That evening, Jacob went home to pick Penelope up at 6:00 pm so that they could attend the banquet together.

Penelope was on her period, so she was sore all over. She told Jacob in a frosty tone, "I'm on my period at the moment, so I'm feeling extremely uncomfortable right now. I'll skip out on the banquet this time."

"Honey, Mr. Ulrich, an extremely prestigious guest who hails from the capital, will be attending the banquet tonight. Please try to hang on for my sake, alright?"

Jacob picked up the gown that was discarded on the coffee table. Then, he sat down and tried to help Penelope to change into her gown.

At the same time, he tried to appease her. "Once we've met him, I'll have someone send you home right away."

Penelope avoided Jacob's touch. She drew to her feet and began making her way upstairs. "I'll change into the gown myself."

Jacob was surprised when he noticed how abhorrent Penelope was toward his touch. He quickly said, "Lauren, please brew some ginger tea for Mrs. Thornton. She can have it on the way to the venue."

Sometime later, Jacob and Penelope arrived at the banquet's venue. They soon noticed Rebecca approaching them while being surrounded by a group of rich women.

Penelope pretended not to notice Rebecca and her entourage at all. She just walked past them coolly without saying anything.

A second later, she heard Jacob's displeased tone. "Who gave you permission to wear a gown that has the same cut and design as my wife's gown? You'd better change out of it right now!"

Rebecca shuddered upon hearing Jacob's exclamation. Almost immediately, she broke down in tears.

"It's fine." Penelope couldn't be bothered to watch the latest performance.

She demanded coldly, "Jacob, take me to Mr. Ulrich."

"Alright. Have some ginger tea and rest for now. Be careful not to scald yourself."

Jacob twisted the lid of the thermos flask open before passing it to Penelope. He continued wearing a gentle smile the whole time.

Then, he turned to look at Rebecca. His expression was now frosty. "If this happens again, I won't let you off the hook this easily!"

"Oh? Mr. Thornton, you're finally introducing your precious wife to me, huh?"

A man clad in a white tuxedo could be seen striding over to Penelope and Jacob. He happened to be holding a wine glass filled with red wine at that time. His laughter was rich and hearty.

"Do you still remember me, Mrs. Thornton? We played poker together on your wedding day."

Penelope gazed at the man, finally realizing the reason behind Jacob's insistence to bring her to the banquet. She replied coolly, "Of course. Back then, you invested 30 million dollars into his company and helped him secure his first business deal that was worth 100 million dollars."

"Your husband knows when to repay a favor. He's worth my investment." Henry Ulrich gazed at Jacob. A hint of approval was present in his eyes.

He continued teasingly, "Every time he sees me, he has to show his marriage license to me just so he can show off the fact that he's married to a wonderful wife."

Jacob stated seriously, "I count my blessings every day that I was able to marry Penny in the first place. She's the beacon of light that has illuminated my dark life."

Penelope merely sneered in return. Had she not known about the fact that Jacob had already married Rebecca, she'd have stupidly believed Jacob's lies.

The only reason why he had married Penelope was to use her in order to secure the investment from Henry. He didn't love her at all.

Penelope had fought for Jacob's affection for eight long years in this gambit of love, yet Rebecca was able to defeat her without even lifting a finger. How ironic.

"It's rare for me to be able to meet your wife, Mr. Thornton. Why don't we play a round of poker later on?" Henry suggested.

"Alright."

"No, thank you." Since Penelope didn't want to act all lovey-dovey with Jacob any longer, her tone was naturally cold. "Sorry, Mr. Ulrich. I'm not feeling well at the moment, so I'm going to take my leave now."

Penelope ignored Jacob's surprised look and proceeded to leave. Soon, he caught up to her quickly and grabbed her hand.

"Please don't be angry at me, Penny. I've already punished Rebecca severely. You won't see her ever again."

"You should do what you need to do. Leave me alone." Penelope shoved Jacob away coldly before entering the ladies' washroom.

After washing her hands, Penelope left the washroom, only to be blocked by Rebecca. Rebecca folded her arms in front of her chest. There was a cold look on her face.

"The only reason why Jacob defended you is because he wished to reassure Mr. Ulrich that his marriage is fine. After all, he now has a 100-million-dollar project to manage.

"This is your only worth, Penelope. Once I'm done giving birth to my child, Jacob won't hesitate to kick you out of the family!"

Penelope did her best to suppress the pain that was flaring from her heart. She looked Rebecca in the eye while retorting sarcastically, "Are you really sure that you're pregnant with Jacob's child?"

Having noticed the hint of mockery in Penelope's eyes, Rebecca was secretly shocked. Still, she replied, "Of course! Jacob has spent a lot more time with me compared to the time he has spent with you! I'm the real deal, after all! You're just my replacement!"

"I hope you can keep up that confident façade of yours for the rest of your life," Penelope said icily. "Now get out of my way. I'm going home."

Rebecca had a feeling that Penelope was hinting at something. She was about to respond when she heard Jacob's voice from a short distance away.

"Michael, why is it that my wife has yet to return from the washroom after so long? Get someone to check things out right now."

