Chapter 8

When Jacob noticed the iciness in Penelope's gaze, he felt a jolt of pain blazing from his heart. He was about to say something when his friend stopped him. "Jake, Penelope almost cost Rebecca her child this time. If you were to let her go with a slap on her wrist, you'd be spoiling her instead." Everyone else quickly agreed with the first friend. "Jake took pity on Penelope for not being able to bear any children and for being an unwanted cougar. That was the only reason why he decided to agree to the marriage. Not only did she not know her place, but she also had the guts to bully others! That woman has crossed a line this time!" "Rebecca loves eating oranges the most. Why don't we make Penelope peel ten oranges for her as a form of punishment?" "Jake, if you don't punish Penelope now, she might end up killing both Rebecca and her unborn child in the future!" Hearing the grave consequences made Jacob shed what little pity he had for Penelope. A cold and ruthless expression soon replaced his previous look. "Guards, bring me ten oranges!" "Don't do it, Jacob!" Rebecca quickly reminded Jacob, though there was a hint of a smile in her eyes. "Have you forgotten that Ms. Hall is allergic to the smell of oranges? Her life will be in danger!" Jacob looked shocked in return. He hesitated for a few seconds before issuing another order, "Forget about—" "Ah! My belly hurts!" Rebecca bent over all of a sudden in pain. She moaned, "I think I'm bleeding down there again!" Even though Rebecca's wails sounded heartbreaking, the fact that she wasn't tearing up at all showed that it was all but a façade. "Summon the doctor!" Jacob quickly coaxed Rebecca anxiously. Then, he hollered, "Penelope, you're not allowed to leave this ward until you're done peeling all of the oranges!" Penelope could only smile bitterly. She was smiling so hard that tears began trickling down her cheeks. In the past, she was forced to guzzle down orange juice, courtesy of the bar's patrons, during one of her attempts to earn enough money to treat Jacob's schizophrenia. As a result, she was sent to the emergency room for treatment. Back then, Jacob had stayed by her side at all times. After that ordeal, he even specifically made a note of her deadly allergy triggered by oranges in a notebook. He even told her that he would never let her suffer from her allergies ever again. But today, Jacob was more than willing to torment Penelope with oranges just so he could avenge Rebecca. He really was a ruthless man. Then again, he was just acting the part of a loving husband. It wasn't as if he truly cared about Penelope from the start. How could she forget about that? Jacob only loved Rebecca, be it when he was 18 or when he was 24. The strong scent of oranges overwhelmed Penelope so much that she found it hard to breathe. Soon, she found herself to be on the verge of collapsing. She did her best to suppress the intense dizziness as she peeled the rough skin off the oranges and dug out the fleshy fruit from within before plating it. One orange… Two oranges… Penelope was already seeing double at that time. Blood was starting to seep out of her nails from digging into the oranges too hard. Still, Jacob showed no signs of stopping her. Having given up on all hope, Penelope allowed the suffocation to take over her senses as she continued peeling the oranges. Three oranges… Five oranges… Penelope's breathing gradually became intense and rapid. Rebecca's worried voice rang out at that moment. "Jacob, Ms. Hall looks really sick right now. Hurry up and tell her to go home. If this goes on, I'm worried that she might collapse." "Rebecca, you're too kind-hearted. That old hag is clearly pretending to be ill!" Jacob's friend retorted. "Penelope, self-torture is not going to work on Jacob! Hurry up and peel the oranges!" But Jacob's frown deepened even more when he noticed how blue Penelope's face had gone. He finally said, "That's enough. You can leave now. This will be your first and last offence." Penelope relaxed visibly. She fled from the VIP ward right away. In the corridor, she clutched her chest while gasping for breath. Suddenly, her legs gave out from under her, causing her to collapse to the floor. The moment she was about to lose consciousness, she heard a familiar voice ringing out next to her ear. "Becky, the oranges are very sweet. You should eat more; they'll help you recover faster." Meanwhile, Rebecca gazed at Penelope, who was already lying on the floor and was staring at her with glassy eyes. She giggled softly in return. "The oranges that Ms. Hall has peeled for me are extremely sweet. Jacob, you should have some too." Poor Penelope could only breathe with great difficulty. She felt as though she was a dying fish that flopped incessantly on the surface. There was a high chance that she might die soon. No! Penelope was about to leave Jacob and start a new chapter in her life! There was no way she'd die a pathetic death like this! She mustered all of her strength to pull out her phone from her pocket in hopes of calling Peter. Unfortunately, her fingers lacked the strength to do so. Gradually, Penelope's arm slid down limply as her world descended into darkness.