As promised, Penny explained everything to Benjamin from start to finish. One of the most annoying things about telling a story to a busybody was that they wanted full details of everything. So, even during dinner, Benjamin joined Penny and Zoren to get the entire story.
“Oh…” Benjamin’s lips formed an O-shape as he nodded in understanding. “So that’s what happened, huh?”
Penny and Zoren glanced at each other and sighed, then turned their eyes back to Benjamin.
Benjamin furrowed his brows and cast the couple a look. “So, all this time, sir, you knew…?” His breath hitched as he processed this realization. His eyes widened instantly as Zoren shrugged.
’So, all this time, he knew I was lying to him?!’Benjamin’s plexion turned pale, and his eyes dimmed. After a beat, his face crumpled with remorse, and the corners of his eyes turned red. “Sir! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it! I swear I didn’t want to do it! Miss Penny made me do it!”
As expected from Benjamin, after listening to everything, the first thing he did was apologize. He was almost crying, which made Zoren and Penny smile subtly. Surely, he was like Zoren’s child.
“This feels like a trial run,” she murmured, casting Zoren a plicated look.
Zoren flashed her a gentle smile. “It’s not that bad.”
“…” Her face contorted, wanting to ask if he was even sure about that. But Penny kept her thoughts to herself. ’We haven’t discussed this, and I’m still not ready for it. I mean… how did Mom and Dad do it?’
It wasn’t like she didn’t have any idea that parenting was hard, but this free trial expanded her horizons.
The entire dinner was spent coaxing Benjamin, reassuring him that everything was fine. Just when the couple thought it would end there, Benjamin managed to turn the tables, first by bringing up how Zoren kept sending him away to run errands all across Anteca to keep him at bay, and how Penny hadn’t considered him an ally.
Fortunately, the saying “there’s always a start and an end” proved true. No matter how long the discussion was, it still ended.
***
“Hah…” Penny let out a moan as she relaxed her body in the bathtub, leaning her back against the curve. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, resting for a moment. “I’ve basically been drunk all day.”
Another shallow breath slipped past her lips as she opened her eyes slowly. “Goodness. I don’t know what to feel.”
Was it this lingering headache? Or the heaviness in her body, as if she needed rest?
“Everything okay?” Suddenly, Penny heard her husband’s voice. Turning her head, she saw Zoren leaning against the entrance of the bathroom, wearing only his inner dress shirt with the first three buttons undone and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
“You had a drink this morning, didn’t you?” he asked, peeling himself away from the doorframe and walking toward her. Zoren casually sat down on the rim of the tub, his eyes on her. “How was it?”
Penny pressed her lips into a thin line. “It’s strange,” she confessed, watching his brows rise curiously. “Renren, what happened last night?”
“Hmm…” Zoren hummed as he recounted the events that had occurred the night before, summarizing them without leaving out the important details. “That’s what happened.”
“I left?”
“Mhm.”
“Where did I go?”
“First Brother called and told us you were there.”
“How did I e home?”
“You came back.”
“Oh.”
Zoren offered her a smile. “I presumed you saw the letter she left last night since you had a drink of your own volition.”
“Yes, it was under the cushion.”
“You tossed it around last night, saying you were a busybody and that you’d find it.”
Penny’s face twitched upon hearing her husband’s remarks. Although the words he was repeating were her own, they didn’t sound pleasant. Even so, that wasn’t important at the moment.
“Do you have questions?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“A lot.”
“I figured.” Penny let out a shallow breath. She could’ve explained this all to him last night before having wine. However, she thought it would be a waste of time to explain before her alter ego woke up.
Smacking her lips into a thin line, she lifted her hand from the water and reached out to him. “Join me,” she whispered. “And then hug me. I’ll tell you all about it.”
His eyes softened as he caressed her cheek gently with his thumb. Having said that, Zoren joined her in the tub. The tub was wide enough for a few more people, but she squeezed herself against him. Taking the spot between his legs, she rested her back on his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist from behind, and he rested his chin on her shoulder.
They shared a moment of silence, which neither of them broke.
“Renren, can you promise me… that everything I say, you’ll believe?” she asked, turning her head slightly to look at him.
He blinked slowly and tenderly. “Is there a reason for me not to believe you?”
Penny smiled at him, sighing as she stayed quiet for a while. Her reluctance to entrust Zoren with this truth had now faded, and she felt safe enough to tell him every little detail. She wanted to let him know everything about her. Even so, Penny hesitated, wanting to ensure she was doing the right thing.
If she was going to confess, she wanted to know it was the right thing to do. That it wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment decision, but an act that came from the deepest sincerity of her heart.
Taking a deep breath, Penny slowly turned around to face him. When she huffed a sharp breath, her eyes shone with determination as she said,
“Then everything I said last night is true. What I meant by everything is what I told you before and after the wine. All of it is true. This is not my first life.”
User Comments
0 comments from readers