Chapter 726 Unrequited Love Is Painful
"Brandon, matters of the heart can't be forced," Penelope said. "For other things, I can apologize to you. But for this, saying sorry would only hurt you."
She thought, 'Not loving someone, how can one say sorry for that? How absurd that sounds.'
Brandon suddenly turned around, his back facing Penelope. He tilted his head slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
"Now I truly understand how Isabella felt," Brandon said, his hands clasped behind his back, his silhouette exuding loneliness. "Isabella loved me so much, but I didn't love her. I love you so much, but you've never considered loving me."
The way he rejected Isabella was now the way Penelope was rejecting him. How ironic!
Brandon had never understood why Isabella was so obsessed with him, so deeply fixated. Now, having experienced it himself, he finally understood.
When one set their heart on someone, they only wanted to be with that person; no one else even caught their eye!
Penelope hesitated for a moment but then said, "Although it sounds harsh, I still want to tell you. Brandon, the way you feel about Isabella is exactly how I feel about you."
"The only difference is, you wouldn't do something as malicious as Isabella did. So, there won't be hatred between us, no insurmountable barriers. We can coexist peacefully for a lifetime..."
Before Penelope could finish, Brandon interrupted her, "Penelope, what if I did something as malicious as Isabella?"
She was startled. What did he mean by that?
"Unrequited love is truly painful and agonizing," Brandon laughed. "When you can't have it, you just want to destroy everything!"
"Brandon, Brandon!"
Brandon walked away quickly, not looking back. No matter how loudly Penelope called after him, he pretended not to hear.
Penelope watched him leave, disappearing from her sight.
"It still turned out this way, why?" she muttered to herself. "I was so careful with my words to reject Brandon and clarify my feelings, but I still hurt him."
Maybe, no matter how perfectly and kindly one phrased a rejection, it ultimately cut like a sharp knife, leaving a long gash on the other person's heart!
But Penelope still had to say it, she had no choice. She didn't want Brandon to misunderstand or hold onto any hope for her. Moreover, after clarifying things with Brandon, she still had to explain things to Kelvin!
She needed to explain to Kelvin that she said she loved Brandon just to provoke him, to deceive him. She didn't know how Kelvin would react.
It shouldn't be a big problem; after all, he had always been her steadfast choice.
But Penelope also had to explain that Sam was his son and why she had hidden it back then. Just thinking about it was troubling!
Penelope turned back to the hospital room. As she pushed the door open, Debra, who was standing behind it, stepped back several paces, clutching her forehead.
"Were you eavesdropping?" Penelope's face darkened.
"No, no," Debra said. "You were at the end of the hallway, near the window. How could I hear anything from here?"
Debra stood on tiptoe and looked outside. "Did Mr. Walker leave?"
"Yes."
"Did he settle the bill?"
Penelope gave her a cold look. "Debra, you'd better stay in the room and take good care of Brent. Don't get any funny ideas. You don't need to worry about the money!"
"But the nurse keeps coming to ask for payment. How should I handle that?"
"They won't come to you anymore!"
Debra asked, "Did Mr. Walker cover the medical expenses?"
"Yes!" Penelope replied. "Didn't he tell you he would take care of it?"
Debra nodded repeatedly, breathing a sigh of relief and patting her chest. "Yes, Mr. Walker is reliable. Penelope, you should reflect on yourself. You aren't as good as..."
"Shut up!"
Debra didn't dare to argue with Penelope and reluctantly fell silent.
Before leaving, Penelope said, "Debra, some things leave traces when you do them, and I will find those traces. I'm giving you a chance to confess. If you don't, when I find out, it won't be so easy to talk."
She had to uncover the truth about her disappearance! Penelope gave Debra a sharp look.
Debra quickly went to the bedside, pretending to take care of Brent, using a cotton swab dipped in warm water to moisten his dry, chapped lips. But her hands were shaking.
At the hospital payment window.
"Bed 27, Brent," Penelope said. "I'm his daughter, here to pay the bill."
The staff checked and said, "It's already been paid."
"What? Already paid?"
"Yes. It shows as settled."
Could it be that Brandon paid before he left? Penelope asked, "When was it paid? Is there a timestamp?"
The staff checked again. "No."
Penelope was puzzled. It must have been Brandon. There was no one else.
"Thank you." Penelope put away her bank card and turned around.
Unexpectedly, someone was standing behind her, and she bumped right into them.
Before she could react, a strong arm encircled her waist. "Penelope."
"It's you?" She looked up, surprised and delighted, at the man in front of her.
Kelvin was wearing a suit, his tie neatly in place, clearly having come straight from the office.
"What are you doing here?" Penelope asked. "Just arrived?"
"Yes, I came right after the meeting."
"Did you come specifically to see me?"
"Of course." Kelvin raised an eyebrow. "Did you think I came to see Brent?"
Penelope laughed. "I can handle things on my own. You've arranged a driver and bodyguards; I'm perfectly safe."
"But I still worry," Kelvin said. "They can ensure your safety, but not your emotional well-being."
"Emotional well-being?"
"Yes." He nodded. "What if someone makes you feel bad?"
Kelvin didn't want Penelope to be sad or upset. Even if she was feeling down, he wanted to be by her side, taking care of her.
Penelope looked up at him. "You're making me feel like a child."
"Yes, you are like my child."
"Lucy is your child," Penelope replied. "I'm your wife."
"Isn't it good to treat my wife like a daughter?"
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