Free Web NovelChapter 58: I Have Always Loved You
Mrs. Lucas had initially planned on asking Wendy and Michael to stay the night. However, after the disturbance between Anthony and Winnie, she decided not to insist on that. She worried that the young couple would not be able to sleep peacefully if her son and daughter-in-law decided to start fighting again at night.
...
Since Wendy did not drive to the mansion, her only way home was to get a ride from Michael.
In the car, Michael’s face remained cold because of what happened at home. To lighten the atmosphere, Wendy tried to think about something they could talk about. But even after spending some time mulling it over, she was still at a loss.
In the end, it was Michael who spoke first.
"Wendy," he said.
Wendy was stunned to hear her name. She replied, "Yeah?"
"If there is really nothing inappropriate between you and Christian, you should cut ties with him. As for us, we can just live a good life together," Michael sounded exasperated, but anyone paying closer attention to his voice would be able to pick up an expectant note.
Since Michael had been giving her the silent treatment over the last few days, they had barely spoken. The initiative he displayed in bringing up her relationship with Christian left Wendy feeling surprised. She had thought that he would not have let this matter slide so easily.
Unfortunately, Christian’s speech was still stuck deep in her heart. She found herself unable to trust Michael fully, as the recent change in his behavior had indeed been too drastic. Still, she felt very moved; she never thought that these words would come from Michael.
Looking down, she blinked and said softly, "What about you and Yvonne?"
"Would you believe me if I told you that I don’t love her anymore?" Michael laughed at himself, "Forget it, you probably wouldn’t."
The truth was that nobody would have believed it. Everyone knew how much Michael had loved and doted on Yvonne over the last four years. It had only been two short months, and Michael was here telling Wendy that he no longer loved Yvonne. It was certainly hard to believe that he could be telling the truth.
After some time, Michael added calmly, "I really hate my father. I despise him for cheating on my mother, I despise his betrayal of her. To him, my mother has been nothing more but a stepping stone on his road forward. Ever since MC Enterprise became successful and he stopped being under the control of my mother’s family, he has become increasingly reckless and cruel. When he first started his affair with Lily, at least he had the decency to sneak around with her in secret. Now, he does it brazenly. If not for Grandmother’s refusal to acknowledge Lily, my father would have brought her and Christian into the family a long time ago. And if things ever got to that stage, my mother would have to live alongside his mistress and their illegitimate son even if she is my father’s legal wife, unless she chooses to get a divorce. Did you know that used to be very playful as a child? My grades were poor, and I never liked studying. I thought that since l was born into a wealthy and reputable family, I did not have to work hard to still be able to lead a good life. But after I found out about my half-brother, I devoted my whole self to studying and working hard so that I could get out of my father’s grasp one day and make him regret everything he has ever done."
This was the first time that Michael was confiding in anyone about these thoughts and plans of his. The more he spoke, the worse he felt. He never liked talking about his family. His family had always been a mark of shame deeply engraved in his heart. However, he was inexplicably confiding in Wendy about everything he had been keeping to himself.
Wendy wanted to say, ’You hate your father so much, but didn’t you do the same thing that he did?’
However, she could not bring herself to speak the words. She could sense how difficult things had been for Michael since he was ten.
Feeling moved, she patted his shoulder and comforted him with a smile, "You can do it, I believe in you."
"Of course, I can," said Michael with his lips pursed confidently and arrogantly.
When the car drove into their neighborhood, Wendy didn’t think Michael would follow her to the apartment. However, he got out of the car and said quietly, "Let me send you upstairs."
Wendy pursed his lips, unable to refuse him.
After entering the apartment, Michael put down his car keys and sat on the couch with his thin legs crossed. Seeing that he had no intention to leave yet, Wendy poured him a glass of water and said tentatively, "Michael, it’s getting late."
She was nervous dropping any hints for him to leave, unsure of how he would react. After all, Christian had arrived almost immediately after Michael left the last time.
Just as she had expected, Michael raised his eyebrows and looked up at her. He asked, "Are you expecting someone?" It was obvious that he was referring to Christian.
Wendy immediately shook her head and said, "No, I’m not." After thinking about it, she tried to explain herself again. "There is really nothing going on between me and Christian."
"Since there’s nothing going on, why are you chasing me away?" Michael took the glass of water but did not drink from it. Instead, he placed it on the table. A trace of doubt surfaced on his face as he asked, "Wendy Stewart, tell me the truth, do you still love me?"
Wendy swallowed dryly. Michael’s bluntness left her at a loss. If she answered yes, she believed that he would insist on staying the night. If she said no, he would doubt her relationship with Christian. Her hands curled into fists as she wondered if she could tell Michael the truth about her pregnancy.
She thought, is he just using me like a pawn on the chessboard or has he really fallen in love with me? Feeling confused, she could not figure out what to do.
"I know your answer now," said Michael in a low voice. He got up and started walking out of the apartment. He knew that the Wendy Stewart standing before him today was no longer the same woman who used to follow him everywhere and loved him unconditionally and without any complaints.
