HEALING THE SCARS

CHAPTER 39

DYLAN

Penelope stormed out of the office, leaving me, Joey, and Mabel behind. I was still processing everything she had said, especially when she mentioned leaving our daughter alone if she walked away. I hadn't even considered that possibility when I drafted the contract. I felt lost, like the ground had just been pulled from beneath me. I held my head in my hands, frustration and disappointment washing over me.

"I should go check on her. I've really outdone myself this time. I don't think there's anything I can do to take away the hurt she's feeling right now," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I couldn't tell if it was sadness or something else, but I hadn't felt this way since Mr. Campbell died. That had wrecked me.

"No, Dylan, let Mabel go and check on her," Joey suggested, and I reluctantly sank back into my seat. Mabel got up and left to follow Penelope.

"Joey, I think I made a big mistake with that contract. I need to find her and make things right."

"I know, Dylan, but maybe you should give her some space? Let her cool off a bit. Maybe hold off on the contract before doing anything."

"Yeah, that might be a good start, but I don't want to give her space or time. I just want to fix this now."

"Trust me, you should give her some space."

"No, dude, I shouldn't. If I do, someone else might swoop in, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Seriously," I insisted.

"Oh, now I get it. I understand why you're acting like this," Joey said, smiling.

"What? Why are you smiling?" I asked, feeling a surge of irritation.

"Because you won't admit it to yourself that you're in love with Penelope. Instead, you're finding twisted ways to make her suffer because you're a coward," he said, shaking his head.

"No, I'm not in love with her. Stop it," I snapped, feeling my anger rising.

"Yes, you are, Dylan. The moment you accept it is the moment you'll free yourself from the burden that's eating you alive. If you're not a coward, admit it now. Also, do you mind telling me what the hell you and Penelope are doing sneaking around like kids?"

"I'm trying to get her pregnant. How should I do that without having a little fun here and there?"

"Oh God, Dylan. You're a fucking prick! Does she know?"

"No, she doesn't. Anyway, I should really talk to her," I said, leaving the room.

I needed to talk to Penelope. I didn't want to give her any space to hate me. Damn Joey for suggesting I was in love with her because I wasn't. I left the office and almost bumped into her, wiping her tears outside the washroom. Seeing her like this made something inside me twist painfully.

"Penelope, can we please talk? Just us?" I asked, approaching her. She started backing away, clearly wanting to walk off, but I caught her by the arm.

"Please don't leave. I don't mean you any harm. I want to apologize to you. Please, if you'll let me," I said, letting go of her arm. Seeing her cry... it was unbearable. I lifted my hand to wipe the tears from her eyes, but she flinched. My heart sank.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Penelope. I promise," I whispered, gently lifting her chin so she could look at me. I wiped her tears with my fingers and then, without thinking, embraced her. We stood there for a while before she finally spoke, her voice muffled against my chest.

"Dylan, please don't take Jason away. He's all I've got. You can hurt me all you want, but please don't separate me from him," she whispered.

"I'm not going to take him away from you. I promise. And I'm not going to force you into a contract either," I said, feeling her hug me tighter in response.

"I want to visit her grave. If you're not too busy, could you take me?" I asked softly.

"I'm done with everything I was doing. We could go right now," she said.

"Okay. Yeah. We should probably tell Mabel and Joey that we're leaving," I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Can I ask you something? Promise you won't lie to me," she said, looking up at me with those eyes that always seemed to see right through me. I nodded, though my nerves were on edge.

"Is there something going on between you and Mabel?" she asked, her gaze piercing. She was putting me in a tight spot. I wasn't sure if Mabel had told her about cheating on Joey, and I definitely didn't want to be the one to spill the beans.

"No, nothing's going on. Why would you ask that?" I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"No reason, no reason at all," she replied, but I could tell she didn't believe a word I said.

We went back to the office so Penelope could grab her bag. Joey was waiting for us as we were about to leave.

"Did you talk to Mabel?" Joey asked.

"Not really. She's still in the washroom. Call her to meet us outside," Penelope said.

"Or we could just pass by and you could get her," Joey suggested. Penelope didn't respond, which was unlike her. Was there some tension between her and Mabel?

"I'll go call her," I offered, trying to ease the tension.

"So classic of you," Penelope muttered under her breath, but I heard her clearly, and so did Joey, who pulled her aside to ask if she was okay. I headed to the washroom and called out for Mabel. When she came out, I noticed her eyes were red, and she had clearly redone her makeup. Without warning, she hugged me tightly.

"I really didn't mean to cheat on him, Dylan. It was a stupid mistake," she whispered, catching me off guard. I hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly hugged her back. It felt like forever, but I eventually pulled away and told her to compose herself before we left. Mabel and I had never been close, but this gesture showed me that she didn't hate me. She was just as human as the rest of us.

"Mabel, you need to tell Joey. You need to make things right before this gets out of hand," I advised.

"I know, Dylan. I just don't know how. Could you please hold off on telling him so I can get the chance to do it myself?" she pleaded.

"Yeah, I will," I agreed. Joey and Penelope caught up with us, and we headed toward the parking lot. Penelope and I got into her car and drove to the gravesite, while Joey and Mabel drove to Penelope's home. They were giving us a little time alone.