Chapter 91 A Belated Confession
Alice said her child was unplanned, but Sophia's pregnancy with James and Michael was truly unexpected.
That was William's longest business trip abroad.
Three whole months.
He came back quietly, without anyone knowing.
At that time, she was trying on a new dress sent by a brand. The tight-fitting mermaid gown perfectly outlined her figure, but the moment she turned around, she ran into William's dark eyes.
That night.
Explosive sparks went off in her mind.
In a daze, he pushed her to climax again and again. Her tense body was completely out of her control, and the terrifying pleasure swept her up to the sky.
The pregnancy came suddenly, and Sophia's first reaction was panic.
Somehow, news of her pregnancy reached Holden.
She was called back to the Smith family mansion.
In the end, there was only one answer left: "Have the baby."
Thinking about the past, Sophia closed her eyes and kept adjusting her breathing.
Those few seconds of her calming her breath made time feel endless.
The moment her fingertips were about to leave, William felt a flash of panic.
His large palm grabbed her hand and pressed it firmly against his face, explosive guilt making him lose his calm control.
William turned his face slightly, pressing against her hand and asking, "Tell me everything, okay?"
William masochistically wanted to hear more from her, about the details he had missed during those five years of marriage.
Sophia stared at his face—clear features, delicate eyes, and brows. Such a face, like God's masterpiece, could easily make people lose themselves in his starry eyes, and it was hard for anyone not to like him.
"Actually, my feelings for you weren't that deep."
William's heart rate rose and fell with Sophia's words, a nervousness and anxiety he had never experienced before.
Sophia's words pierced deep into his heart.
The hand he was holding trembled, and Sophia turned her face away and continued, "The best time in our relationship was probably the year I got pregnant with James and Michael."
She paused for a moment, her curved lips mixed with genuine joy from that time.
When a man who had been cold for so long suddenly showed tenderness, it was easy to lose your way.
She had been lost in these confusing details for five years.
Sophia rarely smiled at him and said, "At that moment, I actually thought your extremely cold personality was pretty good."
Just looking at his appearance, William was one in ten thousand, top-tier handsome.
Just looking at his abilities, he had long reached career heights that others could hardly match.
But this man, outstanding in both looks and capability, gradually wore away all her enthusiasm for marriage over those five years, leaving only a pool of stagnant water in her heart.
Sophia's crystal-clear tears suddenly fell, dripping onto the back of William's other hand.
Like scalding wax, it made him instinctively want to pull his hand back.
Sophia withdrew her hand, straightened up, and continued coldly, "If you had never given me any response, I wouldn't have resented you so much later."
"William, you clearly gave me signals, but the moment I fell for you, you pulled away decisively, making all my careful approaches look like a joke."
He stood up and grabbed her shoulders, saying urgently, "It's not like that!"
The confession that slipped out made both William and Sophia freeze.
The door in his mind that had never been fully opened finally swung wide at this moment.
Brilliant light pierced through the darkness, bringing him the answer in his heart!
William finally understood that all those unfamiliar fluctuating emotions, the restlessness that kept him awake from just one word from her, the blushing and racing heart from just one smile from her, were all because...
William's eyes showed a determination like breaking through clouds, his voice clear and deep, filled with intense emotion.
"I like you, Sophia."
Her long lashes trembled. If William's belated confession had come five or six years ago, she might have blushed, but now it was like unripe fruit—sour and hard to swallow.
Sophia coldly pushed away his hands gripping her shoulders and walked two steps toward the other side of the sofa.
She refused bluntly, "But I don't like you."
Knowing her determination to leave, William hugged her tightly from behind, "Don't go, I'll tell you everything, all my petty jealousy, I'll tell you everything."
"I'm excellent in other areas, but that's because they have rules. Mathematical and physical formulas, economic and management logic—I can deepen these to optimal solutions based on what others have done before. But feelings don't work that way."
"Sophia, feelings have no formulas, no logic."
"No one taught me how to understand love, how to love someone."
William's arms around her were very tight, as if he wanted to embed her into his body.
His parents were a typical business marriage couple.
What William saw most growing up was their emotionless life together.
He didn't know what real love should look like, thinking that being as plain as water was the most common form of marriage.
The Smith family's consistent education for heirs was to never show emotions, to control the odds in negotiations.
William was used to hiding his true emotions because that way no one could catch his weaknesses or flaws.
Over time, that cold and calm mask became fixed on his face.
He stared at Sophia's profile, saying bitterly, "But I didn't understand that those emotions were the beginning of love."
"You said you wanted to live a good life with me—didn't I want that too?"
Before getting married, he almost always stayed in the company's break room. His life was nothing but work.
After marriage, although he didn't understand why he felt that nervous anticipation before coming home each time, he started leaving work on time to go home, have dinner with her, give her his supplementary card, and fulfill his duties as a husband at night.
He bent down, holding her, his forehead resting on her shoulder, his ears turning red from saying these things.
William had never been so honest about his feelings with anyone. If he didn't say it today, he might never have another chance.
"When I learned you were pregnant, that was the second time I felt that kind of joy."
Past and present intertwined. Thinking about the feeling of becoming a father for the first time, William felt like his body was wrapped in warm spring water, feeling warm all over.
William's gaze softened, his voice dropping two degrees: "The first time was our wedding night."
She turned around, wanting to see through the false feelings in his eyes, but instead crashed into a deep, dark pool. William's charming voice came to her ears again.
He seemed to have made a big decision, his gaze carrying sparks that could burn someone up.
"Sophia, I didn't decisively withdraw my feelings for you—I was panicking."
"...It was my pride acting up because of jealousy."