After seeing Mr. Temple to his car, Penelope headed for the parking garage.
“You didn’t come home last night. Where were you?”
Zebulon suddenly appeared, blocking her path.
“I was at another man’s house,” Penelope said with a shrug.
“Penelope!” Zebulon’s voice was a sharp bark.
“What does it have to do with you?”
“We’re about to get married! What do you think it has to do with me?”
“I already know you cheated on me with Rebecca. Do you honestly think I’m still going to marry you?”
“I told you, I just wanted a child!”
“Well, congratulations then.”
Penelope sneered and walked around him, continuing toward the garage.
“Wanting a child and loving you are not mutually exclusive.”
“Then please, do me a favor and stop loving me. It makes me sick.”
“I can promise you,” he said, his voice earnest, “as soon as Rebecca has the baby, I will cut all ties with her. We’ll bring the baby home and raise it together.”
His words were so astoundingly tone-deaf that Penelope stopped in her tracks. She took a moment to steady herself before turning back to face him.
“Could you repeat what you just said?”
Zebulon took her hand. “First of all, I love you. That’s undeniable. As for Rebecca, I admit I was confused for a while, but I’ve thought it through. She is simply a tool to give us a child. After the baby is born, I’ll give her a sum of money and she will disappear from our lives. Then, we will finally have our own child. You can treat this child as your own, have it call you ‘Mom,’ and raise it yourself. For someone who can’t have children, this is my way of compensating you, don’t you see?”
“Ugh.”
Penelope stared at the face she had once loved, now spouting such vile nonsense, and felt a wave of nausea.



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