Penelope felt a pang of injustice. She lowered her head and remained silent.
Being mistaken for a habitual thief by the man she loved was a situation she could never have imagined.
“Speak up!” He raised his voice.
Penelope sniffled and said, “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to take it… Grace walked in unexpectedly. I…”
“Your conditioned reflex?” Warren sneered.
Penelope lifted her head with a determined look in her eyes. “You can ask me if you want, but can you not use this accusatory tone as if I were a criminal?”
“You can explain to me just how far you are from being a criminal.”
“I already said I didn’t intend to…”
“When a thief gets caught by the police, they often argue that they didn’t intend to,” he replied coldly.
Penelope let out a bitter laugh and wiped away her tears. “You know what? I don’t have to endure your interrogation here.”
She pushed him away and made her way upstairs.
“You’re living here. I have the right to scold you!”
Warren shouted sternly.
Penelope glanced back at him and sneered.
She reached the top of the stairs and slammed her bedroom door shut.
The butler observed the entire exchange and remarked, “Sir, wasn’t your approach too harsh? Girls and boys are different, and you shouldn’t apply the same method you used to teach Master Asher to teach her.”
“She needs to be held accountable for her mistake. There’s no difference between boys and girls.”
He tossed the sweater aside, still fuming.
The butler shook his head and sighed.
Ten minutes later, Penelope dragged her suitcase downstairs.
Seeing Warren sitting on the couch, she said, “Thank you for taking care of me, goodbye.”
Then she started to drag her suitcase towards the door.
“Wait.”
Penelope stopped and said, “I’ve already caused you enough trouble, I won’t do it again.”
Mrs. Brown emerged from somewhere, probably waiting and observing. She took Penelope’s suitcase and said, “Calm down. Where do you think you can go in the middle of the night?”
Penelope froze in place, her neck tense and unmoving.
He said, “You have a chance to make up for your mistake. If you apologize tomorrow, I won’t bring it up again.”
Penelope laughed and turned around, “Apologize? A habitual thief will never apologize, don’t you know that?”
She said with a mocking tone, seemingly indifferent to the seriousness of her actions.
“Penelope Seinfeld!” Warren was furious.
Mrs. Brown was also shocked and hurriedly said, “Child, don’t be so stubborn. Just apologize, and this can all be resolved.”
Penelope pulled her suitcase away from Mrs. Brown. She grinned and said, “There’s no need to teach me like this. It’s not amusing.”
“Penelope…” Mrs. Brown tried to stop her.
Ignoring his anger, she continued, “I’ve done many wrong things. I don’t have the time to apologize for every mistake I’ve made.”
She insisted on pulling the suitcase out of the house, and Mrs. Brown couldn’t stop her.
“Let her go.”
With Warren’s words, Penelope left. The car she had booked through a taxi app arrived. She picked up her luggage with one hand, placed it in the trunk, and got into the back seat. The car’s tail lights soon disappeared around the street corner.
Inside the house, silence hung heavy, and even the sound of breathing seemed magnified.
Mrs. Brown picked up the sweater from the floor and sighed, “Does Mr. Duncan misunderstand her? She’s just a girl. Why would she steal a man’s sweater?”
Warren was taken aback. He turned to Mrs. Brown, “A man’s sweater?”
“It looks familiar to me, is it Master Phillip’s? I recall that you also have a similar one…” Mrs. Brown examined the sweater closely.
Oh…
His heart felt as if a hammer had struck it, and the cold reality rushed in like a torrent.
****
On the way to the airport, Penelope had expected herself to cry uncontrollably, considering the sadness of the situation. However, the tears didn’t come. Instead, she felt a heavy discomfort in her chest, as if it were stuffed with cotton, making it hard to breathe.
She had purchased a ticket to New York, with a departure time of five in the morning.
The thought of facing him filled her with shame, and she had no desire to see him again.
In his life, she was nothing more than a fleeting traveler passing through. It was time to return to where she came from and not be a burden to him any longer.
Strangely, compared to the situation of being pregnant after a one-night stand with an unknown stranger, being mistaken for a habitual thief seemed almost trivial.
The driver extended his hand and offered Penelope some tissues.
“Thanks, but I don’t need them right now,” Penelope replied, waving them off.
“Take it. You might need them along the way,” the driver insisted with a touch of humor.
Penelope accepted the tissues, feeling slightly embarrassed. She glanced out the window, trying to see the pitiful expression on her face, and even the driver couldn’t help but offer her sympathy.
Warren sat alone in the dark living room for nearly three hours.
Meanwhile, Penelope found herself in the hotel near the airport. It wasn’t a budget-friendly choice, but she had no option. With her luggage at her feet, she perched on a bench inside the airport terminal, her eyes fixed on the large departure screen.
Late at night, the bustling airport had quieted down. Passengers whispered to one another or buried themselves in their mobile phones to pass the time.
A news report flashed across the screen, catching Penelope’s attention. It featured Duncan’s company’s generous donation for the treatment of cerebral palsy in children, accompanied by a picture of the young and handsome CEO.
Penelope couldn’t help but feel a sense of bitterness. He was so kind to those children, so why was he so harsh with her?
Suddenly, a girl nearby shouted, capturing the attention of those around her. The onlookers followed her gaze.
“He’s so handsome!” The girl exclaimed excitedly to the boy beside her.
“So what?” The boy responded with a hint of disdain, though he couldn’t help stealing a few glances himself.
Penelope covered her ears, not wanting to listen or watch anymore. Even from a dozen kilometers away, she felt like she could still see him, and her bitterness reached its peak.