Rebecca's expression faltered slightly. She quickly grabbed Penelope's hand and smacked it against her cheek with all her might. Then, she ripped her own gown before collapsing to the floor. With one hand plastered on her belly, she began sobbing out loud.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Thornton! I'll change out of this gown right now! Just please stop kicking me in the belly, okay? My baby is only four weeks old! It can't handle your kicks at all!"

"What happened?" Jacob demanded as he approached Rebecca hastily.

Penelope was about to speak up when Rebecca cut in tearfully, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Thornton! Whatever happened tonight might be my fault, but my child is innocent!"

She clutched her stomach as she rolled around on the floor while wailing at the top of her lungs. If anything, her cries became even more desperate.

"Someone, anyone! Please send me to the hospital! I think I'm bleeding between my legs!"

Jacob's expression changed drastically. He shot Penelope a withering glare before scooping Rebecca into his arms.

"Michael, go get the car! Hurry up!"

His actions caused the onlookers to break out into murmurs and gossip.

"Why is Mr. Thornton so worried about Rebecca's child? Could it be that he's the father? Now that I think about it, they were such an amazing couple back in the day. It was a shame to see them breaking up."

"There's no way Mr. Thornton could let go of his deep love for Rebecca. The only reason why he married Penelope is to repay her for her kindness. Has Penelope forgotten her roots as a bar escort just because she's been role-playing as a rich wife for some time? I can't believe she's resorted to such vile actions!"

"She's just a bar escort at the end of the day; just how ethical do you think she actually is? What if she was the one framing Rebecca on purpose just to break her and Mr. Thornton up back then? Damn, she really is an extremely manipulative and scheming woman!"

Penelope remained rooted to the spot. She could only hang her head while smiling bitterly as soon as she heard the onlookers' comments about her.

Since she came from a lowly and humble background, everyone thought it natural to pin the blame on her. That was why they didn't hesitate to look down on her and slander her however they liked.

While Jacob did marry her out of gratitude, the truth was that he despised her due to her background and thought of her as an embarrassment to be seen with in public.

After all, only women like Rebecca, who came from noble and rich backgrounds, were an equal match for him, a wealthy scion. On the other hand, a bar escort like Penelope was definitely not his first choice.

Penelope did all she could to conceal the fact that Jacob was sterile. She even went as far as to shoulder the blame of being sterile herself. What did she get in return for keeping such a secret?

Jacob would never pay extra attention to her, let alone love her.

Weighed down by disappointment, Penelope wanted to drive home, only to be stopped by Jacob's secretary, Blake Geller.

"Mrs. Thornton, Mr. Thornton has asked you to visit the hospital."

Penelope followed Blake to a VIP ward, where Jacob could be seen blowing on some broth so that he could feed Rebecca properly. His friends surrounded Rebecca's bed as they expressed their concern.

As soon as Jacob noticed Penelope, he put down the bowl right away. His expression was already thunderous.

"Penny, get over here and apologize to Rebecca!"

At that time, Penelope's stomachache had worsened to the point where she could barely stand up straight. She gazed at Jacob sorrowfully.

"If I were to tell you that I didn't beat her up, nor did I kick her in the stomach, would you believe me?"

Jacob couldn't help but frown at the sight of Penelope's sweat-drenched visage. But he soon swept the bowl of soup off the nightstand. His expression was still stormy.

"How dare you attempt to defend yourself even though the evidence is right here! The doctor told us that Rebecca wouldn't have been able to keep her child if she had arrived at the hospital ten minutes later!

"I can't believe you're such a wicked woman, Penelope! How could you plot murder against an unborn child? This just means you're bent on forcing Rebecca to take her own life!"

Penelope looked away, clearly disappointed.

They had known each other for eight years, yet Jacob was awfully sure that Penelope bore such a wicked heart. He didn't trust her at all.

What else could she say? She'd just end up humiliating herself at the end of the day.

"Mr. Thornton, I'm sure that your wife didn't mean to do those things to me. Please let her go."

Rebecca coughed a few times before looking down at her belly. Tears began brimming in her eyes once again.

"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have lingered around the hometown in which I had spent my childhood years. I shouldn't have sullied Mrs. Thornton's gaze by existing in front of her.

"Once I get discharged from the hospital, I'll fly abroad and give birth there. That way, peace and quiet will be restored to Mrs. Thornton's life once again."

Jacob tucked Rebecca in. His expression was as cold as ever. "You're not the one at the wrong here, so why are you the one leaving?

"Penelope, get over here right now! Or are you planning to wait till I get my guys to drag your ass over here?"

As soon as his voice rang out, Michael moved to yank Penelope by the hair. She was half-dragged, half-shoved to the foot of Rebecca's bed.

Smugness radiated from Rebecca's eyes, though she pretended to show concern toward Penelope.

"Mr. Lanner, don't be rough with Ms. Hall. After all, she's the esteemed and prestigious Mrs. Thornton."

"Hmph! An old, sterile woman like her isn't fit to become Mrs. Thornton!"

One of Jacob's friends walked over and delivered a tight slap across Penelope's face. "How dare you bully Rebecca, you filthy bitch! I'll be sure to teach you a painful lesson today!"

