[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260313014099-57":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},57,9,"Chapter 9: The Unraveling of a Marriage","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer had clearly gone off the rails.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I turned to face him, my gaze locking onto his.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Archer, if I wasn't Penelope Warren, the sole heiress of the Warren empire, if my family couldn't practically hand you the reins of the Edwards family in your little internal power struggle, would you still have married me right after graduation?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He froze, completely blindsided by the question.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Because I loved him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That’s why I couldn’t even entertain the thought of him being a gold digger, couldn’t bring myself to make things harder for him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He thought I was oblivious. He thought I didn't know. He thought I didn't care.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer’s deafening silence was all the confirmation I needed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I walked straight downstairs for dinner.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Penelope, you're here. Have some soup,\" my mother called out, gesturing for me to sit.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I didn't, turning to her instead. \"Mom, please, no more visitors.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer, just coming down the stairs, caught the next words. \"I'm officially announcing that Archer Edwards and I are divorcing. Don't let him step foot in this house again.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His voice, thick with emotion, finally broke through. \"Penelope, can you really do this to me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I didn't reply, but my usually stoic father, the patriarch of the Warrens, stepped in. \"Penelope, disagreements happen, but divorce? That's a bit extreme. What exactly is going on that you'd resort to this?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His words, dripping with the authority of someone who'd commanded the Warren family for decades, carried immense weight.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sensing an opening, Archer played his card. \"Dad, it’s all my fault. I haven't been considerate of Penelope's feelings, I haven't been the husband she deserves. I'll do whatever it takes to earn her forgiveness.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Suddenly, I was the villain, the unreasonable one.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I pulled up the photos from the private investigator on my phone and placed them on the table.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Wait, isn't that Archer with the Bishop girl…?\" my mother stammered, her eyes widening in disbelief.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I nodded. \"Lilith Bishop.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What in the world is going on?\" My father, completely in the dark about Archer's affair, demanded an explanation.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My mother’s face was a mask of pity and heartbreak for me. \"He cheated during our marriage,\" I continued. \"He’s a compulsive liar. And he was with my best friend, Lilith Bishop, while I was cutting my birthday cake.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I asked for a divorce. He refused. He even got violent, and I lost our baby because of it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I have photos and videos of him and Lilith. If he keeps coming after me, I’ll release them all.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer lost it. He lunged at me, grabbing my arm. \"Penelope, Lilith came onto me, I made a stupid mistake. But we're married! Please, forgive me. We can try for another baby…\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Slowly, deliberately, I pried his fingers from my arm.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Before I could even respond, my parents had heard enough. They signaled for security, and Archer was unceremoniously thrown out.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">During my recovery at home, my father scaled back his work, coming home every day for dinner.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My mother and the housekeeper were on a mission, whipping up all sorts of dishes, determined to get me to eat more and regain my strength.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Once my father learned the full extent of Archer's treachery, he was absolutely livid.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He’d been making Archer’s business life a living hell.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Word on the street was that Archer's business partners were dropping like flies, and the Edwards Group had just lost a string of major deals.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer showed up at our door more than once, but my parents turned him away every single time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">One afternoon, I heard a commotion from downstairs while I was in my room.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Curiosity got the better of me, and I went to investigate. There, at the foot of the stairs, was Archer, on his knees, his eyes red and pleading.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">For a fleeting moment, I saw the Archer I’d first introduced to my parents.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He’d been so nervous, he’d practiced his greeting for days.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After that first meeting, he’d sworn to them he’d marry me right after graduation.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He’d promised to cherish me, love me, and treat me like a queen for the rest of his life.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My parents stared, momentarily stunned.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer, mistaking their silence for disapproval, doubled down. He stayed on his knees, begging them, \"Mr. and Mrs. Warren, my feelings for Penelope are sincere. I'll spend the rest of my life proving my love for her.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The memory of that young, hopeful Archer blurred with the man now kneeling before me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But his words were different now, laced with desperation. \"Mom, Dad, please, just let me see Penelope. You've seen how I've treated her all these years. I made one mistake. Why do you have to ruin the Edwards Group? I worked so hard to get here. Can't you give me one more chance to fix things…\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I couldn't take it anymore. I turned and walked away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After a month of quiet recovery, my parents finally relented and allowed me to go out.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I ended up at a gallery.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As soon as I walked in, I saw Jesse Miller, the gallery manager, giving a tour to someone. We'd known each other for three years.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I pulled Jesse aside and explained everything that had happened.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272931514]