Chapter 22

"Don't say things that I don't like to hear, Penny," said Jacob as he walked over and pressed her into a chair with a gloomy expression on his face. "You won't ever see my stepfather again, so let's start living our lives properly again. "Come, try out your favorite lasagna and seafood stew. I've been honing my cooking skills for the past four years, so they should taste quite good." Penelope softened her tone and tried to reason with him. "You're a 28-year-old man, Jacob. Can you not act rashly, please? I understand that you're being driven by your desire to one-up others, so you're pursuing me desperately in order to save yourself from embarrassment. "However, where does that leave Rebecca? Can you really bear to make her sad when you love her so much?" "I stopped loving Rebecca long ago," replied Jacob. "You're the one I love. It's a pity that I only realized this after you left." He filled a bowl with stew and placed it next to her hand with a distant expression on his face. "