He thought, she keeps claiming that she has nothing going on with Christian, but right now, she can’t even bring herself to express any kind of love for me?
Wendy’s heartbeat accelerated as she watched Michael about to leave the apartment. Without thinking, she yelled, "I have always loved you, and that won’t ever change."
Those words made Michael stop in his tracks. Wendy’s palms grew sweaty as she stared at his back. She had expressed her love for him many times, but this was the first time that she felt this exceptionally nervous about it. Her breathing was jagged as she continued staring fixatedly at Michael’s back. She did not know what he would do in response. She wondered if he was delighted that he had managed to win her back from Christian, or if he felt genuinely happy because of her feelings. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Michael remained rooted to the ground for a long time before he finally turned around. There was a smile on his face. He took large strides back into the apartment and before Wendy could react, he planted a kiss on her cheek.
Wendy touched the area where Michael had just kissed her. She was completely bewildered.
However, before she could come to her senses, a cool and gentle sensation greeted her lips. Michael was...
Wendy’s eyes were wide open, and her mind was a complete blank. He had kissed her in the past, but it always felt more like a punishment.
This was the first time that he was kissing her so gently and affectionately. It was a passionate kiss between two consenting adults. However, Wendy was not completely convinced. She reached out to stop him before his hands could wander anywhere.
Her breathing was still a little unstable when she said, "Don’t."
Michael was still caught in the heat of the moment. The abrupt pause made him feel a little out of control. He had just been planning on ignoring her reaction and going all the way with her when she pushed him away. That gesture made his face stiffen.
Unable to fully comprehend Wendy’s reaction, he said, "Didn’t you tell me that you’ve always loved me, and that you always will?"
It was true that Michael was the only person whom Wendy loved. She had made up her mind to get divorced because he always despised her and she had to let him go to protect her baby.
During this recent period of time, Michael’s attitude toward her had improved drastically, allowing her to see a glimmer of hope in their future together. But it was still not enough. She needed to make sure that Michael had genuinely fallen in love with her for herself and would not do anything to harm the child that she was carrying before she could bring herself to tell him about her pregnancy.
Lowering her head slightly, Wendy blinked and whispered, "I... I’m just not ready yet."
The truth was that she knew exactly how she felt about him at that moment, but she had to pretend to be nervous and helpless. This was the only way that Michael would not get angry and suspect that she was rejecting him because of Christian.
Biting down on her bottom lip, Wendy continued cautiously, "I felt uncomfortable every single time that we were intimate in the past. I decided to force myself to put up with it, hoping that you might enjoy it. The truth is that I don’t like doing this at all."
When Michael heard her confession, he felt extremely distressed. He took her hand and sighed, "I’m sorry, it’s my fault for doing that to you." All he cared about in the past was torturing Wendy.
He never bothered to make her feel comfortable. He continued, "Don’t worry, I won’t do that again in the future. In fact, I’ll make sure that you feel incredible."
Those words made Wendy’s ears flush red. She reached out to push him away again. However, Michael was happy to be on the receiving end this time. Knowing that she was now at an advantage, Wendy said, "It’s better that you don’t stay the night."
"How can l fulfill Grandmother’s wish if I don’t stay the night?" Michael’s brows were raised playfully and his tone was extremely gentle. He was referring to Mrs. Lucas’s wish that Wendy got pregnant with her great-grandchild as soon as possible.
"Let’s wait a little longer. Let me prepare myself for it first," said Wendy, rejecting him again.
Michael did not continue to pressure her. He knew her reluctance was his fault for being too rough with her in the past, and he could not blame her for feeling so resistant to the idea of being intimate with him now. However, he still did not plan to leave the apartment.
"Okay?" Wendy looked up, studying Michael’s face. She was afraid that he would be angry if she kept rejecting him. However, when she saw no change in his expression, she heaved a sigh of relief.
"Alright," replied Michael as he backed off and went to sit down on the couch again.
Smiling, he said, "However, this is also my house, and since we are a married couple, there’s no reason for me to live elsewhere."
"It’s not like you haven’t done that in the past.." Wendy muttered quietly.
"What did you say?" Michael had in fact heard her. He teased her, "You can’t possibly force me to go over to Yvonne’s place, can you?"
Wendy had been in a good mood. However, her face instantly fell when she heard Yvonne’s name.
Michael, though, was just joking around and did not expect such a big reaction from Wendy. He immediately explained himself. "I used to work overtime often, and I mostly slept in my office"
"Who would believe that?!" Wendy snorted coldly. She did not want to think about who it was between them that Michael liked more right now, but everyone knew how much he used to dote on Yvonne and comply with all her ridiculous requests.
Now, he was claiming that he never loved Yvonne, and that he mostly slept in his office on the nights that he spent outside of this apartment. Wendy certainly did not believe that, and she couldn’t imagine that anyone else would either. After all, Michael had fought with his family members over Yvonne so many times, including Mrs. Lucas who cherished him so much and treated him so well.
Seeing that Wendy did not believe him, Michael felt helpless. However, afraid of angering her even further, he said, "How about you take the bed and I’ll take the couch? That should work, right?"
