Chapter 3

"Penelope, you're asking for it!" Emil reacted strongly, shoving me aside with a big force.

The back of my head hit the edge of a step violently, and I was dizzy from the excruciating pain.

Then, I heard Emil reprimanding loudly, "Penelope, are you hooked on bullying? Your existence has turned the air in the house bad. It makes me sick!"

Bearing the pain, I spoke to stop him from saying even harsher things, "I'll move out. Don't worry."

"You better keep your word." Emil's tone was filled with anger.

He glared at me unblinkingly. Then, he picked Sarah up in his arms and left.

While I felt the sticky blood at the back of my head with my hand, something popped up in my mind out of the blue.

When I was 15 years old, my relationship with Emil was far from how uptight it was now. As I already knew that we were going to get married and it was only a matter of time before we would be a family, I loved following him around.

He was rebellious. He sneaked to an internet cafe to play games. I tagged along, and he got into an argument with someone over a game. I tried to break up the fight, but accidentally got a cut on my finger.

In that moment, it was as though Emil had turned into a ferocious beast. He beat a guy much bigger than him to a pulp until the latter begged for mercy.

But the man who was once so uptight just because I had accidentally hurt my finger could now harm and scold me so harshly because of someone else. He did so without even finding out the truth.

Despite that, it didn't matter anymore. Once Hubert and Fiona were back, I could annul the engagement to Emil.

Turning to the house helper in a corner, I asked with great difficulty, "Will you send me to the hospital? I'll pay you."

The new house helper was tempted, but before she could even approach me, an elderly woman pulled her back.

Even though she purposely lowered her voice, it still reached my ears. "Do you want to keep your job? Don't you know that Ms. Hudson is the person Mr. Emil hates the most now? If he sees you helping her, you'll be fired!"

The young house helper was startled. Finally, she took a glance at me and scurried away.

Wearing a bitter smile, I shook my head and crawled to the corner to pick up my phone. Its screen was shattered.

Hubert and Fiona were mostly abroad and would only be home for three to four days every month. Emil was the only master of the household.

More than once, he had said that I wasn't a member of the McLaren family and had to get my chores done by myself. Hence, nobody dared to approach me.

Every time I returned home, the leftover food would be thrown into the bin and sealed tightly. The plates on the table would be empty.

Fortunately, I was already used to this and pushed it through to get myself to the hospital.

The doctor said that I had a concussion and kept me at the hospital for a couple of days for observation.

After I was discharged, I returned to the McLaren residence to pack my belongings. The house helpers watched in indifference as I moved around miserably.

That afternoon, I packed away everything and sent it to an apartment I had rented in a hurry.

It was my temporary residence. Once I collected my graduation certificate, received a job offer, and canceled the engagement, I could escape from everything here.

Three days after I moved out of the McLaren residence, Emil called me. He sounded drunk. "Where are you? Private room number A12. Come here."

I was busy writing my resume, and it irked me that my attention was disrupted. "Is there a problem, Emil McLaren?"

On the other end of the line, Emil seemed to be at a loss for words, and even the playful noises around him quieted down a lot.

I prompted him again. When I received no answer, I was about to hang up, but Emil suddenly said, "Where are you, Penelope?"

I set my phone aside and resumed typing. I replied casually, "Didn't you say that it makes you sick to live in the same house as me? So, I moved out. Don't worry, I'm never returning."

Emil's breathing gradually turned heavy, and he suddenly sniggered. "Penelope, when did you become so obedient? Weren't you always clinging to me before this?

"Since you're so obedient, I'm asking you to move out of this city and get out of my sight. Can you do it? Penelope, I don't care what game you're playing, but I'll teach you a lesson if you keep bullying Sarah."

The mouse was a little difficult to maneuver, and I focused on the screen. A few seconds later, I realized what Emil was talking about.

Again, his sarcastic voice echoed, "What? Do you have nothing to say? Aren't you tired of playing these games every day? Apologize to Sarah, and I'll allow you to return."

I said, "Fine, I promise you that I'll leave."

After speaking, I hung up without caring about his reaction.