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!"

Penelope's POV:

The moment my mother hangs up, my phone rings again. I pick it without glancing at the screen.

"Miss Verdant," a husky feminine voice says.

A sigh of relief escapes my lips and I close my eyes. "Athena, thank goodness."

Athena Blaine. My bodyguard of ten years. She's the only one that calls me Miss Verdant even though I've been Mrs Halstead for four years. For the past week she's been out of the country. I forgot she was returning today.

I hear wheels rolling on pavement, probably her suitcase. "You don't sound good, Miss Verdant. Where are you? Is everything okay?"

I force myself to stand. My head swirls and I feel sick. I swallow it down and nod, even though she can't see it. "I'll send you an address. Meet me there, please. I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up from the airport."

"Don't apologize, that's my job. I'll meet you soon," she says and hangs up.

My mother's frantic scream rings on repeat in my head. I'm able to take a quick shower. Watching the water turn red and wash down the drain fills me with dread.

Charles hurt me. The man who had never raised his voice on me in six years hurt me.

It hurt. And it wasn't just the wound.

I get dressed hastily and try not to think of it too much. My limbs weigh a ton, and a sob is caught permanently in my throat.

Charles did this. He hurt Calypso. I just know he did.

I never thought he would go to these lengths just to stop her wedding. But then again I never thought he would cheat on with my sister.

"Oh god..."

I hate Calypso for what she did to me, I really do. But she's my sister. I don't want her to die. I don't want anything to happen to her.

Dragging myself out of the house, I'm able to get a taxi.

"A thousand dollars for the night, drive me where I want and don't ask any questions."

"Yes ma'am."

Arriving at the hospital, Athena is the first person I meet. She's waiting for me at the entrance, her suitcase leaning against her leg, her stance tense and her eyes focused right ahead.

When I first met her eleven years ago, I was scared shitless. She was the tallest woman I'd ever seen. She was 6"3, lean and toned, and carried herself with the grace of a ballet dancer. She had dark hair done in a bob, cold green eyes and an androgynous beauty that I found both fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Her strength was no joke, one time she beat up a dozen men twice her size and didn't sustain even a scratch.

I call her my goddess. Even her name reflects that.

Now, she's basically the same. Tall, cold and terrifyingly beautiful. But her eyes soften when she sees me, and the corners of her lips tip up into what might be a smile. I've never seen her smile.

I'm happy to see her. I'm always happy to see her.

She meets me halfway, her eyes scanning over my face. There's a wrinkle in her blazer, and her eyes are a bit dull. A small detail, but one that reminds me this goddess is human after all.

"Miss Verdant, you look tired."

"You look more tired." I say, trying to joke.

It flies right over her head. "I'm fine. Is your health okay?"

"Calypso had an accident," I say, inhaling as I spoke.

Her eyes harden. Without any more words, she takes my hand, suitcase in the other and leads me into the hospital. I want to tell her that I can walk fine, but I can't speak. I just want to make sure Calypso is okay and can attend her wedding tomorrow.

I find Calypso's room. My heart threatening to burst out of my mouth, I rush to it. Athena yells at me to slow down, but I'm too worried to be calm right now.

"Cal!" I scream as I slam the door open and rush into the room.

The sight before me makes my blood turn to powder.

Calypso is in a hospital gown alright. Sitting beside her is Charles. They turn and stare at me. Their lips are glossy and red, and it doesn't take much to guess what just happened. Calypso wipes her lips and smiles at me, while Charles doesn't even try to look embarrassed.

"How..."

"Can't you at least knock?" Charles asks, annoyance lacing his words.

Calypso giggles, covering her mouth. "Oops. I guess you've found out my big secret, Penny."

"Miss Verdant!" Athena catches up with me. "What-" her words are abruptly cut off when she sees them.

I stand in the doorway, a dozen different emotions stirring in my heart. The most prominent of them being anger.

How dare they?! I ran all the way here, thinking my sister was seriously hurt. And I meet this?!

"Do you still want that ice cream?" Charles asks her. He walks over to the fridge and gets a tub of ice cream. Then he turns to me and flashes a smile. "Want some? It's tiramisu, I know you like it."

"You piece of shit!" I scream and throw myself at him.

"Penelope!" A loud shout stops me before I can take a step further. I freeze, turning around to see my parents standing behind me.

"Mom, dad,"

"Watch your voice child. This is a hospital." My mother hisses. Her blue eyes glare at me with visible disgust. Her thin gray hair is messy, it looks like she didn't even makeup before she came here.

She clicks her tongue and walks in, intentionally brushing her shoulder with mine. Her tone turns sickly sweet the moment she sees Calypso. "My darling! How are you doing? Does it still hurt?"

"No mommy I'm alright now. You didn't have to come,"

"Nonsense! How could I not? I brought pears. They're your favorite, remember?"

Calypso takes the basket of fruit, her eyes shiny. "Awww you didn't have to! Penny, want some pears?!"

I can't believe this is real.

When Charles slammed my head into the floor, did I die and wake up in hell?

My father walks past me, his dark eyes raking over me from top to bottom. The wrinkles around his mouth deepen as he frowns. Without a word, he walks over to Calypso's bedside. My heart feels paper thin. For five years, he hasn't spoken a single word to me. He smiles at Calypso and asks how she's doing. She smiles back.

My knees wobble and I fall back. Athena catches me, her arms holding me up, and her chest pressed into my back.

"Miss Verdant, you're still weak,"

I push at her arms and force myself to stand. Tears brim in my eyes and my throat feels very painfully narrow. "I-I'm fine..."

I'm not fine. Oh gods I'm light years from fine.

What's happening? Why aren't my parents saying anything?! Why are they all gathered around Calypso like her brains were blown out or something?!

Charles turns to me and sighs. "Oh for heavens sake, come inside and don't stand there like a reject."

"A reject?" I gasp, disbelief in my voice. "That's....how..." Athena squeezes my shoulder. I pause and inhale deeply.

Both my parents glare at me.

"Your sister's fiancé pushed her down the stairs. Mr Halstead was the one who found her. Where on earth were you?! Your sister could have died! And what would you have said?!" my mother barks at me.