Chapter 37
Penelope sat on the couch, munching on an apple and watching TV, while Rebecca bustled around, preparing the guest room for her. When she was done, she came and sat next to Penelope, her face a mask of gentle concern.
“All couples have disagreements,” she said, her voice soft and consoling. “You two should sit down and talk things through. Running away from home will only make things worse p>
Penelope shot her a sideways glance. Rebecca’s words were supportive, but her eyes were alight with unconcealed glee.
“They kicked me out! I didn’t run away p>
“She was just angry. And you have to admit, what you did last night was a little p>
“You’re my best friend. Are you telling me you’re not on my side p>
“Of course I’m on your side p>
“Hmph,” Penelope grumbled. “If Zebulon can’t give me a good explanation for that thong, I will never forgive him p>
“Maybe… maybe it was just a misunderstanding p>
“What kind of misunderstanding ends with a woman’s underwear in a man’s pocket? It’s obvious he’s keeping some tramp on the side. That slut probably followed him to the resort, slept with him knowing we were celebrating our anniversary, and then stuffed her trashy underwear in his pocket to taunt me p>
Penelope’s uncannily accurate guess made Rebecca flinch.
“Well p>
“That shameless homewrecker! That tramp! That slut! I hope she gets pregnant and the baby is born without an asshole p>
Rebecca, the target of this very specific curse, choked and coughed a few times.
“Anyway,” Penelope finished, “if he doesn’t explain himself, I’m never forgiving him p>
Rebecca bit her lip. “Should I… call him for you p>
“No. When he gets home and finds me gone, he’ll panic. I want him to panic p>
“Or maybe he’s so angry he won’t even look for you p>
“Even if he has another woman, he doesn’t love her. It’s just a fling, something new and exciting. He only loves me. He’s hopelessly in love with me. I’m confident about that p>
Every word was a knife in Rebecca’s heart, mostly because it was true. She couldn’t argue, so she just sat there, seething. Finally, she excused herself saying she had to work on her design proposal, and disappeared into her study. It took her a long time to calm down. But then she remembered: Penelope had been kicked out. All she needed to do was add a little fuel to the fire, and Penelope would never be allowed back.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Rebecca sent Zebulon a text.
“Penelope ran away from home and came to my place. She’s furious and says she’ll divorce you if you even show your face. You should stay away for a couple of days. I’ll try to calm her down p>
A few minutes later, he replied. “You’d better be calming her down and not playing games. Don’t let her divorce me p>
“Of course not. Why would I do that p>
“And that thong? What do you have to say for yourself p>
“I… I only did it because I love you so much. But seeing how much pain it caused you, I realize I was wrong. I’m so sorry p>
Another long pause. “I know you love me. And I know you’ve been through a lot p>
“Darling, for you, I would endure anything p>
“I’ll make it up to you p>
“I love you, my darling p>
Rebecca closed her phone, a triumphant smile on her face. She had always worked harder than Penelope in school, at her job, in everything. But Penelope had always come out on top. It wasn’t fair. So if life
wasn’t fair she would just hav to take what she deserved She would take it all from Penelope.
Penelope took a nap. When she woke up, her headache was gone, and the sky was dark. She went to the study and found Rebecca staring intently at her computer screen, revising the design proposal she was so focused that she hadn’t even noticed night had fallen, and the
room was pitch black.
Penelope flipped on the light switch. Rebecca blinked and looked up from the
screen.
“How’s it going?” Penelope asked.
Rebecca rubbed her tired eyes. “I basically have to start from scratch p>
“Is that really necessary p>
“Maybe our design styles are just too different. When I look at your proposal, all I
see is p>
“Is what p>