Chapter 573: The devil within

"Can I trust you with everything?"

Another wave of silence fell on Zoren’s and Penny’s shoulders after her question. Normally, he would’ve answered quickly without batting an eye, as it was an easy question.

Of course, she could trust him.

However, the way she asked made him realize it wasn’t just a simple question that required a yes or no answer. It came from a place of fear and desperation, as if her life depended on it. Thus, he didn’t answer immediately, even when he knew he could.

"235144," Zoren replied after a tense silence hung between them. "That’s the passcode to my safe. It contains all the files that I wouldn’t want anyone to see or even know about. If you want to bring me down, you may go there. I put your name as someone who could access it anytime."

Zoren then took a careful step forward. "A few years ago, I asked Renny to tear a person’s limb. Though he is alive, he won’t be able to walk again."

"There are plenty more reasons I could add... that might make you want to run from me," he added quietly, moving closer until he stood directly in front of her.

"Can you trust me with everything? No, Penny." He shook his head. "Don’t trust me with everything because I walk a narrow path. I don’t want to take your everything to my grave and leave you with nothing."

Penny gazed up at him, unfazed by everything he had said. It wasn’t that she believed or didn’t believe him; she simply let his words go in one ear and out the other, not because she wasn’t interested, but because they didn’t matter to her.

"I promised you that I’d live a long life with you," he whispered, holding her shoulder gently. "And I still plan to do that. It wasn’t a lie. However, life is full of surprises, and with how I’ve lived, I can’t be certain."

"What’s wrong, my love?" he asked after saying all of that, as if it amounted to nothing.

Penny’s lips quivered even as she pressed them together. "I need help."

"For what?"

"Reaching out to the devil within me."

Deep lines appeared between his brows as he tilted his head to the side. When he glanced at the glass of wine on the table, he grasped what she was talking about.

"I need to talk to her," she whispered, clasping Zoren’s clothes. "She has to know that... I didn’t get out of prison. I died in it."

"What?"

Penny pressed her lips together and smiled subtly. "I’ll tell you everything about me, Renren. But I’ll tell you after this." She turned to the table, picking up the white envelope resting on it. When she faced Zoren again, she handed the envelope to him.

"Give this to her." Penny nodded at him. "Once she wakes up, hand it to her. Tell her it’s from me."

Zoren furrowed his brows, confused. However, he still nodded reassuringly.

"I’ll deliver it to her," he said, making her smile a bit. He took a step back from her, holding the envelope. "Should I let everyone know about this?"

Penny turned to him and nodded. "Yes, please. I don’t want to cause any more trouble."

"Should I hide him?" he asked again. "That man, Nathaniel."

For a moment, Penny didn’t answer; she gazed down at the wine in front of her. A subtle smile turned up on her face as she looked back at him.

"Don’t." She shook her head. "He might help. I hope to see him tomorrow."

"Got it."

Having said that, Zoren nodded and gazed at her momentarily. "I’ll give the order."

"Mhm."

With that, Zoren walked out of the bedroom while Penny remained standing by the table. She didn’t immediately drink the wine, instead idling, staring at it without a word.

"I should’ve done this before," she whispered to herself. "After seeing Nathaniel today, I realized just how much it still hurts."

Penny felt all kinds of pain upon seeing the man. And even while watching him dig his own grave, Penny could only think of all the violent things she could and would do. This was something she had never felt for her family, even when she met them for the first time in this lifetime. Therefore, it hadn’t been a problem for her before.

But now, it was a problem, as the devil living within her could easily take over. The anger, the pain, the madness Penny used to carry... she didn’t want them in this lifetime. Today, however, slapped her with the truth that she wasn’t really far from all those things.

Now that she thought about it, the incident that had occurred several years ago involving her and Haines should’ve been a sign. That Penny had always been inside her, and she was afraid that someday, Penny wouldn’t just come out when she was drunk. She felt her today when she saw Nathaniel, crawling to her heart, trying to take control.

"I don’t want to be that Penny," she whispered. "I don’t want that anger in my heart. I don’t want that madness. I don’t want... anything that Penny has to offer."

Because that Penny, whom the prison had honed, hadn’t gotten better. She was the worst. She was someone even Penny was afraid of. In fact, she was someone Penny didn’t want to become in this lifetime.

And the only solution she had was to face her. To confront her with the help of Zoren — the only person she seemed to be fond of.

"It’s a good thing my husband’s face is all I ever wanted — is all both that Penny and I wanted," she whispered, reaching out for the glass of wine. She held it steadily, gulping as she stared at the glass in front of her.

Penny took another deep breath, as if preparing herself for what would happen tonight. When she moved the glass to her lips, she chugged it down until it was empty.

"Hah..." Penny let out a deep exhale, wiping her lips. She instantly felt dizzy as she recklessly placed the glass down on the table. She dragged herself to the bed, trying to keep herself awake. However, she passed out the moment the bed was within reach.

Half of her body fell on the bed while everything from the waist down hung off it. At the same time, Zoren returned to the bedroom. His eyes fell on her, and then he glanced at the table, particularly at the empty glass of wine.

Slowly, he closed the door behind him. Once it was fully closed, he leaned against it and crossed his arms over his chest.

’How does this happen?’ he wondered to himself, eyes on the woman on the bed. ’Will she just wake up? How long will it take?’

Curiosity lingered in Zoren’s mind as he stared at his wife quietly. Time ticked aloud, echoing in the room. Thirty minutes in, Penny was still sleeping soundlessly on the bed. Checking his wristwatch, Zoren wondered how long it would take. However, just as he glanced down, he saw her figure sit up from the corner of his eye.