Chapter 4

There was a low hum, and then the wet slapping sounds finally stopped. However, the sounds of wet lips kissing and sucking on soft skin came right after. Penelope couldn't bear to listen to the sounds any longer. She kept her hand pressed to her mouth as she stumbled out of the restroom. She made sure to take the long way so that she wouldn't run into anybody and ran in the opposite direction of the restroom. Then, she hid on the couch at the back of the pantry. Penelope panted and gasped loudly, her tears rolling down her cheeks without stopping. She thought that she had already grown numb to the situation because she had seen photos and videos of them before, but when she really encountered them in real life, she still felt the stabbing pain in her heart that made her want to pass out. She couldn't stop thinking about the few times when she and Eric actually did it. They didn't do it very often, but each time he slept with her, he was always very gentle. If she so much as whimpered in pain, he would immediately stop—no matter how uncomfortable it was for him. In fact, there were a few times when she had hinted that she would like to try new things, but he would always turn her down, telling her that it would be hard on her. At first, Penelope thought that she had finally found a man who treated her as precious as gold. But now, it seemed that Eric was probably just dissatisfied with how boring she was and decided to seek out a more thrilling experience with someone else. Penelope pressed her hands against her face, but the tears kept streaming down from the gaps in her fingers. Eric called, but she silenced her phone and just let the screen continue lighting up with the call notification. At the same time, Ingrid's text messages appeared again. "Ricky was so rough with me today… Did we scare you? Aww, but I guess it was my fault, after all. I mean, he did give up the Hallesouth manor to Mr. Ziegler as a form of goodwill just to save me just now… "Oh, Ricky also said he's giving me this ring!" Penelope recognized the ring immediately. It was the same ring Eric used to wear on his finger. The diamond in that ring was an extremely rare blue diamond that Penelope obtained only after visiting Argayle, where the mines were, for three whole months. She spent months carving and designing the rest of the ring, carefully and precisely hammering each prong while bent over her workbench for long periods, which then caused a lifetime injury to her waist. She had spent half a year perfecting every micron of that ring, but now, Ingrid was wearing it on her finger. Penelope closed her eyes and turned off her phone. She took some ice cubes from the pantry and iced her red, swollen eyes. Then, she took out her eyeliner and mascara to touch up her makeup that had long smudged off. Right after reapplying her makeup, she walked out and bumped into Eric, who was loudly yelling her name while searching for her. He immediately pulled her into his arms, his voice tight with worry. "I've been looking for you everywhere since finalizing the paperwork. How could you just run off on your own?" Penelope inhaled softly, but the sickening tangerine perfume immediately clouded her senses. She looked up at Eric's face and tried her best to suppress the quiver in her voice. "Are you done with the paperwork? I'd like to visit Hallesouth next week. We can stay at the manor you just bought." Eric's eyes flickered for a moment, and he said cautiously, "We're about to get married very soon. Why would we go to Hallesouth? Penelope, don't act so childishly. You can't always make requests and expect me to fulfill them." Hearing that, the corners of Penelope's lips lifted slightly. She briefly glanced at Eric's finger. As expected, the ring wasn't there anymore. In the past, Eric would always fulfill her every whim and fancy. Forget going somewhere the next week; if she told him she wanted to go somewhere far that very afternoon, he would bring her there immediately. He used to call her lively and adorable for that, always surprising him with fun requests. But now that he had a side chick, her same requests were labeled as being "childish". Penelope looked at Eric with tears in her eyes. She had known him since she was 19 years old, but this was the first time she realized how two-faced he was. Seeing Penelope's upset face, Eric felt a little anxious and bad for her. He massaged her temples and said, "Fine, if you want to go there, I'll go with you. It's the same no matter where we stay. I'll make a reservation for the presidential suite at the Carlton Hotel for us. It'll be a lot more comfortable…" Penelope's tears wouldn't stop falling. There was a self-deprecating smile on her lips. Eric wasn't just two-faced. He was also a really good, pathological liar. He moved to wipe the tears away from Penelope's face. However, he suddenly heard someone next to him speak up. "Rick—Mr. Fulmer, I'd just like to express my gratitude for helping me just now…" Ingrid was still wearing her plain white get-up. She had a look of innocence and helplessness on her face. Eric froze. He then quickly waved his hand at her and said, "It's nothing. No need to thank me." He then moved to wipe away Penelope's tears again, but she pushed him away. "I've got other things to attend to. I'm leaving now." "Penelope!" Eric's first instinct was to run after her, but Ingrid had already snaked her hands around his arm. It was just a moment of distraction, but Penelope had already disappeared around the corner after that. Eric's expression was dark as thunder. He flung Ingrid's hand off his arm. "How many times have I told you never to appear under her nose? If she finds out, I'm going to kill you!" Ingrid was frozen to her spot, her face turning pale. This was the first time she saw Eric losing his temper at her in the past two years. It was as if he didn't care for their two-year relationship at all. Feeling wronged, she bit her lower lip as tears gathered in her eyes. "I just wanted to get a part-time job here so that I could buy a present for you. I never thought that I'd bump into you both here. Also, she doesn't seem to have found out about us… I worked so many part-time jobs just to buy a gift for you. Look, I even got bruises here and here…" Her falling tears gradually turned into wracking sobs. She sobbed so hard that she kneeled on the ground and continued to shake. Her collar fell open when she tugged it down, revealing more than half of her breasts that were absolutely covered in hickeys and bite marks. Eric's eyes dimmed when he saw her like this and after hearing her explanation. He gulped many times, his Adam's apple bobbing non-stop. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and picked her up from the ground, carrying her away bridal-style.