Penelope's POV:

The moment those words leave the sexy man's lips, Charles gets to his feet and drags me up with him.

"Mom, dad, I'm sorry but we'll be leaving now."

"You only just got here! You haven't even had dessert!" Mrs Halstead protests, worry lacing her tone. Worry for her golden son and not me, obviously.

Charles shoots a look at the man, one filled with pure loathing. "Another time."

Mr Halstead is awfully quiet. He sips his wine, his eyes focused on the man. Those eyes are chilly, and it's not hard to guess what he's thinking.

"You must be my sister-in-law," the man stops me, the corners of his lips titled up. He strokes the kitten, his eyes burning into mine. His gaze feels like a fire consuming me slowly.

My heart catches in my throat, and my face heats up. I try to speak and the words won't come out, so I nod.

"Hold onto this beauty for me. Her name has Leila, and I'll be back for her soon." He hands the kitten over to me. She's a tiny thing. It's the first time I'm holding a kitten and I don't know what to do.

"Don't you fucking talk to her," Charles snaps. He grabs my arm and yanks me away. "Stay the fuck away from my wife."

"I didn't get your name," he says, his eyes raking over my face and resting on my lips.

I try to reply. I really do. But he's staring at my mouth so intently that I can't even breathe.

"Fuck off." Charles snaps.

The man doesn't reply, but the look in his eyes turn dark. He meets my eyes, and only then can I inhale. "Take care of my kitten," he says to me, completely ignoring Charles.

If there's anything Charles hates, it's being ignored. He doesn't listen to my protests as he drags me all the way out of his parents out and into the car.

"Who was that man?" I ask as he starts the engine. The car takes off with such force that it shoots me back into my seat. "Charles!"

"He's no one!" His voice books off in the space between us.

The kitten meows and snuggles into my chest, I feel her tiny claws digging into my skin. The urge to protect her washes over me and I hold my arms protectively over her.

"He didn't seem like no one,"

Charles scoffs. "He's my brother. Happy now?"

His knuckles are tight from holding the steering too tight. His eyes are darker too, and his jaw clenched. I avert my eyes to the window and don't reply.

A brother. He never told me about this, not in the six years we've known each other.

I didn't like this.

Back home, Charles snatches the kitten from me before we can even cross the door.

He holds It like it's a filthy thing, and It fights against him, it's tiny body trembling, claws flying everywhere. "I'm getting rid of this."

"You will do no such thing!" I don't know where the boldness comes from, but it rushes into me like a flood of heat. "it's just a kitten, Charles. It's done absolutely nothing to you!"

His brows knit together and he scoffs. "Why did you take it? Huh?! What happened to saying no?!"

I blink at him. "what?"

He glances at it and scoffs. "Do you know him from somewhere? Have you met him before?"

"What are you-"

"Don't fucking lie to me. I saw the way you looked at him, that's not a first time look. Do you know my brother?"

"Did you ever mention him to me? Until thirty minutes ago I didn't even know you had a brother." I spit, anger brewing in my heart. "Don't you dare try to spin this on me because of a fucking kitten!"

His tongue pushes out his cheek and for a few seconds he glowers at me. My heart skips and I clench my fists. In the four years I've been married to Charles, he's never, ever been angry at me.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.

He tosses the kitten at me. I scramble to catch it, nearly tripping over my own feet. It's cries twist my heart and I shoot a glare at Charles.

The doorbell interrupt the tense air between us. Charles leaves to get it while I sink into the couch, whispering soothing words to the kitten.

"Penny! Oh my! You got a kitten?!" Calypso waltz into the living room, all smiles and glam. She gasps, her eyes widening. "It's soooo cute! What did you name her? Can I pet her?"

"No."

She blinks, jerking back as if I splashed hot water on her. She laughs uneasily and turns to Charles. "Mr Halstead, what did you do to your wife? She's in an awful mood this evening."

Charles sighs. "it's nothing."

I stare at the both of them. My anger directs to them. I want to slap them both. Or kick them. Or both. The nerves Calypso has. Fucking my husband and showing up here like it's nothing. And Charles. Oh my goodness. He should have gone to Hollywood. They're talking about my mood, like I'm not even there.

"It's late, why are you here?" I ask. Calypso turns to me and smiles.

I notice that she's glowing, her cheeks are rosy and her eyes are shiny. She has this look when something good happened to her. I realize how many times I've seen it on her in the past, no doubt after each escapade with Charles.

