In such a beautiful scene, could anyone really question love?
The two returned to their seats. Unexpectedly, a person came with a glass of wine.
“Penelope.”
Penelope looked up and saw a bastard.
“Ross, long time no see,” Penelope said, not getting up from her seat. She smiled and rested one hand on the table.
Ross, tall and strong, was a handsome man with black hair and brown eyes. He was dressed in a well-tailored suit, holding a glass with an elegant posture.
“No introduction?” Ross smiled at her.
“Oh, this is my ex-boyfriend, Ross. And this is my current boyfriend, Warren.” Penelope casually introduced them, picking up a cherry from her mousse cake and savoring it with a sip. She glanced at Ross. “By the way, you seem to have gained some weight.”
Ross chuckled and turned to look at Warren. He raised his glass and said, “You two look like a perfect match. Best wishes to both of you. Cheers!”
Warren stood up and gently clinked glasses with Ross.
Ross turned to Penelope and said, “Even though we’ve broken up, can’t we have a drink together?”
Penelope grinned and replied, “No.”
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, she covered her stomach with the white tablecloth as if trying to conceal something.
Ross leaned in closer to her ear and whispered, “Don’t hide it, Penelope. It’s too late.”
Penelope’s nails almost dug into her palms, but she managed to force a smile.
She stood up, took her glass of soda water, and said, “Thank you for your blessing. It seems we must have a drink.”
Ross smiled and replied, “That’s right.”
He then downed the red wine in his glass and turned his gaze toward Warren.
Warren’s expression remained inscrutable as he took a sip of his wine, then set the glass down.
Penelope took a small sip.
“Penelope, see you next time,” Ross grinned and allowed her to sit back in her chair.
Then he walked away.
Warren continued to observe her, unmoving.
“Ex-boyfriend,” Penelope said, covering her lips awkwardly with her fist.
“I forgot to ask a question.”
“What is it?”
“Asher said that the baby in your stomach is your ex-boyfriend’s. Is it true?” He leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on her.
Penelope ran her index finger across her forehead and replied, “This is not an easy thing to explain…”
“It’s not easy to explain or not easy to lie to me about?” He chuckled.
Penelope raised her eyebrow and replied, “He doesn’t know, and I don’t want him to know.”
He nodded and pressed the bell on the table to request the check.
On the way to Penelope’s house, he remained silent no matter how much she tried to engage him in conversation.
“Stop,” she finally shouted.
The driver quietly pulled the car over to the side of the road, trying to become invisible.
“Ross is an ex-boyfriend, and there’s absolutely no possibility of us getting back together,” Penelope explained, thinking that he might be upset about Ross approaching them during their date.
“Hmm,” he responded with a smirk that cut through the calm.
“You don’t believe me?” Penelope asked in disbelief.
“What happened between Asher and you before? Can I easily believe you again?” Warren questioned, looking back at her.
“We made mistakes. I admit it. But when it comes to Ross, I really didn’t lie to you,” she replied.
“Which part?” His eyes turned cold, and he chuckled. “You won’t fall in love again, or the baby is his?”
Penelope instinctively blurted out, “Both.”
“You might want to reconsider that,” Warren said, turning away and avoiding her gaze.
Sweat formed on her back, and she felt incredibly nervous. She had never been in such a situation before.
“Why did I lie…” Her lips trembled, and she felt a pang of guilt.
He continued, “I don’t want to be with a liar.”
“A liar? Are you referring to me?” Penelope asked, surprised.
“It depended on your answer,” he said, turning his back on her without another glance.
Penelope nodded and pushed the door open to exit the car.
“Sir,” the driver couldn’t help but speak up.
“Follow her,” he ordered, tightening his jaw as he kept his gaze on her.
“Yes, sir.”
As Penelope got out of the car, the oppressive feeling instantly lifted. She had walked away, leaving the car behind her.
Penelope walked slowly. She was upset, and her thoughts were messy.
She wasn’t really angry. She just didn’t know how to answer his questions and tried to escape.
What should she have said?
Should she have lied to him? She needed technical support. Should she have told the truth? She was afraid that he couldn’t accept it.
This kind of thing wasn’t like winning the lottery.
The child’s birth would change their life trajectory. Could she easily have delivered the secret? Could he have accepted it willingly?
****
“Why did you want to do it alone? He also had a responsibility.” Monica put down her glass and watched her, distressed, as she sat on the windowsill.
“I was a mother. Mothers love children…” Penelope was wearing her pajamas and lying on a pile of pillows.
“And fathers don’t? Fathers bear the same responsibility. Why were you trying to do it alone?”
“I had decided to give birth to this baby, not him.”
“Then you should have told him that you’d raise the child on your own. If he liked the baby, it would have been fine. If not, he could have just left.”
Penelope looked at her. “I wanted him to like…”
“To like who?”
“Me.”
Monica rolled her eyes and sighed, “You weren’t worried about your child?”
“He would have also had someone who liked him.”
“I’ll bet ten dollars. You’ll eventually tell him,” Monica said.
“It’s just a matter of timing.”
“What if he already knew?”
“Do you think he does?” Penelope turned to sit up, a little scared.
“Why not? Why did he keep asking you to tell the truth?”
“I thought he was uncomfortable with my ex-boyfriend.”
“With his own merits, could Ross compare to him on a scale?” Monica scorned.
Penelope was in a cold sweat. If he had already known…
She couldn’t imagine.