Chapter 216
With a nod from Mrs. Bishop, a servant grabbed Penelope by the arm and shoved her toward the back door. To avoid being seen by the guests, they pushed her out into the pouring rain and threw her into a puddle.
“The Bishop family will never acknowledge you, so you can forget it! And stay away from us from now on. You’re an eyesore p>
The rain that day was a torrent, nearly swallowing her whole.
Later, her mother explained everything. She and Donald had been engaged, but he had an affair with the woman who would become Mrs. Bishop. After her grandfather’s business went bankrupt, the Bishops broke off the engagement, refusing to recognize the union. By then, however, her mother was already pregnant with Penelope. When she went to the Bishop family for help, they threw her out.
Desperate and with nowhere else to turn, her mother married Lucien, hoping for a quiet life. But after an initial period of kindness, Lucien started drinking heavily, becoming abusive and violent. Eventually, his predatory gaze fell on Penelope herself.
And that was what led to everything that followed.
Penelope never liked to dwell on those memories, but today she had seen Yvonne, the adored and celebrated Ms. Bishop, surrounded by admirers.
Mr. Johnson panicked, assuming Theodore had upset her, and immediately called him over.
When Theodore arrived, Penelope was still sobbing in Mr. David’s arms. He walked over and gently pulled her into his own embrace. Mr. Anderson was reluctant to let his daughter go, but seeing her cling to Theodore, he knew she welcomed his comfort and released her.
Theodore scooped Penelope into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he told her parents. “I’ll take care of her p>
With that, he carried her inside.
He set her down on the bathroom counter, dampened a washcloth, and began to wipe away her tears. But as soon as he cleaned her face, a fresh wave of coffeers streamed down, and she started crying harder. He gave up on the towel and leaned in to kiss her instead, starting with her forehead, then her eyes, her nose, and finally her lips. He held the kiss, deepening it until he felt her sobs subside.
After a long moment, when Penelope had gone completely limp in his arms, he pulled back slightly.
“Tell me what happened,” he murmured, his forehead resting against hers.
Penelope didn’t want to talk about it, so she just shook her head.
“Then you don’t have to p>
“But it hurts so much p>
Seeing fresh tears welling in her eyes, Theodore kissed her again, more firmly this
time. “Shh, it’s okay. Whatever you want, I’ll get it for you p>
Penelope immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and let out a soft, coquettish whimper.
“Within reason, of course. For instance, if you were to ask for me p>
“I want you, I want you p>
“That’s off the table,” Theodore said, tapping the tip of her nose. “You have to wait
two more months. That’s sixty days, or 1,440 hours p>
Penelope heaved a dramatic sigh. “Why is it so hard to get a satisfying meal around here p>
“Sooner or later,” he murmured, “I’m all yours p>
Penelope nearly drooled at the sight of that handsome face saying such tempting words.
“Well then, can I have something else p>
“What p>
“A blueberry cake from Sugar Bliss p>
That day, Yvonne had arrived at her door holding a small, lace-trimmed umbrella. She’d tossed a cake box at her feet and said, ‘Happy birthday Penelope.’ She claimed she had. received too man
well-wishes, so
she was giving one to her.
The cake had been ruined by the rain, but through the soggy cardboard, Penelope could see the fresh, plump blueberries inside. The name of the bakery, Sugar Bliss, was embossed on the cake tray.
Later in life, when she had enough money to buy the most expensive cake from
any bakery in the world, she could never bring herself to eat a blueberry cake from Sugar Bliss.
She couldn’t go back to that rainy day, pull her broken, younger self to her feet, and take her into that shop to buy her a brand new.cake She couldn’t tell that ittle girl Happy birthday. It’s all over now.