"Oh! I came here to break the news to you two in person, as you're my bestest friends ever!"

"What news?"

She pauses, probably for dramatic effect, but all it does is piss me off further. I stroke the kitten gently, reminding myself to keep calm.

"I'm getting married next week!" She cheers, throwing confetti into the air.

I glance at Charles. And I hear my heart shatter.

He looks devastated. All the anger is gone replaced with shock, his jaw drops, and he inhales sharply.

"Married?" He asks with a chuckle. "when did this happen? You never told me...us about it."

"I am telling you now," Calypso says with a charming smile, the kind that can disarm anyone.

And it works. The tips of his ears turn red and he covers his face, clearing his throat loudly. "This is all so sudden,"

She plops on the couch beside me and let's out a content sigh. "I'm so happy, really. And I couldn't wait to tell you two. Penny, you're going to be my maid of honour. You'll do it for me, right?"

I would do anything for her. But right now, I can't find that warmth I used to have for her. She was once the apple of my eye. I loved her, more than anything. I made sure she never got the brunt of our parents harsh treatments.

And this is how she treats me.

"Congratulations, Cal," I say, my voice tight. "Who is this lucky guy?"

Ha! Lucky is the furthest thing he'll be. He has no idea he's marrying a snake.

"A week is too soon, Calypso. Are you sure about this?" Charles asks.

Oh god. Could he be any more obvious?

I grit my teeth so hard I fear it'll shatter. If I didn't know better I'd think he was so concerned about my sister.

"Yes. He's perfect, really. And you know I want to have my own love story. Like you and Penny."

I gag. Both of them should have gone to Hollywood.

"Who is he?" I ask again.

"You may not like this but...he's a Thalorian. His name is Angelo, and he's my dream come true."

"Absolutely not! Not those filthy Thalorians! You can't marry him! That family is shrouded in secrets and blood!" Charles explodes with such passion that I'm left stunned.

Calypso flips her hair over her shoulder and turns to me. "What's the matter, penny? You don't look happy for me."

I look at my husband, taking in his expression caught between anger and betrayal. Then I smirk. "Oh no, I'm happy. I'm so fucking happy for you, Cal."

"Penelope!" Charles looks at me like I'm the one betraying him. All I can do is shrug, my heart singing for joy.

Turns out we've both been played, dear husband.

Penelope's POV

"She can't marry that Thalorian. How are you so calm about this?! She's your sister!"

"Why are you more worried than I am? She's my sister, not yours."

It's been thirty minutes since Calypso broke the news, drank some wine and left. Leila fell asleep and I made a makeshift bed out of my fluffiest blankets.

Right now, I stare at my frantic husband, and a part of me finds this all amusing. Deeply sad, but amusing. He's pacing our bedroom floor like a headless chicken, clearly losing his mind over Calypso's marriage. A part of me wonders how he'd react if I tell him I know he's fucking her.

My mind goes back to the divorce papers.

He rounds on me as if he's discovered the mysteries of the universe. "Thalorians are terrible people, Pen. Those people lack morality, basic decency. You don't understand what I'm saying. She can't marry one of them!"

Sure, I know of the Thalorians. Who doesn't?

For almost fifty years they've been at the number one spot in the business world. They run Olympus, the biggest company hive in the world with branches in every country. Billionaires doesn't even begin to cut. They're called "gods of the new century" because of their influence and power.

Calypso is about to become a literal goddess. Isn't that wonderful?

"I'd say it's a good thing. Calypso is marrying into wealth and power."

"As if she's marrying a legitimate Thalorian,"

I bite my lip at his cutting tone. "Doesn't matter,"

He brushes his hands over his face and groans in frustration. "They have ties in the mafia. The fucking mafia. Do you have any idea what that would mean for us?"

"That means she'll be protected."

"You're not listening to me!"

"No! You are not listening to me! She's getting married, so what?! She's an adult. She can choose who he wants to marry. And she said she loves him, what's wrong with that?!"

Except, I know what's wrong with that. It makes me shake with rage that he has the guts to be this fucking shameless in front of me.

He stares at me like I've grown an extra head. "I can't believe you. I thought you loved your sister."

"Which is exactly why I'm going to support her, wear a beautiful dress and stand by her side as her maid of fucking honour."

Silence stretches between us as we face each other off. He breaks eye contact, sighing to. himself.

"Since you don't care, I'm going to stop that wedding."

