Chapter 1
Chapter 1 “No entrance for Penelope Hudson and witches.” Staring at the familiar sign on the door, I cried tears of joy. Penelope Hudson was my name, and it was now written alongside the word “witch” as an insult. However, nobody knew how elated I was right now. That was because I was reborn and had returned to the day of my fiancé, Emil McLaren’s, birthday. In everyone’s opinion, I wasn’t good enough for him. Whether it was my family background or appearance, I was a far cry from him. He was the scion of the McLaren family in Bellamore, while I was an orphan. We were bound together for so many years just because of a childhood joke. Everyone was outraged for Emil’s sake, including Emil. So, he put up this sign at the door to stop me from entering, even though I was all dressed up. “Penelope, it’s not us who aren’t allowing you in. This is Emil’s idea.” “Be considerate and don’t make things difficult for us. That way, you won’t be embarrassed, too.” Emil’s buddies were at the door. They passed the message to me with indifferent expressions. On both sides were security officers with electric batons. Such tight security measures were set up only to be used against me. Anyone could guess that Emil hated me to the core. In my previous life, I wasn’t able to join the party as well. Like a stray animal, I waited outside the door until nightfall. Afterward, I caught a high fever from the cold and passed out. Later, Emil’s parents found out about this and lectured him before urging the wedding procedures. On the wedding day, the woman Emil adored, Sarah Fuhrer, committed suicide by throwing herself off a cliff. Emil and his friends thought of me as the murderer. So, he took revenge for his lover by abusing me emotionally and mistreating me. In addition, he wasted my youth and tormented me. Countless times, I brought up a divorce, but he turned it down every time. He kept promising to put me through hell over time in a menacing tone. For so many years, I was neglected and treated like I was invisible. In the end, I jumped into the sea in a state of mental confusion and died. The absurd thing was that while I lingered in the mortal world during my final moments, I saw Sarah returning to the country in a flashy manner. She reunited with Emil. She didn’t die and had been living well. She became an internationally renowned designer. Sarah and Emil’s deep and belated love received everyone’s blessings, and I was the only fool from the beginning. Now that I was starting again, I wanted to live well and stay away from Emil. Chapter 2 I turned and left as countless people stared at me in surprise. I did not feel any regret. Back at the McLaren residence, I removed the cumbersome gown. Everyone knew that I would do anything for Emil, despite his giving me the cold shoulder. When it came to matters which concerned him, I would plan far ahead and organize everything thoroughly for him. More than once, Emil mentioned that he was exhausted from work and wanted to unwind. Hence, I checked his work schedule and planned a trip to Wanoki Island because he said that he missed the beach and sea there. However, Emil didn’t agree to the trip to Wanoki Island. Instead, he chose to go hiking and camping with Sarah, and I was ordered to go along. The rain was pouring, but Emil sent me to pick up Sarah’s bracelet. In the end, I stumbled down the cliff and broke my leg. I ended up in the hospital for two months afterward. I didn’t want to experience that sort of hopelessness in life again, and leaving Emil was the first step. I packed my belongings quickly and went downstairs with my identification documents. Coincidentally, I bumped into the formally dressed Emil, who was walking in. Upon seeing me, he sniggered, snatched the luggage from my hand, and tossed it aside. Frowning, I asked, “What are you doing?” “I should be the one to ask you that, Penelope. Aren’t you a little old to be playing the runaway act? “What will you do next? Are you going to leave a note and commit suicide?” Emil chided in contempt while breathing heavily. “Penelope, grow up. Are you going to threaten me with suicide again?” I brushed the dust off my luggage and asked while enunciating each word, “Who told you that I’m going to kill myself?” Heartless people like Emil and Sarah could live good lives, and it wasn’t easy for me to get a second shot at life. Why should I kill myself? Emil snickered and said nothing. His eyes were full of disdain. Following closely behind him, Sarah said, “Penny, you can just tell Emil nicely that you would like to attend his birthday party. “You’re akin to siblings who grew up together. He’ll definitely let you in. You can threaten suicide once, but nobody will believe you when you do it the second time.” There was more behind Sarah’s statement, and the detest Emil held for me in his eyes intensified. Memories flashed past my mind, and I suddenly recalled an incident. After Emil and