Chapter 2

Very quickly, I pulled up in front of the hospital. Megan twisted her fingers so tightly that her fingertips turned pale.

My heart suddenly softened, and I reached out to hold her hand. "Don't worry. My family's really easygoing."

Hearing that, she looked up at me and shot me a faint smile. Her eyes lit up like a sky full of stars.

The smell of disinfectant hung in the hospital, and my heart grew heavier. When I saw Grandma lying on the hospital bed, all my emotions came flooding out. My eyes reddened, and I almost couldn't hold back my tears.

Megan didn't say a single word and squeezed my hand back instead. I pushed open the door.

Mom and Dad were sitting at Grandma's bedside. Seeing Megan behind me, they were slightly surprised but said nothing.

They leaned down toward Grandma and said softly, "Mom, Harry's brought his wife."

Grandma opened her eyes, trembling slightly. Squinting, she looked a little surprised to see Megan.

I held back my tears as I led Megan to Grandma's bedside and set the marriage certificate beside her hand. "Grandma."

Megan greeted her too.

Grandma smiled, her eyes crinkling, and reached beneath her pillow. She pulled out a gold bracelet and handed it to Megan.

"I had a pair of these when I got married. I gave one to Harry's mother, and now I'm giving this one to you."

Grandma's eyes had turned cloudy, and she could barely see us anymore. Still, she wore a gentle smile.

I could no longer hold myself back and lowered my head, weeping quietly.

Grandma gently took my hand and Megan's and placed them together. "Since you two are married, you must treat her well. Don't let her down… just because you acted on impulse."

I knew what Grandma meant. Seeing that the person behind me wasn't Brenda, she already had an idea of what had happened. She was worried that I had married some random woman just to fulfill her wish of seeing me married.

Megan gently held Grandma's hand and said warmly, "Penelope, I'll explain everything to you later. Just know that I chose to marry Harry. I'll treat him well, too."

I looked at Megan gratefully.

My phone buzzed with a transaction notification. A payment had been made at a five-star hotel.

I tapped out a quick message to my assistant, telling him to freeze Brenda's supplementary bank card. I turned my attention back to Grandma and was a little taken aback to see Megan chatting happily with her.

Megan was Brenda's best friend. Every time I saw her, she kept her head down, looking subdued.

Back then, Brenda had my whole heart, and Megan was nothing more than an acquaintance. To me, she was just a shadow drifting behind Brenda.

I had never seen Megan so talkative before. She wore a gentle smile and even managed to make Grandma laugh.

If Brenda had been here, she would have been sitting off to the side, scrolling on her phone, her expression sour.

Grandma once told me Brenda was too carefree and not the right woman to marry. Back then, I got upset with her and thought she was looking down on Brenda's background and the fact that she was an orphan.

Grandma even tried to explain that Brenda didn't actually care about me, and I ended up arguing with her over it.

I only accepted the truth after learning the hard way—Brenda truly did not care about me.

After dinner, Grandma quickly fell into a deep slumber again.

Megan and I went up to the rooftop and stared at the stars scattered across the sky. Noticing how upset I was, she comforted me.

"Penelope just wants you to be happy. Don't be too upset."

I forced a smile. Looking at her thin frame, I took off my coat and draped it over her shoulders. "Thanks for today. Since we're already married, I'll take responsibility for you and end things with Brenda.

"I'll make it clear to her as well, so she doesn't blame you for any of this. After all, she only has eyes for Ethan.

"But if you ever meet someone you like, we'll get divorced once things settle down. I'll make it up to you."

Megan froze for a moment before she smiled and said, "It's fine. This arrangement works for me too. Even if I hadn't married you, my mom would've found another way to marry me off.

"You're a good man. I'm glad I married you."

After a moment of silence, I pulled out a bank card and handed it to Megan. Instead of turning it down, she carefully tucked it into her bag.

"Do you think I'm just a snob who's after your money?" she suddenly asked.

I shook my head.

After dropping Megan off at home, I went for a walk and suddenly found myself downstairs at Brenda's apartment.

Her lights were still on, and the curtains were drawn. I could see her and Ethan locked in a passionate kiss by the window.

A sharp pang struck my chest.

Brenda and I had been together for eight years, and it ended so abruptly. Even though I could see the truth as clear as day and had tried so hard to accept it, it still hurt like hell.