A Better Man Louise Penny Novels & Stories

Instead, I simply raised my hand and slapped him across the other cheek. Everyone gasped, and the entire room fell into stunned silence. This time, Jayden was truly stunned. He stood there in a daze, his eyes wide with disbelief and simmering fury. "You, you dared to hit me?" I calmly withdrew my hand, my expression serene, my voice flat. "So what if I did? Jayden, it's time you faced reality. This isn't about revenge. I married Charles because I like him. In every single way, he's a better man than you."

poke "—are going to restore my faith in men by marrying me properly!" James glanced around the lobby, hoping someone would rescue him from this beautiful disaster. Instead, he caught sight of his best friend and assistant Louis, who was filming the entire scene on his phone with barely contained glee. "Louis!" James hissed. "A little help here?" "Are you kidding?" Louis grinned. "This is better than N*****x. I'm not interrupting." "Look, miss—" "It's Lily. Soon to be Mrs..." She squinted at him expectantly.

All my jewelry was gone. My stomach dropped as I tore through the mess. "Irene, how do you still have the nerve to come back?" Lumi sneered behind me. "Didn't you run off with that trashy new husband of yours?" I didn't even flinch. I was done here. Just kept packing, silent. But of course, she wouldn't shut up. She eyed the wreckage and clicked her tongue. "Malcolm got me a puppy. We cleared out your room for my baby. Why's there still trash lying around?"

The man, who looked to be about the same age as Sue, surely had children at home, considering the norms of Union County. The man hesitated for a moment, and Penny said, “Or you can just give the change back and I’ll give this note to you. We can let it go.” The man looked embarrassed, muttered a few curses, and threw a handful of coins on the ground. Aunt Sue immediately bent down to pick them up, but Penny pulled her up and sharply stared at the man. “Pick them up.” The man was frightened by her gaze but felt a little ashamed. “Hey, aren’t you being a bit too pushy, young lady?”

“The truth is red, so is his love for me.” —Ava Heavens In an empire where gunshots speak louder than words, Ava found herself as a pawn in a crossfire she never wanted to partake in. One minute she was in love with her best friend, and looking forward to their future together. In a second, all that was gone and she’s being used as a sacrificial lamb to appease the devil himself! — “Either way you choose to go about this, I win and you lose. So if I were you I’d surrender my Ava to me, or the next body bag delivery will be one of your sons.” — Caden Tuhka.

"He sucks down there." Zaphrina palmed her widened mouth, her expression being a cocktail of shock and humor. "Whatttt? Girl, you took the right decision. The man's not a man. This is why you should try a Hawaiian man. We've run short of good men in New York, baby girl." Louisa went forward to tell her about Adrian whom by the mention of said name turned her expression sour. "Avoid that jerk. He's not serious about you," But Louisa wasn't looking for serious. All she wanted was use and discard or better still leave them yearning for her.

*Vivienne* Acting impulsively, I reared back from the familiar stranger who was squatting in front of me. “Oh, sorry,” he apologized quickly, still wearing that cheeky grin. “That must have startled you.” He took a couple of steps back and away from me. “Liam Ryan Pryce?” Penny's breathy, awestruck voice came out as a wheezy sound. I swiveled my neck to look in her direction only to see Penny and Rosa frozen on the spot. Their eyes sparkling with unrestricted admiration and love as they gazed at the man in front of me.

“Nah. I’m going to let it stew for a while. So when the truth finally hits her… boom. Mind completely blown.” I watched her, chest swelling with a fierce wave of pride. This woman was something else. “She even gave me some lovely advice,” Lizzie continued, her tone turning dramatically sweet. “She told me to make good use of my vagina now while it still grips properly.” I stared at her, caught between amusement and disgust. “What the hell is wrong with Penny?” “Right?” Lizzie laughed. “What lovely advice to give to a younger woman.” But she wasn’t done. She tilted her head, pretending to consider it. “In some weird way though… I think it’s actually sound advice.”

“Are you lost or something?” Penny was brought back from her line of thought by a young man's voice. She quickly looked at him, her lips dry. She was thirsty, but she didn't have any money left to buy herself some water. “What?” She asked. She wasn't sure whether to tell him that she was lost. The man seemed to be a little older than her. He was tall, with an athletic body. He was handsome, too. The man sighed and walked towards her. Penny suddenly backed away. “Don't come closer,” she said in fear.

"If you ever kiss my finance again, I will destroy you." Penny went around to see Lisa on Sunday afternoon, they talked about what happened last night. Lisa had vague memories of Joseph coming under the influence of alcohol, a certain hollowness that she tried to stifle. To think that she had kissed Raymond wildly, a wave of nausea and disgusting swept over her. But what Penny had said aroused her. "Penny, are you trying to make welcome with the usual pantomime of exaggerated words and gestures?"