Poor Penelope's ears rang heavily thanks to the slap. It took her a few seconds to recover from the buzzing and have her hearing restored.

She did her best to hold back her tears as she adapted a humble stance. "I'm sorry, Rebecca. This is all my fault."

Once she raised her head again, the sorrow in her eyes had faded away. This time, there was nothing but icy impassiveness in her gaze.

"Mr. Thornton, I've already apologized to Rebecca and gotten slapped as a form of punishment. Are you happy? May I leave now?"

When Jacob noticed the iciness in Penelope's gaze, he felt a jolt of pain blazing from his heart. He was about to say something when his friend stopped him.

"Jake, Penelope almost cost Rebecca her child this time. If you were to let her go with a slap on her wrist, you'd be spoiling her instead."

Everyone else quickly agreed with the first friend.

"Jake took pity on Penelope for not being able to bear any children and for being an unwanted cougar. That was the only reason why he decided to agree to the marriage. Not only did she not know her place, but she also had the guts to bully others! That woman has crossed a line this time!"

"Rebecca loves eating oranges the most. Why don't we make Penelope peel ten oranges for her as a form of punishment?"

"Jake, if you don't punish Penelope now, she might end up killing both Rebecca and her unborn child in the future!"

Hearing the grave consequences made Jacob shed what little pity he had for Penelope. A cold and ruthless expression soon replaced his previous look.

"Guards, bring me ten oranges!"

"Don't do it, Jacob!" Rebecca quickly reminded Jacob, though there was a hint of a smile in her eyes. "Have you forgotten that Ms. Hall is allergic to the smell of oranges? Her life will be in danger!"

Jacob looked shocked in return. He hesitated for a few seconds before issuing another order, "Forget about—"

"Ah! My belly hurts!" Rebecca bent over all of a sudden in pain.

She moaned, "I think I'm bleeding down there again!"

Even though Rebecca's wails sounded heartbreaking, the fact that she wasn't tearing up at all showed that it was all but a façade.

"Summon the doctor!"

Jacob quickly coaxed Rebecca anxiously. Then, he hollered, "Penelope, you're not allowed to leave this ward until you're done peeling all of the oranges!"

Penelope could only smile bitterly. She was smiling so hard that tears began trickling down her cheeks.

In the past, she was forced to guzzle down orange juice, courtesy of the bar's patrons, during one of her attempts to earn enough money to treat Jacob's schizophrenia. As a result, she was sent to the emergency room for treatment.

Back then, Jacob had stayed by her side at all times. After that ordeal, he even specifically made a note of her deadly allergy triggered by oranges in a notebook. He even told her that he would never let her suffer from her allergies ever again.

But today, Jacob was more than willing to torment Penelope with oranges just so he could avenge Rebecca. He really was a ruthless man.

Then again, he was just acting the part of a loving husband. It wasn't as if he truly cared about Penelope from the start.

How could she forget about that?

Jacob only loved Rebecca, be it when he was 18 or when he was 24.

The strong scent of oranges overwhelmed Penelope so much that she found it hard to breathe. Soon, she found herself to be on the verge of collapsing.

She did her best to suppress the intense dizziness as she peeled the rough skin off the oranges and dug out the fleshy fruit from within before plating it.

One orange… Two oranges…

Penelope was already seeing double at that time. Blood was starting to seep out of her nails from digging into the oranges too hard. Still, Jacob showed no signs of stopping her.

Having given up on all hope, Penelope allowed the suffocation to take over her senses as she continued peeling the oranges.

Three oranges… Five oranges…

Penelope's breathing gradually became intense and rapid. Rebecca's worried voice rang out at that moment.

"Jacob, Ms. Hall looks really sick right now. Hurry up and tell her to go home. If this goes on, I'm worried that she might collapse."

"Rebecca, you're too kind-hearted. That old hag is clearly pretending to be ill!" Jacob's friend retorted. "Penelope, self-torture is not going to work on Jacob! Hurry up and peel the oranges!"

But Jacob's frown deepened even more when he noticed how blue Penelope's face had gone. He finally said, "That's enough. You can leave now. This will be your first and last offence."

Penelope relaxed visibly. She fled from the VIP ward right away.

In the corridor, she clutched her chest while gasping for breath. Suddenly, her legs gave out from under her, causing her to collapse to the floor.

The moment she was about to lose consciousness, she heard a familiar voice ringing out next to her ear.

"Becky, the oranges are very sweet. You should eat more; they'll help you recover faster."

Meanwhile, Rebecca gazed at Penelope, who was already lying on the floor and was staring at her with glassy eyes. She giggled softly in return.

"The oranges that Ms. Hall has peeled for me are extremely sweet. Jacob, you should have some too."

Poor Penelope could only breathe with great difficulty. She felt as though she was a dying fish that flopped incessantly on the surface.

There was a high chance that she might die soon.

No!

Penelope was about to leave Jacob and start a new chapter in her life! There was no way she'd die a pathetic death like this!

She mustered all of her strength to pull out her phone from her pocket in hopes of calling Peter. Unfortunately, her fingers lacked the strength to do so.

Gradually, Penelope's arm slid down limply as her world descended into darkness.