Page 63 of One Night in Hawaii

“Oh no. Poor Matthew.”

“Get over here. This is a disaster! I don’t know what the two of you are doing. Are you trying to kill your mother and I?”

More drama. I couldn’t hide. They would find me. I took one last look around my home before leaving. The place I loved didn’t really feel quite as inviting anymore. I couldn’t help but think about the expansive beach and the simple pleasure of drinking coffee on the deck without all the technology humming around me.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the confrontation ahead, and walked into my parents’ sprawling house in upstate New York. As I stepped inside, I could hear raised voices coming from down the hall. I didn’t know what Penelope had done, but if Matthew was pissed, that was great. The guy was a piece of shit, sleeping with my fiancée.

I walked into the living room and saw Matthew with a scowl etched on his face and his arms firmly folded across his chest. I could see the pain and confusion in his eyes, mixed with anger at the chaos my decisions had caused. My father was staring at the flames in the gas fireplace. It was a warm night and I didn’t understand why it was going at all. My mother had a glass of wine and was stretched out on the sofa. She looked equally distraught.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Where is she?” my father demanded, his voice tense with emotion.

“Where is who?”

“Penelope!” Matthew barked. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know. She’s your fiancée.”

“She left a note,” Mom said. “She ended the engagement and ran away. She didn’t say where she was going. This is very unlike her. We’re worried.”

I knew Matthew deserved answers, but I couldn’t betray Penelope’s trust. She had her reasons for leaving, and I respected her decision to keep them to herself. I knew where she was, but if she didn’t tell them, it was for a reason. I wasn’t going to out her. I didn’t blame her for leaving.

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly, hoping he would see the sincerity in my eyes. “She didn’t tell me anything.”

My parents’ expressions were a mix of fury and disappointment. My father’s jaw clenched tightly, his displeasure evident.

“Enough with the lies, Archer,” my father snapped. “You always had a way of protecting Penelope. Wherever she is, you know something.”

I shook my head, my heart pounding in my chest. “I swear, I don’t know where she went. I didn’t even know she was gone.”

Matthew’s anger seemed to shift from me to Penelope. “How could she do this? We were supposed to get married!”

“I know it’s tough, Matthew,” I said. “But she must have had her reasons. Maybe it’s better to give her space and let her sort things out.”

Matthew was only pissed because he saw his golden goose abandoning him. He had a backup plan. If Ashley couldn’t get my money, Matthew still had a chance to get rich quick by marrying Penelope. I had no doubt in my mind Matthew would treat her like shit while continuing to sleep with Ashley. I didn’t know the ins and outs of the prenup, but I was sure Matthew had another plan to get his hands on Penelope’s money and continue to see Ashley. I didn’t want my sister to endure that kind of heartache.

My mother burst into tears. “This is all your fault!”

The accusation stung. “My fault?” I asked. “What the hell did I do?”

“You set a bad example,” she said. “You ran away after the wedding instead of handling your business. Now she’s got the idea that’s an option.”

“Penelope is a grown woman. She doesn’t get influenced. She does what she wants. I would suggest you look to the other guy.”

“There’s another man?” Matthew growled.

I shot him a dirty look. “No. You. Why aren’t we askingyouwhy she would run off?”

“I don’t know why,” he said without looking me in the eyes. “She called off the wedding and said she didn’t want to see me again.”

“I wonder why,” I said.

Matthew glared at me, still angry but seemingly resigned to the reality of the situation. “She was fine until you guys got back. What did you say? What did you do? I don’t know if she’ll ever come back.”

I shook my head. “We didn’t do anything. Maybe it was something you did, Matthew.”

He scoffed. “I didn’t do anything. I loved her. I was going to marry her.”

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