Chapter 55
Returning to the Sullivan house was out of the question. By agreeing to the Johnson marriage, she had made her stance clear. She had no intention of letting Zebulon touch her ever again.
For now, she went back to Rebecca’s apartment, with Zebulon driving them.
On the way, Penelope mentioned she was craving crayfish from a place in Timothy Alley, and Zebulon immediately offered to make the hour-long drive to get some for her.
“Rebecca, do you want any?” Penelope asked sweetly.
Rebecca put on a disapproving look. “Zebulon’s had a long day at work. You shouldn’t make him drive all that way just for crayfish. Have some consideration for him p>
“You’re right,” Penelope said, turning to Zebulon. “Are you very tired p>
He looked at her with adoration. “For you, I’d pluck the stars from the sky p>
“I’d like that p>
“Aren’t you afraid I’d get stuck up there and never come back down p>
“Then I could just look up at the stars every night and see you p>
“But I don’t want to be a star. I want to be your loyal servant p>
“I could use a dog p>
“Woof, woof p>
This saccharine exchange was too much for Rebecca. Her face hardening, she went inside the apartment.
“Should I get you the garlic butter flavor?” Penelope called after her cheerfully. “Whatever,” Rebecca snapped.
Zebulon left, and Penelope followed Rebecca into the apartment, just in time to hear a loud crash from her room. Two hours later, Zebulon returned, out of breath, worried Penelope might have fallen asleep before he got back with her food.
Rebecca was still in her study, working on the design revisions. Penelope called her out and pushed a container of garlic butter crayfish toward her.
“Zebulon picked this up for you,” she said.
ut
The casual “picked this up” stung Rebecca. But it was about to get worse. Zebulon handed her a pair of gloves, expecting her to peel her own crayfish. He, however, insisted on peeing Penelope’s for her claiming it was too much trouble for* her. He not only peeled them but fed them to her.
When she said it was spicy, he rushed to get her water. When she said it tasted alright, he beamed. When she said she was full, he gently wiped her mouth with a napkin. When she complained her leg was cramping, he knelt down to massage it.
“I’m tired,” she announced.
“Well, then Zebulon cleared his throat. “Can I stay the night p>
“No,” she said flatly.
He put on a pathetic look. “Please, honey? I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since you moved out. I miss you so much it hurts. Have some pity on me p>
Penelope glanced at Rebecca, who was still peeling crayfish, pretending not to listen, though the shell in her hand was crushed.
“Alright, fine,” Penelope said, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Half an hour later, Zebulon was lying on the floor outside Penelope’s bedroom door. She had tossed him a pillow before shutting the door and locking it from the inside.
Rebecca came out after cleaning up the living room and saw him lying there, looking perfectly happy. A surge of jealousy coursed through her She treats you like this and you stiff love her? She’s not worth it
Zebulon looked up and glared at her. “How she treats me is my business. You’d
do well to stop trying to stir up trouble, or else p>
“Or else what?” she challenged.
“Behave, and you can keep your title as Mrs. Sullivan. But if you keep pulling these stunts, I’ll wait until after the baby is born, divorce you immediately, and make sure you walk away with nothing p>
“Zebulon, how could you say that to me?” Rebecca cried, her eyes filling with tears.