My anger chips away at the corners and in it's place comes despair. It's a different kind of pain seeing this right now. My husband about to sabotage my sister's wedding because he's in love with her.

"You wouldn't dare," my voice shakes with the weight of my emotions.

"Watch me." he says, finality in his tone.

He wasn't joking.

The next two weeks are nothing short of hectic.

The couple wanted a private wedding. It would appear that the Thalorians aren't aware of the wedding for whatever reasons. Not that I cared.

I was at Calypso's side most of the time. Cake tasting. Venue scouting. Picking dresses. All of that. It was exhausting, dragging myself along with her.

And Charles, he did exactly what he said he would.

He threatened Angelo, who by the way was very sweet and kind, and he tried on several occasions to talk Calypso out of it. For once, I was grateful for my sister's stubbornness.

Our parents flew in for the wedding. Everything was ready. Calypso was going along with it. At a point all I wanted was for it to be over so I could rest.

I decided. The moment it was done, I'm divorcing Charles. Consequences be damned.

A day to the wedding, I'm getting my things together when Seraphina calls.

"So! Here's what I found about your mystery man!" Seraphina's chirper voice makes me smile. "Technically, he's not a member of the Halstead family. He was disowned years ago."

"Why?"

"I don't know, honestly. There's not much known about this guy except his name. Vincent."

"Vincent," I say to myself, picturing the insanely attractive man that have me a kitten. Speaking of kitten, Leila is cuddled up in her cat bed, sleeping peacefully. "What does he do?" I ask Seraphina.

"Judging from the kitten incident, I thought he ran an animal shelter or something," sounds of typing from her side are all I hear for a while. "There's no information on his line of business. But you might wanna listen to this."

I press the phone closer to my ear. "What? Is he a gangster?"

"Not exactly. He's known as the Devil of Deals in some really elite circles. Basically, he grants wishes in the form of deals. He's very expensive from what I was able to find. But very sought after. No one knows what he looks like, no one's ever met him before."

Devil of Deals? Come to think of it, I think I've heard something like that before. I can't place where exactly.

Vincent Halstead, the Devil of Deals. Was that the same man I met? This elusive Devil just handed me a kitten?

"I don't know, what if it's not him?"

"There's only one way to find out," Seraphina sighs. "What do you think though? Did he have the devilish aura?"

"Oh he had more than the aura. He looked like he stepped out of hell or something-"

The door opens and Charles walks in. "Sera, I'll call you back."

I hang up and turn to Charles. He's spotting a three day old beard, his hair is messy and his eyes are dull.

He walks up to me and hands me an envelope. "Here," his voice is low.

I smirk to myself. Ah, so he finally wants this huh?

"I have something for you too," I ask as I take the envelope. I pick up my own envelope from the dresser and hand it to him.

"This better not be some work related shit," he grumbles as he tears into the envelope. Lately he's been in a foul mood. Of course, his girlfriend is getting married. How touching.

Leila paws at the hem of my gown and I pick her up. She's a bit bigger, and her purrs bring me comfort.

Charles read the papers. His brows scrunch together and he glances at me. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Shall I explain what a divorce agreement is, Mr Halstead?"

He scoffs in disbelief. "You're divorcing me?!"

Penelope's POV:

I gently place Leila on the bed and open up his envelope. "Oh wow, you're divorcing me too! Isn't this convenient? Why don't we both sign them and go on our merry ways?"

His eyes narrow. "You're cheating on me, isn't it?"

I blink rapidly. "I beg your finest pardon?"

"That's why you're divorcing me. How long has this been going on? Huh? Those business trips, that's when you meet him, isn't it?"

I don't reply. Only because I can't wrap my head around the nonsense coming out of his mouth.

"Is it my brother? Who is it?!"

Something snaps inside me. Something deeply fundamental to my sanity. Blood rushes to my head. My hand flies to my mouth and I bite down on my thumb. Hard. The pain shocks me out of the rage in my gut.

All my rational thinking flies out of the window.

"Don't give me that fucking shit! You're fucking my sister! And you have the....oh my goodness...you have the nerve to stand there and accuse me?!"

A calm washes over his face. "You know." He says. It wasn't a question. There wasn't the slightest bit of guilt in it. If anything he sounded annoyed.

I feel like clawing my hair out. I feel like bashing his face into my knee. I feel like ripping him to shreds.

"How did you find out? I made sure you'd never."

Tears of anger and hurt and betrayal burn my eyes. "You sick bastard."

