Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1185

Chapter 1185: Lies he told

When Penny woke up, it was already near dusk. Peeking to her side, her lips curled up. There, sleeping next to her, was none other than the only person she wished to wake up to and fall asleep with. Zoren.

She rolled onto her side instinctively, almost jolting when a sharp pain shot through her thigh.

"Ouch..." she winced. "I forgot I stabbed myself."

A shallow breath slipped past her lips as she looked up at Zoren. The pain in her thigh slowly faded while she stared at her husband, smiling in relief. They hadn’t said it earlier, but she was glad that neither of them was hurt too badly. Just thinking about everything they had gone through the night before—it almost felt like a dream.

A very long and exhausting dream.

"Look at us," she whispered, poking Zoren’s lean cheek gently. "We’re both hurt, but at the same time, we’re fine."

Her soft voice and light touch stirred him awake. His eyes flickered beneath his eyelids before cracking open. Out of habit, Zoren turned his head—only to meet her gaze. He smiled.

"Good... evening?" he greeted uncertainly.

"Still afternoon," she replied softly. "How’s your head?"

"Not as painful anymore. And your leg?"

"It’s fine. It’s not that deep... just a bit."

Zoren let out a shallow breath, his gaze never leaving hers. For a moment, silence stretched between them—but it was a peaceful kind of quiet. Even after a long nap, the disbelief of what had happened still lingered in their hearts.

Zoren, for one, couldn’t believe he had left his wife alone in a building full of mad people—that he had agreed, even proposed, to separate from her.

Penny felt the same way.

They had always been overprotective of each other. If Zoren could help it, he wouldn’t even let a mosquito land on her skin, let alone allow her to face danger alone. But last night had forced them to trust each other as individuals capable of defending themselves. Even so, he wasn’t sure whether to feel reassured by that trust or terrified that it might one day lead her into harm.

"We should get up and check on everyone," Penny suggested. "I’m pretty sure they’re bored."

"Mhm."

With that, Penny carefully sat up, wincing as she moved her leg off the bed. Just as her feet touched the floor, Zoren reached for her arm.

She turned back to him, only to find him staring at her.

"Let’s not do that again," he murmured.

Penny pressed her lips together and nodded. "I agree. Don’t worry, Renren. I feel the same way."

She might not have voiced it aloud, but now that she had rested, she recognized the mistakes she had made the night before. Yet, it wasn’t regret that weighed on her—it was the guilt of putting Zoren in that situation and almost dying because she had let her guard down around a child.

If not for that woman with her questionable intentions and Zoren finding her in time, things could have ended badly. She was certain she wouldn’t have had the luxury of waking up in this bed beside him.

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