Ch. 621..625

Chapter 621

Worried about the possibility of further accidents, Aunt Tonya and Theodore moved the barbecue grill and ingredients over to the front yard.

Sylvia and the two little ones saw them just as they came out of the living room.

When she got a whiff of the fragrant barbecue, Isabel immediately forgot that she had just fallen into the lake playing with the water. She immediately wanted to run over with her little legs so she could eat the meat, but she was pulled back by Liam’s hand.

She pouted unhappily.

Liam frowned.

Instantly, the little girl put on an obedient expression and said earnestly, “Liam, | want to eat some meat.” Liam hummed in reply. Then, he led her to the table and got her to sit down before allowing her to eat. When she observed this scene, Sylvia did not know whether to laugh or cry.

After a while, when Isabel had almost eaten her fill, Thomas came out of the house.

He had changed into a loose gray sweater and a pair of

trousers. His blow-dried hair casually hung down at his temples.

However, his face looked even paler than before.

Feeling like something was wrong, Sylvia went up to ask him, “Thomas, did you catch a cold?” Thomas replied, “I’m fine.”

She frowned. “Your voice sounds a little hoarse.”

“I'll be fine after drinking some water.” He smiled at her. With that, he went to sit in the other chair and poured himself a cup of warm water.

Sylvia saw that there did not seem to be anything wrong, so she did not dwell on it. After dinner, she took the two little ones to their room as usual.

Although Isabel seemed hale and hearty, she had fallen into the water earlier. Thus, Sylvia was worried that she might get sick and gave the girl some medication to prevent a cold.

Then, she gave Isabel a bath before tucking both Liam and her into bed.

It was already late at night.

She was just about to wash up when she suddenly remembered how Thomas had jumped into the water to save Isabel. ‘| wonder if he took any medicine to prevent a cold.’

After thinking for a moment, she decided to go ask him.

He lived on the third floor. Sylvia left her room, walked up the stairs, and quickly arrived outside his room door. Knocking on the door, she asked, “Thomas, are you asleep?”

After two seconds, a hoarse male voice sounded from inside. “What is it?”

Something was obviously wrong. She hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?” “I'm fine,” he replied. Sylvia immediately pressed the door handle.

Fortunately, the door was unlocked, so she opened it and walked in.

Only the wall lamp was on in the room. Under the dim light, the man’s slender figure lay on his side on the bed. When Sylvia came in, he propped himself up with his arms.

His face was pale, and all the blood seemed to have left his lips.

She immediately went to his bedside and reached out to touch his forehead. It was scalding hot

He obviously had a fever.

“Wait here. I’ll go get some medicine for you.” She was just about to turn around and go out. However, she found that her wrist had been grabbed by him.

She turned back to look at him.

Thomas looked at her with a somewhat disorientated gaze and said hoarsely, “I’m fine. You can go back and rest. Don’t worry about me.”

Sylvia suddenly felt a little annoyed.

He had fallen ill because he had saved Isabel. How could she not care about him? Yet he had even told her to go and rest? He really did not care about himself!

Sylvia insisted, “I’m not sleepy now.”

Then, she shook his hand off and quickly walked out.

There were medicines for treating colds and fevers in the medicine box.

Sylvia took the pills, got the thermometer , and poured a glass of water before going back to Thomas’ room. He was already sitting up and leaning weakly against the bed

She took his temperature first.

Fortunately, it was not that high. “Hold out your hand,” she said.

Chapter 622

“It's up to me to decide what’s good for me.” Thomas declared with a tinge of hardness in his voice. Sylvia frowned sternly, “She’s your mother, you can’t just ignore her feelings.”

“I'll change her mind and make her give us her blessings.” He insisted adamantly.

Sylvia could not help but turn to look at him.

The look in his eyes did not contain the usual stillness within them. Instead, they now looked deep and filled with an immeasurable darkness, as if they were bottomless pools.

There was a stubbornness in his eyes, mixed with something she could not recognize. It suddenly seemed as if there was no challenge in this world that would be too great for him. It took Sylvia a while before she came back to her senses. She stated solemnly, “Things are not as simple as you think.”

He immediately answered, “It’s not as complicated as you think it is either. | can handle anything as long as you are willing to let

me.

Sylvia fell silent for several seconds, before she averted her gaze from him and declared, “It’s impossible. Please stop wasting your time on me.”

To this, he made no reply and only silently looked at her.

The room fell silent and the very air seemed to freeze as if the coolness from outside was seeping in through the windows. Sylvia turned to him and frowned.