Sarah started dating during high school, his attitude toward me changed completely. Furious, I left a message saying that I would jump into a river. This scared the wits out of his parents, Hubert McLaren and Fiona Keller, and they ordered Emil to break up with Sarah. Since then, Emil detested me and gave me the cold shoulder. He refused to interact with me. Meanwhile, Sarah’s circle of friends ostracized and bullied me, but he turned a blind eye to it. Staring straight at Emil, I explained, “You’ve overanalyzed the situation. Suicide didn’t cross my mind. I packed my things because I’m rushing to catch the flight to Wanoki Island.” Emil snorted in laughter, laughing at my clumsy excuse to conserve my dignity. Sarah tugged at his sleeve. “Emil, let Penny come to the party with us. She’s rather pitiful.” Furrowing his brows, Emil was about to give in when I refused it again, “No thanks. I want to go to Wanoki Island.” Emil flinched and snorted. “Did you hear that? She wants to go to Wanoki Island.” “Penny, stop being unreasonable at this time.” Sarah sighed and hugged my arm. Her manicured nails dug deep into my flesh in a spot where no one could see, and I shoved her aside from the pain. Sarah fell to the floor and clenched her palms slowly. She looked at me in disbelief, and her lips trembled. “Penny, you—”
Chapter 3 “Penelope, you’re asking for it!” Emil reacted strongly, shoving me aside with a big force. The back of my head hit the edge of a step violently, and I was dizzy from the excruciating pain. Then, I heard Emil reprimanding loudly, “Penelope, are you hooked on bullying? Your existence has turned the air in the house bad. It makes me sick!” Bearing the pain, I spoke to stop him from saying even harsher things, “I’ll move out. Don’t worry.” “You better keep your word.” Emil’s tone was filled with anger. He glared at me unblinkingly. Then, he picked Sarah up in his arms and left. While I felt the sticky blood at the back of my head with my hand, something popped up in my mind out of the blue. When I was 15 years old, my relationship with Emil was far from how uptight it was now. As I already knew that we were going to get married and it was only a matter of time before we would be a family, I loved following him around. He was rebellious. He sneaked to an internet cafe to play games. I tagged along, and he got into an argument with someone over a game. I tried to break up the fight, but accidentally got a cut on my finger. In that moment, it was as though Emil had turned into a ferocious beast. He beat a guy much bigger than him to a pulp until the latter begged for mercy. But the man who was once so uptight just because I had accidentally hurt my finger could now harm and scold me so harshly because of someone else. He did so without even finding out the truth. Despite that, it didn’t matter anymore. Once Hubert and Fiona were back, I could annul the engagement to Emil. Turning to the house helper in a corner, I asked with great difficulty, “Will you send me to the hospital? I’ll pay you.” The new house helper was tempted, but before she could even approach me, an elderly woman pulled her back. Even though she purposely lowered her voice, it still reached my ears. “Do you want to keep your job? Don’t you know that Ms. Hudson is the person Mr. Emil hates the most now? If he sees you helping her, you’ll be fired!” The young house helper was startled. Finally, she took a glance at me and scurried away. Wearing a bitter smile, I shook my head and crawled to the corner to pick up my phone. Its screen was shattered. Hubert and Fiona were mostly abroad and would only be home for three to four days every month. Emil was the only master of the household. More than once, he had said that I wasn’t a member of the McLaren family and had to get my chores done by myself. Hence, nobody dared to approach me. Every time I returned home, the leftover food would be thrown into the bin and sealed tightly. The plates on the table would be empty. Fortunately, I was already used to this and pushed it through to get myself to the hospital. The doctor said that I had a concussion and kept me at the hospital for a couple of days for observation. After I was discharged, I returned to the McLaren residence to pack my belongings. The house helpers watched in indifference as I moved around miserably. That afternoon, I packed away everything and sent it to an apartment I had rented in a hurry. It was my temporary residence. Once I collected my graduation certificate, received a job offer, and canceled the engagement, I could escape from everything here. Three days after I moved out of the McLaren residence, Emil called me. He sounded drunk. “Where are you? Private room number A12. Come here.” I was busy writing my resume, and it irked me that my attention was disrupted. “Is there a problem, Emil McLaren?” On the other end of the line, Emil seemed to be at a loss for words, and even