Free Web NovelChapter 197: Chapter 200: Official Family Reunion
"Sonia." Felix Preston poured her a glass of water and personally held it to her lips.
She opened her mouth and took a sip, then asked in a calm tone, "You knew about this all along, didn’t you?"
Felix Preston looked into her eyes and answered frankly, "Yes. I’ve known for a long time."
"What about the rest of you?" Sonia Quincy raised her eyes to look at the others in the hospital room. "You all knew, too?"
"We knew..." came the pitifully quiet replies.
Sonia’s gaze shifted to Renee Sinclair at the foot of the bed. "You knew, too?"
"Huh?" Renee Sinclair was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook her head. "I-I didn’t. I only found out after watching the press conference."
"...Oh," Sonia replied flatly, then fell silent.
Her reaction seemed off, and Felix Preston’s already anxious heart leaped into his throat.
"Sonia." He squeezed her hand, speaking slowly yet solemnly. "We didn’t mean to hide it from you. Please, will you let me explain?"
"Okay." Sonia’s ready agreement took Felix Preston by surprise.
He unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand, his words coming out soft and gentle. "You’ve been through so much stress lately, and on top of that, you just had a baby. You’re exhausted, mentally and physically. We were worried you wouldn’t be able to handle this news, so we wanted to wait until you’d recovered a bit before gradually telling you."
"But we never expected your parents to suddenly act on their own and hold this press conference without any of us knowing."
"...So that’s what happened." Sonia Quincy nodded, her entire demeanor exceptionally calm.
"Sonia." Felix Preston raised his hand to caress her cheek, asking tentatively, "Are you angry with us?"
"No." Sonia shook her head, her lips pulling into a stiff smile. "You were just looking out for me. I’m not angry."
"Really?" Hannah Sutton nervously tugged at the hem of her shirt, her eyes filled with apprehension. "You’re really not mad at us?"
"I’m not," Sonia replied, raising her other hand to show Hannah how it was shaking. "Because right now, I genuinely feel like I’m going to pass out."
"Sonia!" The word "pass out" sent Felix into a panic. He hastily released Sonia’s hand, cupping her face instead and frantically patting her cheeks and forehead.
"Are you okay, Sonia? Should I call the doctor?"
"No need." Sonia brushed his hands away with a helpless smile. "I’m fine, just really nervous..."
BANG!
She’d barely finished saying she was nervous when Mason Shaw burst through the hospital room door.
Everyone in the room spun around to face the doorway, where the members of the Shaw family stood, their eyes already wet with tears.
"Charlotte..."
With reddened eyes, Mason Shaw stared intently at Sonia, suddenly afraid to step inside.
"My Charlotte..."
Leaning on each other for support, Jackson Shaw and Brianna Bell stepped through the doorway.
Sonia stared at them, dazed, and slowly rose from her bed.
"Charlotte..." The elderly couple hurried to her side. They reached out as if to hug her, but hesitated, their hands hovering in the air.
Sonia’s heart pounded like a war drum. Her voice was shaky and hoarse when she spoke. "What... what’s my real name?"
"It’s Charlotte Shaw," Brianna Bell told her through her tears. "We gave you that name, Charlotte, with a blessing. Your father and I hoped that all your wishes would come true, and that you would live a life of peace and security."
"Charlotte Shaw..." Sonia repeated her name softly, then said with a faint, dazed grin, "It’s a nice name."
Feeling like that wasn’t enough, she just grinned.
"Charlotte!" That smile shattered her parents’ hearts.
The emotions they had held in check on the way there finally broke. The couple surged forward, pulling Sonia into a tearful embrace.
"My Charlotte, Mommy’s finally found you!"
"You’ve suffered, Charlotte. You’ve suffered so much all these years..."
Hoarse sobs echoed in her ears, hot tears splashing onto her cheeks. Sonia stood stunned for a long moment before a ripple finally broke across the stillness of her heart.
’I’m a transmigrator.’
’Strictly speaking, Jackson Shaw and Brianna Bell are the parents of this body’s original owner, not mine.’
’Even if I’m moved, I shouldn’t be showing this much emotion.’
’After all, I’m not the real Charlotte Shaw. I’m Sonia Quincy, someone who was lucky enough to transmigrate and be reborn in her body.’
’I, Sonia Quincy, don’t belong to this world. There’s no way I could be a child of the Shaw family.’
’But people are greedy. I’ve been given a second chance at life in this world, and I greedily want to keep on living. Just living isn’t even enough. I want more.’
’I want Felix Preston, Wilder Preston, Mrs. Preston, and Lynn Preston. I want my good friends, like Mina Jennings.’
’And I want parents who will dote on me, love me, and cherish me.’
’Now, parents like that are right in front of me. I have absolutely no strength to refuse them.’
’Just let me be Charlotte Shaw for once...’ she thought selfishly, closing her eyes.
’I’ve already died once. This time, let me just experience what it feels like to be someone’s daughter.’
She raised her arms and carefully wrapped them around the parents before her. Tentatively, she called out:
"Dad, Mom."
"...Yes!" Jackson Shaw and Brianna Bell’s voices trembled as they answered.
"Ah, they’ve finally reunited." Mrs. Preston was so deeply moved by the scene that her own eyes welled up with tears.
"Her hardships are finally over." Mina Jennings wiped away a tear, genuinely happy for Sonia. "I first met Sonia six months ago. Her reputation was awful, and her life was so hard. She was just carrying a tablet around, going from one interview to the next. I can’t even imagine how much she went through before I met her."
Julia Dawson added, "Well, those hard times are over. From now on, there’s nothing but happiness waiting for her."
"That’s right," Lynn Preston chimed in. "My sister-in-law safely gave birth to Sandy, and her relationship with my brother is getting sweeter every day. Most importantly, she’s found her birth parents, who will cherish her."
"Her suffering is over."
"Wait a minute!" Hannah Sutton suddenly interjected. "The name Sonia Quincy is a thing of the past. From now on, we all have to call her Charlotte Shaw!"
"Yes, from now on, we should all call her Charlotte!" Mrs. Preston agreed enthusiastically. "She should have cast off the Quincy name long ago."
Lynn Preston: "Exactly!"
"Tsk, come on, get over there." Hannah Sutton gave Mason Shaw a nudge. "Charlotte is your little sister. Don’t you want to go give her a hug?"
"I do." Mason really did. But perhaps it was the overwhelming emotion of the reunion; he stood before Sonia, utterly unable to find the courage to open his arms and embrace her.
In the end, it was Sonia who approached him.
"Brother," she said. She looked up at him expectantly and gently raised her arms.
"...Sister," he replied shyly. In a near-panicked motion, he reached out and pulled Sonia into his embrace.
Felix Preston then stepped forward and tactfully changed how he addressed them. "Dad, Mom."
"Yes!" Jackson Shaw and Brianna Bell answered in unison.
"Good man," Jackson Shaw said, opening his arms to embrace him.
"From now on, we’re family."
