Free Web NovelChapter 38: Chapter 38: Hit by a Car
"You’re not mad, are you?"
Walking out of the hospital after the prenatal check-up, Sonia Quincy studied Felix Preston’s expression and asked tentatively.
"Mad? What would I be mad about?" Felix Preston countered with a smile.
Sonia said, "At Ethan Lockwood, of course. He deliberately had his assistant wait there with that business card, just to humiliate you. Every word that assistant said to you came straight from Ethan Lockwood. It was a blatant provocation!"
"He knows you’re bankrupt and have no connections, so he made a point to rub in how ’normal people’ can’t get an appointment with some big-shot doctor."
"I know." Felix Preston was still smiling.
Sonia Quincy pulled her hand away, uncomprehending and a little angry. "You know, and you can still smile? Even if you’re trying to keep him from acting out, you don’t have to go this far, do you?"
Felix Preston adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses incredibly gentle. "I’m not smiling to appease him. I’m smiling because of you."
"Because of me?" Sonia Quincy’s brow furrowed slightly. "Am I that amusing?"
"No." Felix Preston was already smiling, but her question made his smile deepen. "When I say it’s because of you, I mean it’s because you tore into Ethan Lockwood. He arrogantly thought he was helping you, only to get an earful. Isn’t that hilarious?"
"..." Sonia Quincy blinked, speechless.
Felix Preston continued to explain, "This is also why I said I’m not angry. Ethan Lockwood provoked and humiliated me, and of course that stings. But luckily, I have you."
"No matter what moves Ethan Lockwood tries to pull, you’re always there to firmly shut him down for me. With you defending me, why would I be angry? I haven’t lost a thing."
"...Oh, I see..." His words made Sonia Quincy a bit embarrassed. She pursed her lips and lowered her head as a faint blush quickly colored her cheeks.
Felix Preston took her hand again, lacing their fingers together. "Come on, I’ll buy you some roasted chestnuts."
Sonia nodded. "Okay!"
There was a stall selling roasted chestnuts right at the hospital entrance. Felix Preston bought a large bag, peeling them for Sonia to eat as he led her toward the parking lot.
The chestnuts were sweet and tender, putting Sonia in a wonderful mood. Her eyes curved into crescents, her smile so bright it was almost dazzling.
"Wait here, I’ll go get the car." The parking spot was a ways off, and Felix Preston, worried Sonia might get tired, had her wait in place with the bag of chestnuts.
Sonia obediently agreed. "Okay."
Felix Preston was tall and long-legged; in the time it took Sonia to peel a single chestnut, he was already several paces away. She popped the peeled chestnut into her mouth and was just about to start on the next when she suddenly heard the roar of a car engine not far behind her.
The roar grew closer. Sonia’s head snapped up toward the sound, just in time to see a small black car accelerating, aiming straight for Felix.
"Felix Preston!"
Her body reacted before her mind could. Sonia dropped the chestnuts, broke into a sprint toward Felix, and yanked him backward with all her might just a second before the car would have hit—
"WHOOSH—"
The car brushed past Felix and fled the parking lot without stopping.
Sonia had pulled so hard that she sent them both tumbling to the ground.
Felix, with his quick reflexes, tightly shielded Sonia as they fell, making sure she didn’t slam into the pavement.
THUD! Felix’s back hit the ground with a sickening sound, but he paid it no mind, his immediate concern was for Sonia in his arms.
"Sonia, are you hurt? Does anything hurt? Are you injured anywhere?"
Sonia sat on the ground, hands protectively clamped over her stomach. She was stunned for several seconds before she could answer. "N-No, I’m not hurt. The baby’s fine. What about you? It didn’t hit you, did it?"
Felix shook his head, then looked Sonia over from head to toe. Seeing only dust and no cuts, the terror gripping his heart loosened its hold slightly.
"Here, let’s get you up." He helped Sonia to her feet and brushed the dust from her clothes with a trembling hand. He couldn’t stop himself from asking again, "Are you sure you’re not hurt? We should go back to the hospital and have you checked out."
Everything had happened so suddenly that Sonia still felt numb with shock. It had been a hard fall, and she wasn’t entirely sure if she was okay. For the baby’s safety, she didn’t dare assume, so she agreed to Felix’s suggestion and they returned to the hospital to get her examined again.
Thankfully, the examination showed no problems. Otherwise, she would have been devastated.
"We’re calling the police." Leaving the hospital, Felix’s face was grim as he dialed the emergency number.
Sonia didn’t stop him. If she hadn’t been so fast, Felix would likely be dead. What happened was heinous, and she wanted that animal behind the wheel to be found.
Less than ten minutes after he hung up, the police arrived.
They pulled the surveillance footage from the parking lot, only to find that the black car involved didn’t have a license plate.
The driver was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, making their face completely unrecognizable on camera.
"’The perpetrator clearly came prepared, which will make them very difficult to find. You two should go home for now. We’ll notify you as soon as we have any leads.’"
The officer handling the case said tactfully after taking their statements.
Sonia knew what he was implying, but she wasn’t willing to let it go. She pressed, "So, when can we expect to hear something?"
The officer shook his head. "We can’t give you a timeline. The perpetrator left very few clues, so it won’t be easy to investigate. But we’ll do our best. You can go home and wait for our call."
Sonia said, "How can we rest easy? That person was clearly trying to kill my husband. I won’t feel safe for a single day until they’re caught. Officer, can’t you please hurry it up just a little?"
"Tsk," the officer’s expression turned impatient. "This isn’t something we can just speed up on command. Investigations take time. You’ve filed a report, so what’s there to be afraid of? The driver might have looked like they were trying to hit your husband, but he wasn’t actually hurt, was he? No real harm was done, so what’s the rush?"
"Go home and wait for our call. Don’t waste your energy worrying."
"And how long will we be waiting for that call?" Felix Preston spoke up suddenly, his face like a thundercloud. "A week? Two? A month? Half a year? You must be able to give me a general timeframe."
"What’s that supposed to mean?" The officer was clearly displeased by the question. "We’re police, not psychics. How could we possibly know exactly how long you’ll have to wait?"
"You don’t know?" Felix let out a cold sneer. "Fine. Then let me ask a different question."
"What methods do you plan on using to investigate? Will you pull traffic camera footage along possible routes to track the car? Or will you be thoroughly investigating everyone with whom I have a conflict?"
"You..." The officer was taken aback, then slammed the file in his hand down on the table. "The specific methods and procedures of our investigation... those are internal police matters! We are under no obligation to report them to you!"
"Hmph." A mocking smile touched Felix’s lips. "I don’t think you’re under no obligation to report. I think you have no intention of properly investigating this at all."
