Chapter 149
Her mother was born in Orenth, married a man from Orenth, and killed her husband in Orenth before fleeing in utter despair. She had forbidden Penelope from attending college here, calling it a place of sorrow for them both.
Yet, in the end, she had died in Orenth. And following her last wishes, she was buried here, next to her own mother’s grave.
Penelope walked up the hill, each step heavier than the last.
“Penelope, can’t you find it in your heart to forgive me p>
“Won’t you even see me one last time p>
“Penelope, I’m so sorry. But I love you, I love you so, so much p>
Those were the last messages her mother had sent her, sitting alone on a park bench, using the last of her strength. But she never came. Everyone has regrets, but hers felt impossibly heavy.
Finally, she saw her mother’s grave. And next to it, a group of seven or eight people were gathered. One of them, a man in his fifties, had propped his bare foot on her mother’s headstone and was slapping it repeatedly with the shoe he’d taken off.
“You filthy whore, you piece of trash!” he snarled. “You killed my brother, and you won’t find peace even in death! I moved my brother’s grave right next to yours so he can haunt you, torment you, and make you suffer every single day p>
The others took turns spitting on the tombstone, their faces twisted in cruel, triumphant sneers.
Seeing this, Penelope raised the branch she was carrying and charged.
The barefoot man was caught completely off guard, and the branch connected with his head with a solid thud. He clutched his head, staring at Penelope in shock.
“You little bitch! You have some nerve, hitting me p>
Penelope gritted her teeth, ignoring his words. She raised the branch again and jabbed him hard in the stomach. The force of the blow sent him stumbling backward until he tripped over a nearby grave marker and fell heavily to the ground.
“Agh, my back! It’s broken!” he moaned. He reached up to his head and his hand came away covered in blood. “My head! I’m bleeding! The little bitch is trying to kill me p>
The others snapped out of their shock and began to circle her.
“Your mother murdered your father, and instead of seeking justice for him, you had the audacity to claim in court that he abused her and she acted in self-defense p>
“That’s a load of crap! Your father liked to drink, so what if he hit her once in a while? That’s not abuse p>
“You watched your mother kill him! You probably even helped, you ungrateful, disloyal brat p>
These people were her family. And now they stood before her, their eyes blazing with hatred, as if they wanted to tear her apart.
Penelope tightened her grip on the branch, bracing herself for a fight. Shortly after she had buried her mother, the Lancasters had moved Lucie Lancaster’s grave right next to hers, all to ensure she would have no peace in the afterlife. Her mother was already dead, and still, they wouldn’t leave her alone. She had tried to reason with them, but they had used their numbers to bully her, a lone orphan with no one to rely on. Not only did they refuse to move the grave, but they used every anniversary of Lucien’s death to desecrate her mother’s resting place, and every anniversary of her mother’s death to disrupt her prayers.
They were animals.
“Hey, you actually hit us! Don’t blame
us for
hat happens next!” a
sharp featured woman in heres
shieked as she rushed forward.
Before she could get close, Penelope swung the branch and caught her across
the arm.
“I—I’m your aunt p>
“Bullshit p>
“You little monster! I dare you to hit me!” another, older woman charged.
Penelope didn’t discriminate, giving her a solid whack as well.
“I’m your aunt p>
“So what p>
“You wouldn’t dare hit me, would you p>