The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride-Chapter 199: When history repeats (3)

"I hate that it has become like this, but I will not go on with you trying to turn me against my parents. I didn’t notice your intentions when I was younger, but luckily, your plans never worked. My parents and husband are good to me," said Penelope.

"You don’t know what you got yourself into. Your mother didn’t know what she was doing when she married a duke. After the way she said her father treated her, why would she marry a duke?" Melanie said, failing to understand Alessandra.

After Melanie left her former husband, she stayed far away from men with titles. They were far too controlling and tried to abuse their power. Wives were rarely treated well, so Melanie didn’t want any of her daughters to marry these kinds of men.

"I wish you had given it some time before you decided to get married. I would have properly advised you to reconsider. I couldn’t have saved your mother, but I could have saved you. I can only have hope for Lily and Isabelle," said Melanie.

"My husband isn’t Desmond. My father isn’t Desmond. I cannot speak for all men with titles, and you cannot do it. Do you realise that one day my brother will inherit the title of duke when my father passes? What kind of man do you think he will become?" Penelope wondered.

Melody looked at her mother. Surely, Melanie wouldn’t say that Elijah had become a man she would warn young women about. They had watched Elijah grow, and he had become a fine gentleman.

Melanie placed her hands on her lap. "You must be wary of men with titles."

"You must answer my question. What do you think will become of my brother? You have known him and watched him for all his life. Tell me, is he doomed to become like your late husband by your logic?" Penelope asked.

Penelope didn’t know Desmond, but she knew her brother. Elijah was nothing like what Melanie thought men with titles were.

"Desmond Barrett is long gone. You mustn’t judge my husband because of what you faced in the past. I would heed your warnings if you have taken time to get to know him and not spoken with great hostility over tea," said Penelope.

Melanie slowly shook her head. "I always knew that you couldn’t be helped. You’re too much like your mother. You’re the one who rebels the most, and your siblings follow. I hope there is proper care given to Lily so she will not make the same mistake."

"Who picked Desmond for you?" Tyrion asked. He had held back long enough.

"What?" Melanie replied, her gaze filled with annoyance as she faced Tyrion. "I don’t see why that matters."

"Since it doesn’t matter, then you won’t mind answering. Who picked Desmond? Was it you or your parents?" Tyrion asked.

"I picked him because I thought I was in love. That love wears off over time," Melanie said, tuning to Penelope. "It starts out wonderful, but then you find yourself dreading every moment with him. All the appearances and fake smiles."

"I am sorry it didn’t turn out well for you, but our situation is not the same. I have known Tyrion all my life to know we will have a good future. You have criticised my mother’s marriage, yet it stands strong. You must stop comparing us to you," Penelope advised Melanie.

Melanie was so convinced that the marriages would end up like her own that she refused to listen.

"Your father has not shown me any reason to believe he is a good man. He has hated me from the start. It is not his place to get between my relationship with my daughter. You may not see it because you are only a child, but he influences her," Melanie said, seeing past Edgar’s love.

Penelope laughed, starting to feel like she was losing her sanity by speaking to Melanie.

"Yes, my father isn’t fond of you. He wasn’t fond of us going to visit you, but he didn’t stop us. Since he is this powerful, cruel man in your eyes, you know he would have the power to keep us from you, but he didn’t," said Penelope.

The answer was simple.

"He didn’t object because he valued my mother’s wishes to let us experience having a grandmother. He is only cruel to you because of your actions. Why must you keep pointing fingers at everyone else? It is time you stop trying to paint my parents as the villains," Penelope pleaded.

Her mother didn’t deserve this.

Alessandra showed Melanie great kindness in Penelope’s eyes, yet Melanie didn’t see it.

"I did my part over the years. I wanted to move on from our past and start anew with your mother, but she wanted to hold onto the past. Has she told you that I didn’t want to be a mother? Her father took it upon himself to-"

"I don’t want to hear it," Penelope raised her voice.

Penelope didn’t want to hear what she thought Melanie was going to say. It upset Penelope that her mother had heard it.

"You are one evil woman," Penelope said, her mind made up.

"Penelope!" Melody gasped. "You shouldn’t say that. Regardless of where you stand with her, she is your grandmother."

"I will say what I feel, and this is what I feel from the bottom of my heart. When I heard what my mother endured in the past, I returned home and hugged her. To this day, I haven’t told her that was the reason behind the hug," Penelope confessed.

Penelope couldn’t believe what she found out at first. Her mother was too happy, so full of life like she never had a bad day, and she was always so kind. How could someone remain so positive after having endured so much at the hands of people meant to be her family?

"I spent a lot of time out of Lockwood, as you know. When my mother thought we would start to hear about her past, she sat Lily and me down to speak about everything. The curse, the cases, and not having family at her side. Not once did she speak down on you-"

"I don’t need to hear this," Melanie said, deciding it was time to leave.

"Tyrion, have our guards keep her in this room," Penelope said, needing Melanie to hear what she had to say.

Penelope saw this moment as the last time she would sit and speak with Melanie, so she had to get everything off her chest.

"You, you would do this to me? I am your grandmother," Melanie said in a trembling voice. She was heartbroken and feeling betrayed by Penelope.

"Sit," Penelope responded.

Melanie didn’t care about anyone’s feelings, so Penelope didn’t care what Melanie felt.

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