Chapter 1191: No one will blame you for it.

[Penny!]

[Useless sister!]

[Penelope Bennet? Hah. Aside from the family name you carry, you’re not my sister. So, stop calling me Brother.]

[I hate you, and I wish you would just die, Penny.]

Slater’s angry voice echoed in his ears, remembering just bits and pieces of the countless hurtful things he had said to Penny in their first life. They all bore anger and cruelty, meant to hurt her in every possible way.

Words he wished he hadn’t spoken so carelessly. Words he wished he could take back. If only he had been just a little bit kinder and more understanding, maybe it wouldn’t feel so heavy now. Maybe it wouldn’t be so terrifying to think about how her heart might change with this confession. And maybe, he wouldn’t have to wonder how this would pull them further apart.

Just maybe...

"I remember," he whispered, a part of him trying to hold him back from what felt like a suicidal decision. "I remember everything, Penny."

Deep lines appeared between Penny’s brows as she looked at him, confused. "What does that mean?" she wondered. "You remember what?"

"Everything," he breathed out, marching toward her and stopping just a step away. Looking into her eyes, his eyes gleamed with all sorts of emotions. Dominating them all was regret—deep regret that seemed as though nothing in this world could ever take it away.

"Third Brother..." The confusion on her face was evident as she studied the look in his eyes. "I don’t understand why you’re..."

Thud.

Her brows rose as her words caught in her throat, and she gazed down at Slater. "Third Brother, what do you think you’re doing?" she asked, trying to pick him up from his knees. "If this is about last night, it’s nothing. Stop kneeling like that—goodness! People might think you’ve really lost your mind and are now proposing to your already-married sister. That’s disgusting, you know?"

"I’m sorry," he muttered through gritted teeth, his hands clasping the grass. "I’m sorry."

"Third Brother, what the—get up now. I’m not that hurt," she returned, still trying to hold his arm to help him up. "This is embarrassing. My injury isn’t that bad..."

Penny assumed this was all about last night. Knowing Slater, she was certain he was blaming himself for that stab wound on her thigh. However, wasn’t kneeling a bit much? Actually, he wasn’t just kneeling—he was almost kowtowing... while crying.

But then...

"I’m sorry for everything," Slater expressed through a muffled cry. "I’m sorry... sorry... I shouldn’t have said all of that. I should’ve believed you when you said you didn’t do it..."

Penny froze, her grip on his arm loosening. Her eyes slowly grew wide, and she stared at him, his back trembling as he apologized.

What did he just say?

He should’ve believed her when she already said she didn’t do it.

What did he mean by that?

In this lifetime, there were so many things Penny had lied about. Like how she would automatically deny eating the snacks hidden in the fridge or the pantry. Or the dent in his car that she tried to fix by painting over it. Or the missing phone charger that she had used as a rope out of necessity.

When accused, she would say she didn’t do it. But in the end, she would still admit it and argue with Slater over it. She had lied about many things and denied many things, but none of them had been big enough to cause this kind of devastation.

Of all the lies she had told and the truths she had claimed, there was only one that had truly hurt her deeply.

That one time, in her previous life, when she told the truth and no one believed her.

That one truth, and one lie, combined into one.

"Third Brother..." Penny called under her breath as she slowly let go of his shoulder. "What do you... remember?"

Slater hiccupped and looked up at her. His vision blurred with tears, his mouth quivering as he whispered, "Everything. This life... and the last one."

Those words sent her heart tumbling, and she felt it drop to her stomach. Her breathing hitched for a moment, and her entire body froze in time. For a while, all she could do was stare at him, her mind going completely blank.

Penny tried to maintain composure. She tried to make sense of it, but every last brain cell she had was falling apart as it tried to find a different explanation. Deep in her bones, she wanted to deny one more thing—her pain. The pain she had painstakingly mended and patiently healed caused by others.

But how could she deny something when it was presented to her so plainly?

Without thinking, Penny took a step back. "I don’t understand what you’re saying," she blurted out, taking another step away from him. "Third Brother, you’re being weird. I guess you missed a lot of snacks too. That’s just hunger."

Having said that, Penny turned hurriedly, unsure of what she was doing herself. However, she knew she had to stop this for now. This was something she wasn’t prepared for; this was not part of the trip. She had questions, yes. However, she just realized she didn’t need answers right now.

Limping away from him, Penny stopped when Slater spoke aloud.

"I know you remember!" Slater yelled through his tears. "Penny, I remember too! How I treated you, how I hurt you, and how I... we—First Brother—left you in that fight to die!"

Slowly, Slater rose to his feet, eyes on her back. "I remember," he whispered again. "I remember everything... and despite all of that, despite everything we did in our first life, you... you... embraced us again like nothing happened."

Tears swelled in Penny’s eyes as she held her breath, her neck growing taut. Her entire body shuddered, and her eyes darted to stop the tears from falling.

"I remember, and yet... I shamelessly clung to you as if I deserve you," he choked through his tears. "But I can’t pretend anymore when I know that you’d sacrifice yourself for these good-for-nothing brothers. We don’t deserve you, we don’t deserve your leniency, your forgiveness, or your... love."

"Penny, let us all go," Slater forced the words out again, mustering his courage to say what he had to tell her. "Just leave us all... just like we did. No one will blame you for it."