilton rubbed his forehead. He noticed Maria was in her pajamas and wondered when she had started keeping clothes at his house.
“What are you doing here?”
The question was detached, and Maria felt a flash of awkwardness, which she quickly hid.
“Queena said she missed you, so I brought her over. But you weren’t home, and she got sleepy waiting, so I put her to bed upstairs.”
The implication was clear: she and her daughter were staying the night.
།
Hamilton thought about what had happened at the school that day and sighed. “From now on, don’t ask me to attend any of your daught
School events or take her anywhere.”
Maria’s face stiffened, but she forced a smile. “Did Queena do something to upset you?”
“She’s not my daughter. I don’t have an obligation to do those things, do I?”
“Hamilton…”
“I’m tired.”
Maria was silent for a moment, then smiled gently and leaned softly into his arms.
“I know you’re tired. I won’t bother you. I just want to sit with you for a bit.”
When Hamilton didn’t push her away, Maria grew bolder, wrapping her arms around him. Her other hand began to roam After a few tentative touches went unresisted, she slipped her hand under his shirt.
“Hamilton, it’s been so long since we…”
Before she could finish, Hamilton pulled her hand away.
“I said, I’m tired!”
Maria’s eyes instantly reddened. “Are you tired of me? If I had known it would be like this, I never should
who saved you back then! The way have admitted that I was the open et
you wouldn’t feel obligated to be with me out of gratitude! And iff hadn’t shown up, you might have been deceived by Natalie, but at least you might have been happy!”