Chapter 623

“Norton’s death was another devastating blow to Theo. He was drowning in self- blame and regret, just like he was with Lorraine. But he had to force himself to be strong for you and his mother, keeping his mind and spirit stretched as taut as a bowstring. Eventually, a string stretched too tight is bound to snap.”
Mr. Stapleton Sr.’s voice was filled with heartache as he recalled how Theodore had been back then.
“He couldn’t forgive himself, couldn’t let it go. When he started self-harming, losing control, he knew he had to take that path again—a second round of hypnosis to forget the deaths of Lorraine and Norton.”
“But this time, it failed.”
Mr. Stapleton Sr. let out a long sigh. “The psychiatrist is a good friend of mine. It was against his professional code, but he came to me and asked me to help Theodore.”
Penelope gave a bitter smile. “When you came to me, asking me to leave Theodore for a while, I was completely baffled. Whether he was sad or having a breakdown, shouldn’t I be by his side more than ever? But you said I was adding to his mental stress, that I wasn’t a source of comfort but a source of more pain.”
“His psychiatrist said the hypnosis failed because you were in every scene he needed to forget. You couldn’t be erased, so the moment he saw you, the hypnosis would automatically fail.”
“I couldn’t accept that.” Penelope remembered thinking how ridiculous it sounded at the time. She couldn’t accept it and firmly refused to leave Theodore.
“Until that night. It was very late, and he still wasn’t home. I searched for him like a madwoman and finally found him on the rooftop of the Zenith Group building. He was standing right on the edge. In that moment, I was terrified.”
She called his name, her voice trembling, trying to be as gentle as possible. After a few calls, he seemed to finally hear her. When he turned around, his eyes were filled with anguish, but the moment he saw it was her, he suppressed the pain and forced a smile as he walked toward her, acting as if nothing was wrong.
“It was stuffy in the office, so I came up for some air. What are you doing here? Why… are you crying?”
“Theodore, we’re married. We’re a team. You can tell me anything. I can bear it with you,” she pleaded with him.
After a moment of silence, Theodore just shook his head and smiled. “There’s nothing to tell. I’m fine.”
From then on, she was a nervous wreck. She never left his side when he was home. When he went to the office, she would call Harold every half hour. Even then, she felt uneasy, and it eventually escalated to her following him to work.
He was in pain, and so was she. He was tormented, and so was she. He was on the
verge of breaking down, and so was she.
Two tightly wound strings, about to snap.
One morning, she felt a sudden pain in her stomach. Not daring to tell Theodore, she waited until he left for work before going to the hospital The doctor rushed to take measures to save the pregnancy, warning her that if he couldnt alleviate her mental and psychological stress, she might lose the baby.
In that moment, she knew.
It was time to let go. Let go of Theodore, and let go of herself.
“If two people being together only brings pain and torment instead of love and support, there’s no reason to continue. We weren’t enemies, so why torture each other?”
At that moment, everything became clear, and she asked for a divorce.
Though Theodore tried repeatedly to change her mind, she didn’t waver. Looking back, she realized she had always loved herself the most. When she was getting hurt, she would sever all sources of that hurt to protect herself.
Love is about sacrifice, and she wasn’t that selfless.