Free Web NovelChapter 78: Chapter 78: I Want You
Sonia Quincy left the café and took a taxi home. It was almost six in the evening by the time she walked through the door.
The weather was bad today. The sky had been gloomy since noon. Massive dark clouds rolled in and out, and a cool wind had started to blow outside.
Her rental apartment was on the fifth floor, and the bedroom window faced a sturdy camphor tree. At this moment, the wind was making the tree’s lush branches sway back and forth, producing a soft rustling sound.
Sonia Quincy sat in the chair by her bed, her gaze fixed on the swaying branches outside the window.
Perhaps it was the bad weather, but her mood had turned gloomy along with it. A section of the tree trunk that she usually found so full of life now looked utterly desolate and bleak.
A cool breeze swept in, lifting Sonia’s loose hair and clearing some of the fog from her mind.
’Renee Sinclair, don’t even think about stealing him. Felix Preston is mine...’
The words she’d said before leaving echoed in her ears, and Sonia couldn’t help but laugh at herself.
’When did I become so possessive of Felix Preston? It’s not like Renee trying to steal him is anything new. I can usually just laugh it off, so why am I so jealous today? Not only did I act like a child and childishly declare my claim in front of Renee Sinclair, but I even had to get in a petty, vicious last word before leaving.’
’Could it be? Has ’pregnancy brain’ finally gotten to me?’
She stroked her noticeably swollen belly, a helpless smile in her eyes.
Felix Preston came home relatively early today. It was just past seven when he turned the key and entered the apartment.
The apartment was silent. There was no movement, and no lights were on.
"Sonia?" Felix Preston called out tentatively as he changed his shoes.
"Mm?" Sonia Quincy’s muffled voice came from the bedroom.
Felix Preston flipped on the living room light and padded into the bedroom in his slippers. The room was dim, and all he could make out was Sonia’s faint, slender silhouette.
"What’s wrong?"
The atmosphere in the room felt heavy. He sensed something was wrong almost instantly.
He walked over to Sonia and knelt on one knee before her, finding her limp hands and holding them tightly in his own.
Sonia Quincy shook her head. "I’m sorry, I forgot to make dinner today."
"If you didn’t cook, we can just eat out. You don’t have to say sorry." He raised one hand and caressed Sonia’s cool cheek in the dim light, trying to soften his tone.
"Sonia, what’s the matter?"
Sonia Quincy had been moping for two hours, but now, seeing Felix Preston, she suddenly felt fragile.
She tilted her head, pressing her cheek into his palm, and said in a pitiful tone, "Felix Preston, am I dragging you down?"
"No!" Felix Preston denied it first, then asked, "Why would you suddenly say that? Did you... did you hear something, or is it the pregnancy hormones making your thoughts run wild?"
Sonia Quincy’s lips curved into a bitter smile. "You lost your investment. You lost it because of me. I know everything."
"..." Felix Preston froze, his grip on Sonia’s hand tightening instinctively.
"Renee Sinclair told you, didn’t she?" Felix didn’t even have to guess; he knew immediately who had leaked the news.
"Yes." Sonia Quincy nodded. "Renee Sinclair met with me this afternoon. She told me everything about you losing the investment."
"Sonia..." Felix Preston wasn’t ready for Sonia to know about this. His mind had been a complete mess since yesterday, and now, suddenly facing her, he had no idea how to react.
He could only follow his instincts and try to comfort her with feeble words.
"Sonia, if one investment is gone, we can find another. Please don’t doubt yourself or put yourself down because of what Renee Sinclair said. In my heart, you’re far more important than any investment. I chose you, and I hope you can choose me with the same conviction. Don’t feel guilty, and don’t think you’re a burden."
"You’re wonderful. You’re so, so wonderful. Having you by my side makes me truly happy. I don’t feel wronged at all."
Sonia Quincy smiled but didn’t say anything.
"Sonia." Felix Preston couldn’t stand her silence. He straightened up and, in a slight panic, pulled Sonia into his arms.
"Sonia, don’t let your thoughts run wild."
"I’m not." Sonia Quincy raised a hand and gently patted Felix’s back. "Felix Preston, are you scared?"
"Yes." Felix Preston held her tightly, a rare anxiety showing on his face.
"Sonia, I’m scared. I’m scared you’ll leave me."
"I won’t." Sonia’s voice was soft, but her tone was firm. She moved her hand up, cupping the back of Felix’s neck with a gentle pressure, her index finger tracing the cool tip of his ear.
"Felix Preston, don’t be afraid. I won’t leave you, and my thoughts aren’t running wild. I just... my heart aches for you."
"You haven’t done anything wrong, yet you’re forced to endure all these threats and malice. My heart aches for you. I don’t want to see you struggling like this. I don’t want to see you taking their abuse."
"You’ve been exceptional since you were a child—good grades, well-liked by everyone, and you founded the Preston Group in your twenties. But now, you’re being oppressed at every turn. It truly breaks my heart."
Sonia Quincy wasn’t one to cry. Even as she spoke such heart-wrenching words, not a single tear fell, and there wasn’t even a quiver in her voice.
But it was precisely this that made Felix Preston’s own heart ache.
He didn’t have to imagine what horrible things Renee Sinclair must have said to Sonia during their meeting. Yet Sonia didn’t mention a single word of it. She didn’t speak of her own hurt or sadness. She had endured just as much abuse as he had, but she still forced herself to be strong and comfort him instead.
What had he ever done to deserve such a wonderful wife?
He was broke and disgraced; all he could offer Sonia was a sense of indebtedness.
"Don’t feel sorry for me." Felix Preston brushed aside the hair on Sonia’s neck and pressed his lips against her skin. "Just stay with me."
"I’ll stay with you." Sonia Quincy closed her eyes and whispered into Felix’s ear, "I’ll always stay with you. In a few months, our child will be here to stay with you, too."
"Felix Preston, have you thought of a name for the baby?"
Felix Preston: "I have. If it’s a boy, we’ll call him Wilder Preston. Wild like the wind—unrestrained and free."
Sonia Quincy: "And if it’s a girl?"
Felix Preston smiled. "If it’s a girl, we’ll call her Aurora Preston. Carefree and happy."
"Wilder, Aurora." Sonia Quincy loved the names. She loosened her embrace on Felix, her eyes shining brightly even in the dimness.
"Alright, we’ll go with your choices."
Felix Preston looked into her eyes, returning to the previous topic. "Sonia, will you really... stay with me always?"
Sonia Quincy blinked. "Yes, I’ll always stay with you. No matter how Renee Sinclair tries to stir up trouble, I won’t leave."
Felix Preston finally smiled. "Thank you, Sonia."
Sonia Quincy grabbed his hand, tapping her fingers against his palm. "You’re not allowed to say thank you."
"Then what should I say?" Felix asked.
Sonia Quincy couldn’t answer, and could only purse her lips and stare at him blankly.
He didn’t flinch or look away, meeting her gaze openly.
Their eyes met in the dim light, and an indescribable feeling began to quietly blossom between them.
Sonia’s gaze was calm yet warm. Enveloped by it, Felix Preston felt a sudden heat rise from within him.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he suddenly raised his hands to cup Sonia’s face.
Sonia Quincy looked at him, puzzled.
In that moment, Felix Preston’s gaze felt almost tangible. It roamed over Sonia’s face before finally settling on her lips.
He leaned in, his nose brushing against hers, and his voice was low and husky. "Sonia, I want you."
