Chapter 379
For the next few days, Penelope went to work as usual, but she avoided both the Johnson estate and Theodore’s apartment. Mr. Johnson noticed her strange behavior but didn’t pry, only telling her that if Theodore had wronged her, he would stand up for her. Theodore, for his part, made no effort to contact her, and she didn’t reach out to him. A sudden, chilling silence had fallen between them.
On Wednesday, the day Mr. David Anderson was due to arrive, Penelope took the day off to meet him at the train station.
“Did you sleep at all last night?” was the first thing Timothy asked when he saw her.
Penelope pressed her lips together. “What are you talking about? I slept like a baby p>
“Really? Because you have dark circles under your eyes p>
She quickly pulled out a compact mirror. The circles were indeed noticeable. She hadn’t slept well since her fight with Theodore, and the concealer she’d applied that morning had done little to hide them.
“Did you and my brother-in-law have a fight p>
The little brat was unnervingly perceptive.
“I was working late. Stop making things up p>
“If you two did fight p>
“I told you to stop p>
“I’m just saying if. You absolutely cannot be the first one to back down. Men are all the same. If you give in after the first fight, he’ll think you’re a pushover who can’t live without him. Then he’ll start fights and give you the silent treatment just to force you to apologize first. Before you know it, he’ll have a superiority complex and start bossing you around p>
Penelope stared at her brother, who was pontificating with surprising authority. “Have you been dating someone p>
“Nope p>
“Then where did you hear all that p>
“In a novel p>
“Get lost p>
They bickered for a few more
minutes, and Penelope’s mood lifted slightly. Mr. Anderson’s train arrived, MK and as the passengers streamed out, they stood on their toes,
scanning the crowd, They watched
for long time but didn’t see him
Then, a man with graying hair
walked up to them.
“Penelope, Timothy p>
They looked closer and recognized him as one of their father’s oldest friends, a man who had watched them grow up.
“Mr. Lancaster! Did you come with my dad? Where is he?” Timothy asked with a smile.
Mr. Lancaster didn’t answer. His eyes immediately filled with tears.
Penelope started to ask again, but then she saw what he was holding in his arms.
An urn.
“Your father had glioblastoma. By the time they found it, it was already terminal. He didn’t tell any of us, his old friends, and he didn’t tell you two. It wasn’t until his last few days, when he needed someone to handle his affairs, that he finally told me,” Mr. Lancaster said, his voice heavy with a deep sigh.
Penelope’s mind went blank. She stood frozen, the world turning to static around her. “But… but when he called, he sounded… fine p>
“No, that’s impossible! Mr. Lancaster, you’re lying, aren’t you?” Timothy cried out, refusing to accept it.
Mr. Lancaster clapped a hand on Timothy’s shoulder and handed him the urn, along with Mr. Anderson’s death certificate. “Your father left one message for you. He said that from now on, you are the only man of the Anderson family. You have to be strong and you have to take care of Penny p>
“Dad! Dad!” Timothy clutched the urn to his chest, his body wracked with gut- wrenching sobs.
Penelope felt the world tilt and spin. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t even breathe. Her body swayed, and she stumbled backward, but a pair of strong arms caught her from behind.
“It’s okay. Let it out p>
“Dad p>
She could finally form a word, but it was a choked, broken sound that shattered her composure. She clung to Theodore, who held her tightly, and let out a raw, anguished cry.
Theodore handled all of Mr. Anderson’s funeral arrangements. Penelope moved through the days in a haze, as if trapped in a dream where nothing was real.