Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 473

"Penelope, no!"

Cora York let out a choked sob, her legs giving out as she nearly collapsed to the floor.

Xavier York supported her, his own face as ashen as a sheet of paper.

Terrence York stood frozen, watching his most beloved granddaughter hold a jagged porcelain shard to her wrist, heavy drops of blood splattering against the solid wood floor.

It pooled into a blindingly stark puddle of crimson.

Terrence's hands trembled, his breathing turning ragged and shallow as if he could no longer maintain his composure.

"Penny, please don't do anything foolish," Terrence finally spoke, his voice sounding ten years older.

"Foolish?" Penelope tilted her head at him, tears slipping down her cheeks while a smile tugged at her lips. "Grandpa, Dad, Julian... none of you can accept my child, can you? Fine, then I'll just die."

"No!" Cora screamed, weeping hysterically.

Penelope was Cora's youngest child, raised with painstaking care after she retired as a combat medic.

But as she grew older, Penelope had always found her mother a bit archaic, often refusing to confide in her.

"My baby, please don't hurt yourself," Cora sobbed.

Her heartbroken pleas softened into an agonizingly gentle whisper. "Don't do anything extreme. I won't force you to get an abortion. If you really want to keep it, it's not impossible..."

"Cora, are you out of your mind?!" Xavier couldn't hold back his roar. "How can she have this child? If she does, the rest of her life will be ruined! Have you thought about what happens when the kid grows up? How will they face their own origins? How will they deal with everyone's judgment?"

"There's always a way!" Cora had no choice; she had to say whatever it took to stabilize Penelope.

Penelope had a terrible temper since childhood. Once, after a petty argument, she had run outside barefoot in the dead of winter and nearly frozen to death. When this girl dug her heels in, she never cared about the consequences.

"The York family is powerful enough. Hiding a child's existence would be easy. Penny is still young. Even if Quentin Prescott doesn't want it, we can raise it ourselves! When the kid grows up, we'll just say the father is unknown, or some foreigner!

"Just... Penny, don't be impulsive. If you want to protect your baby, you have to stay safe first. Please don't do anything extreme. We can take this one step at a time."

Her voice echoed through the grand foyer.

The blood kept flowing. Drip, drop. It hit the floor like an unstoppable countdown.

The pool widened, and Penelope's complexion grew increasingly pale.

Jasper York shot a look at Julian, the two brothers exchanging a silent message.

Then, Jasper took a slow, agonizingly careful step forward.

"Penny, you're right. It's your baby, and it's your choice."

His voice was unprecedentedly gentle, as if he were coaxing a fragile glass doll that might shatter at any second.