Chapter 2

It was already night time by the time Penelope regained consciousness. A flicker of cold mockery crossed her eyes as she gazed at the empty hospital ward. The nurse walked over with her examination report and briefly explained her condition, before informing her that she would be discharged upon settling the bills tomorrow. As Penelope was flipping through her medical records, her phone vibrated continuously. Sabrina had been sending her messages in the form of dozens of photos, clearly showing off. Photos of Gabriel giving her a piggyback home, Patrick in an apron as he cooked dinner for her, and both men surrounding her affectionately with many gifts littering the floor. Her message read, "Patrick and Gabriel truly pamper me so much, Penny. I'm the happiest woman in the world!" Penelope glanced at the messages but didn't reply to any of them. … After a night's rest, Penelope went home after finishing the discharge procedure. As soon as she got back, she saw Patrick, Gabriel, and Sabrina huddling together as they watched a movie. Both men were sitting beside her, with Patrick feeding her fruits and Gabriel handing a drink to her. Meanwhile, the large, gruesome patch of blood stain on the floor had been cleaned up. No one seemed to care about it. Penelope tore her gaze away and quietly returned to her room. She took out a cardboard box and started tossing things into it. Once it was packed, she carried the box and walked out. Soon, the flickering flames outside managed to catch the attention of Gabriel and Patrick Realizing something wasn't right, they both got up and walked out. They happened to see Penelope standing in front of a large fire pit, seemingly tossing things into it. Their hearts sank. "What are you doing, Penny?" Penelope didn't answer them. She only took out a veil from the box and turned to Gabriel. She said, "You gave me this when you were seven, Gabriel. You insisted on claiming me as your bride when we were playing house back then. You also gave me this veil, telling me that we'd be using this on our wedding in the future." After that, Penelope threw it into the fire pit without hesitation. To the shock of everyone else, she then took out a bookmark with a pressed four-leaf clover from the box. She continued, "You gave me this when you were fifteen, Patrick. Back then, I was sickly and always running a fever. You were so worried that you ran to Green Hill and spent the whole evening looking for a four-leaf clover—all just to wish for my health and safety." After that, Penelope decisively tossed it into the fire pit once again. She did the same for the next few items—the love letter Gabriel handed her, the glass slippers Patrick gave her, and the princess gown Gabriel gave her. Gabriel couldn't bear watching as Penelope burned all their memories away, even the photos from when they were young. He rushed over and grabbed her arm. "I know you're still upset about what happened yesterday, Penny, but Sab has always been insecure as an adopted child. "She'll have to marry into the Lambert family in your place soon, and her good days are running out. You owe her all this, so why must you fight with her?" Patrick also gave her a disappointed look. His tone was tinged with anger as he said, "You only hit your head, Penelope, but Sab is about to lose her lifetime happiness. Looks like Sab is right—you're truly spoiled to the core. You're not even half as understanding as she is." Penelope shook her head. "No, you guys got it wrong." Sabrina wasn't the one about to marry into the Lambert family—she was. As the flames flickered out, scattering ashes all over the ground, Penelope turned and walked back into her room without giving any explanation. … Penelope was about to head out early the next morning when she saw a dozen gift boxes piled up by the door to her room. She knew they were all from Gabriel and Patrick. In the past, whenever the both of them made her angry, they wouldn't let her stay upset until the next morning. Patrick would stay by her door the entire night with tears in his eyes. "I won't leave as long as you don't forgive me, Penny." Meanwhile, Gabriel would show up with many gifts, looking pitiful when he said, "If you're still angry, just hit or scold me, Penny—just don't keep it to yourself." However, none of them showed up today. All that was left was a pile of cold, lifeless things. Penelope no longer cared about it. She chuckled self-deprecatingly before throwing everything into the trash can. Sabrina, who just got up, happened to see what happened. She pretended to cover her mouth in shock. "Why did you throw them away? Do you not like these freebies? I've told Patrick and Gabriel that you wouldn't like these since you have been spoiled since you were young. "I told them to take the products they bought for me and give them to you, but they insisted for me to keep them. I'm just a lonely and pitiful adopted child, and you're the real daughter, but they've been so good to me—" Penelope smiled slightly before saying, "Well then, congratulations—the whole house is yours from now on." She then turned and left, ignoring Sabrina's perplexed look.