the playful noises around him quieted down a lot. I prompted him again. When I received no answer, I was about to hang up, but Emil suddenly said, “Where are you, Penelope?” I set my phone aside and resumed typing. I replied casually, “Didn’t you say that it makes you sick to live in the same house as me? So, I moved out. Don’t worry, I’m never returning.” Emil’s breathing gradually turned heavy, and he suddenly sniggered. “Penelope, when did you become so obedient? Weren’t you always clinging to me before this? “Since you’re so obedient, I’m asking you to move out of this city and get out of my sight. Can you do it? Penelope, I don’t care what game you’re playing, but I’ll teach you a lesson if you keep bullying Sarah.” The mouse was a little difficult to maneuver, and I focused on the screen. A few seconds later, I realized what Emil was talking about. Again, his sarcastic voice echoed, “What? Do you have nothing to say? Aren’t you tired of playing these games every day? Apologize to Sarah, and I’ll allow you to return.” I said, “Fine, I promise you that I’ll leave.” After speaking, I hung up without caring about his reaction. Chapter 4 I collected my graduation certificate and received news from the resumes I had sent out. The interview offer that I was most happy with was from a large company located in the neighboring city. I wasted no time in setting an appointment for an interview. In my previous life, getting a job was something I looked forward to the most. I was incredibly anxious. Thankfully, the company called me before I hopped onto the train; I had passed the interview. On the train, I excitedly searched for a suitable apartment. It exhilarated me that I would soon break away from Emil. Just after I disembarked the train, I received a call from Emil. The moment the call connected, he barked rudely, “Where are you, Penelope?” It felt as though a bucket of cold water had dampened my high spirits. “What’s the matter?” Emil’s voice turned colder. “My parents are back. They’re asking you to come home for dinner.” It was already evening by the time I reached the McLaren residence. Four people were seated at the dining table—the McLarens and Sarah—and solemn looks hung on their faces. I could imagine what had happened during my absence and walked in without flinching. Emil brushed his gaze over my face. Out of the blue, he slammed down his fork and went upstairs. “I’m done eating. It’s making me sick.” Sarah went after him upstairs, whereas I took a seat next to Hubert and Fiona, who awkwardly came up with an excuse on Emil’s behalf. I looked at the elders, who were akin to my parents, in front of me seriously. In my previous life, they tried to save me when they learned that Emil was confining me. However, Emil was holding the reins in the McLaren family, so there wasn’t much Hubert and Fiona could do. I didn’t blame them, though. In contrast, I had only my stupidity to blame. I began softly, “Hubert and Fiona, I’ve been thinking a lot recently. Emil and I are not suited for each other. He doesn’t like me, and I have no feelings for him, either. “Rather than forcing ourselves to be together in resentment, it’s better that we set each other free. Let’s annul the engagement.” Fiona’s face froze, and tears shimmered in her eyes. “Is there no other way?” I nodded firmly in reply. After taking care of the most important matter since I was given a second chance in life, I felt a heavy weight leave my shoulders. Before leaving, I returned to my room to take my belongings, which I had missed the last time. Sarah blocked my path. “Penelope, will you return Emil to me? I’m pregnant with his child, and the baby needs a father.” Her eyes were brimming with tears, and she appeared pitiful. Frowning, I took a step back subconsciously. An eerie smile spread across her face. Then, she grabbed my arm and shoved herself off the staircase violently. “Penny, don’t push me! My baby! It hurts!” Sarah rolled down the staircase, and blood trickled down between her legs. Simultaneously, Emil dashed out of the study and put on a menacing expression. He raised his hand and slapped me. “You’re evil, Penelope! “In the past, I’d always thought that people were exaggerating when they said that you are a bully. But now, I’m seeing it with my own eyes. What else have you got to say? “If it weren’t for you, I could have been together with Sarah happily. Why do you keep standing between us?” Hubert and Fiona came out of their room, and Sarah wailed even louder while holding her belly when she saw them. Emil spat in an angry tone, “Mom and Dad, look at this. That’s the wife you guys have chosen for me!” After the pain drifted away, dizziness washed over me, and my ears started ringing. I stared at Emil’s furious face. He looked as though the entire world had betrayed him. Without any second thoughts, I retaliated by slapping him twice. “Don’t worry. I’ll never be your wife from today onward.”