The dagger was snatched up in an instant—then clattered back onto the ground with a sharp clang.
Her hair was tangled in my fist, forcing her to kneel before me.
Derek seized my wrist. "Enough. Stop lowering yourself to her level."
I sneered, staring straight into his eyes. "Mr. Vazquez, you're the one who refuses to divorce. Since you insist on acknowledging me as your wife, then I must live up to the title. Or do you think your wife is just some pitiful doormat anyone can bully?"
Smack!
My palm landed viciously across Penelope's face.
"Esther!" Derek's furious shout split the air.
He tore me away from her. My ears caught the sound of her sobbing, pitiful and weak.
I yanked free from his grip. "I gave you a chance. Since you refuse divorce, don't blame me for what comes next—"
Suddenly, qsharp pain lanced through my waist.
I spun around almost on instinct and kicked Penelope squarely under the chin.
She slammed into the wall, the dagger she had hidden for a sneak attack flying out of her hand.
"Ahh—!" She clutched her stomach, blood seeping again from a body not yet healed.
"Attacking me? You're courting death!" I snarled and raised my hand high, ready to strike again.
But the slap that followed wasn't hers—it was mine.
The sting exploded across my face.
Derek loomed above me, his eyes filled with a cold fury I had never seen before.
My fingertips brushed the corner of my lips and came away smeared with blood.
"Don't be afraid, it's alright. I'm here..."
He pulled Penelope into his arms, letting her tears soak through his expensive shirt.
The tenderness, the urgency in his gaze—I had only seen it once before.
The day I lost our child.
That sunset was stained in blood. He had clutched my hand to his chest, his own tears threatening to fall as he forced a smile, stroking my face over and over, repeating the words he once said countless times, "Don't be afraid. It's alright. I'm here..."
But now, when his eyes turned on me, there was only ice.
"If it's divorce you want—then we'll divorce."
A laugh broke from me, sharp and bitter.
So this was it. A divorce I couldn't win, even with death as leverage—yet the moment Penelope bled, it became possible.
Pain tore through my lower abdomen, sharper than the day I miscarried.
I bent over, clutching myself, when his shoulder collided with mine. Derek brushed past, carrying Penelope away without a backward glance.
I collapsed to my knees.