The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 671

"But you gave up on me."

But you gave up on me...

Penelope felt as if a heavy hammer had struck her heart. What had she been thinking back then? Why had she given up on him so easily?

Maybe it was the countless nights she watched him, unable to sleep, quietly slipping outside to smoke so as not to disturb her. Maybe it was seeing him eat less and less, his spirit fading day by day. Maybe it was the day she saw him on the rooftop, the moment the world shattered, when she truly believed he was going to jump...

So she had given up. She had divorced him, decisively, ignoring all his pleas as she walked away.

For the past six years, she had never once regretted her decision. But in this moment, she did.

If she had just held on a little longer, just a little longer, maybe she could have been there to help him climb out of the abyss.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. It was all she could say.

"But I love you."

Her heart jolted again. She looked at him, her eyes wide and shimmering.

Theodore took a long drag from his cigarette, then threw the butt to the ground and crushed it under his heel. He stepped toward her until they were only inches apart.

"No matter how much I hate you, my love for you has never disappeared. So, Penelope, don't even think about running away again. You'll stay in Orenth, and if you feel the least bit guilty, you can spend the rest of your life making it up to me!"

With that, he gave a slight, bitter twist of his lips and went back inside.

Love and hate, so intricately entwined.

Penelope's mind was a storm of complex emotions. She knew she had been wrong, but she also had to ask herself: did she still love Theodore? And if she did, should she try to win him back? And if she did, could she be sure that this time, they could both be happy?

...

Hamilton had been out drinking with Simon. He'd had a lot, but he wasn't completely drunk. When he walked in the door, Maria ran out from the living room to support him.

"Why did you drink so much?"

Hamilton pushed her away. "I'm not drunk."

"Hamilton..."

"I'm tired."

Maria was silent for a moment, then smiled gently and leaned softly into his arms.

"I know you're tired. I won't bother you. I just want to sit with you for a bit."

When Hamilton didn't push her away, Maria grew bolder, wrapping her arms around him. Her other hand began to roam. After a few tentative touches went unresisted, she slipped her hand under his shirt.

"Hamilton, it's been so long since we..."

Before she could finish, Hamilton pulled her hand away.

"I said, I'm tired!"

Maria's eyes instantly reddened. "Are you tired of me? If I had known it would be like this, I never should have admitted that I was the one who saved you back then! That way, you wouldn't feel obligated to be with me out of gratitude! And if I hadn't shown up, you might have been deceived by Natalie, but at least you might have been happy!"