"Don't give me that look. Did you really buy it? My affection? My love? You thought it was all real?" When I don't reply he scoffs and continues. "Wow. For such a smart woman, you're awfully dumb as well."

"Sign the papers, Charles. We're done." I clench my fists. My entire world feels like it's closing in on me.

He shakes his head, clicking his tongue twice. "How long have you known? Ah, let me guess. Before our anniversary? No wonder you were so cold to me. I just commend you though. Being able to bottle it up for this long....kudos. You're amazing. It must have hurt, no?"

A tear breeches my lash line. It's one thing knowing the truth, and it's another hearing him admit it so shamelessly. Without a single hint of remorse.

"Was any part of our marriage real?" my breath shudders as I ask. A sob claws up my throat and I swallow it done. "Even one part?"

"Your sister." He replies.

"You're disgusting. Both of you."

He smiles. "We'll settle out differences later, darling. Right now, you're going to help me stop your sister from marrying that Thalorian."

"Over my dead body."

He backs me into a wall, caging me between it and his body. "Don't be so difficult, love. I can't bear to see the love of my life marry some loser."

My hand moves on its own. I punch him square in the jaw. He reels back, howling in pain as he clutches his face. I waste no time and run to the door. I had barely grabbed the doorknob before he was on me.

"Get off me!" I scream, thrashing in his hold. He pins me to the ground, holding both my arms above his head. Blood drips down his nose and onto my chest.

He's livid. His eyes are wild with an anger I've never seen before.

"You fucking bitch," he snarls, his lip peeled back in anger. "I've tried to be nice to you, Penelope. Looks like you don't appreciate that."

He grabs my hair and lifts my head up, slamming my head into the ground. My mouth hangs open in a soundless scream, and I feel my brain rattle in my skull. The pain is blinding, exploding all around my head in a dull throb. Black splotches appear at the corners of my vision and I feel a stickiness at the back of my head. A metallic smell fills my nostrils and I gag.

He leans down, his lips grazing the shell of my ear. "Listen to me, Calypso is carrying my child. No matter what happens, she will not marry that fucker. Am I clear?"

I didn't think it was possible for my heart to break any further, but it did. I sobbed quietly, my vision swimming in and out of focus.

My heart completely shatters to dust. The air leaves my lungs and it feels like every part of my body splinters in unison with my heart.

"No..."

"Yes," Charles chuckles. He kisses my ear gently, a stark contrast to what he just did. "Your actions are pointless, my love."

"I'll kill you...both of you..."

"You're welcome to try. And don't even think about divorce. You're not going anywhere. You signed a contract, remember? Let's face it, you don't have that kind of money, and you wont survive jail."

He raises his head and stares at me. He's smiling like he just won the lottery. The bastard is fucking happy.

"Gods, you look fucking incredible like this," he says with a deep groan. Before I could react, he kisses me, shoving his tongue into my mouth like he's trying to dig a hole.

I want to vomit. I press my lips tightly together, but that only makes him bite them. I feel helpless, defeated and so tired. He pulls back after a few seconds and licks his lips.

"Just let me go..." I sob. I hate how broken I sound. But I hate the words I say more. "I don't care, marry her, fuck her, whatever. Just let me go, were done."

"No way. I own you, Penelope Verdant. All of you. Let you go? Why would i do that?"

He kisses me again. Fear coils in my heart when he starts to touch my waist. But he stops and pulls back. "We're stopping that wedding tomorrow. I don't care how, even if I have to haul in your dead body."

He gets off me and leaves, the door shutting behind him. I don't know how long I lay there for. I can't even pass out, the pain gets worse and worse but I'm wide awake through it all.

The tears come, and I let them. I've never felt so violated and used in my entire life. And by the one person I loved so much.

Calypso is pregnant with his child. And yet she acts like nothing happened. Gods. She must be laughing at me. She's laughing at me. Both of them. Even the gods are laughing at me.

Poor Penelope. Sad Penelope. Stupid Penelope.

The ringing of my phone shatters the silence. I realize it's dark, and I've laid on the floor for hours.

I force myself to sit up. The blood had dried in my hair, making it matted and filthy. I could smell It, copper and betrayal. It hurt, but it was bearable. I pick my phone up. My mother is calling. She's called six times already.

"Where are you?!" Her screeching makes me wince and nearly drop the phone.

"I'm at-"

She doesn't let me finish. "Come to the hospital immediately! Your sister just had an accident!"