He still looked pale and very weak, but his eyes were stubbomly fixed on her like a child who was longing for candy.

Sylvia chose to be frank with him, “Thomas, there is another reason that | can’t be together with you.”

“What is it?”

“| signed a divorce settlement agreement with Odell and one of the clauses clearly stated that if | ever remarried, | would have to give up custody of the kids to him.”

Her children were everything to her. There was no way that she would ever give up custody of them, so she could never remarry.

Silence descended upon them again for several seconds.

Acoy smile suddenly appeared on his face as he asked,” So, that means you can still be in a relationship, can’t you?”

Sylvia was taken aback by this.

There was a serious and gentle look in his eyes as he went on, “As long as | can be with the person | love, it doesn’t matter to me whether we get married or not.”

Sylvia was taken aback by this yet again. She lowered her head to avoid his burning gaze and said,” It’s not fair to you.” He was a good man, she could not make him sacrifice his future happiness for her.

“If | can’t be with the person | love, I'd rather live in solitude until | die.” After a pause, he went on, “Do you think this is fair for me?”

Sylvia frowned and felt a tightness in her chest.

It seemed to her that he had always been by himself ever since the day she had met him, which was the day she had married into the Carter family.

Despite Mrs. Carter’s best attempts to find him a partner, he had always chosen to be solitary over having companionship.

At one point, she had even suspected that he was not into girls.

She had never thought that she was the reason he had been single all this time. Countless interactions with him over the years suddenly replayed in her mind.

Almost every time she had been in trouble, he had appeared at the most critical time. At this point, he had already saved her life twice.

His kindness to her was not something that could be explained with mere words. It was not something she could simply repay either.

If he could not be with her, would he really rather be alone until he became old? Silence dominated the room.

Sylvia was completely lost in her thoughts. After what seemed like forever in this disorientating state, she suddenly felt something cool on her forehead.

She looked up only to meet his handsome, even if slightly pale face.

At some point, he had gotten out of bed without her noticing. He stood in front of her, dressed in light clothing and gazed at her deeply as he asked, “Can’t you give me a chance?”

Sylvia stammered, “...What kind of chance?” As if he could not see that she was playing dumb, Thomas smiled and clarified, “A chance to prove my dedication to

you.

Sylvia pursed her lips. He smiled faintly, “I'll just take your silence as a yes.”

Chapter 623

Chapter 623 Sylvia continued to purse her lips as she stayed silent.

Thomas suddenly laughed out loud, the sound of his laughter was soft but full of satisfaction. Immediately after that, he pulled Sylvia into his arms. He did it very gently, as if Sylvia was a precious vase that was extremely fragile. Sylvia was not used to being in such close contact with him and instinctively felt the urge to push him away. However, the moment she touched him she could feel the abnormal heat emanating from his body.

He was still feverish.

Frowning, she drew her hand back. After allowing him to hold her for a while, she insisted again, “Thomas, it’s time for you to rest.”

“Alright.” He promptly drew away upon hearing this, then he stroked her head gently and spoke softly, “I'll go to sleep now. You should head back to your room to rest as well.”

“Hmm,” Sylvia answered and walked out.

As she stepped outside, she turned to close the door and stole a glance at him while doing so. He had already returned to the bed and was looking at her softly.

Sylvia pursed her lips at him, then closed the door.

The room fell silent.

Thomas leaned back against the head of the bed and continued to stare absent-mindedly in the direction of where Sylvia had been. He smiled. Meanwhile, inside his bathroom , the shower head had not been shut properly the entire time. Thus, a small stream of water slowly continued to flow out of it and onto the floor. The slow, steady current of water flowed into the drain and then into the pipes.

The temperature inside the bathroom was still as cool as it was before. The current of water remained uninterrupted and kept the temperature inside constant, without any heat.

Probably because she had slept late the night before, Sylvia ended up waking up an hour later than usual the next day. Neither Isabel nor Liam were in their room.

Sylvia quickly washed up and went to the living room.

She had only taken several steps out of her bedroom when she heard laughter coming from downstairs.

She could also smell the distinctive aroma of her favorite street food.

It smelled like the breakfast that she usually bought from the roadside stalls that she loved eating.

Her mouth watered at the thought and Sylvia quickened her pace as she made her way to the living room.

Isabel was playing with a remote control race car. When she noticed Sylvia coming down, she immediately cried out joyously, “Mom! Uncle bought a lot of delicious food for us and even got us a brand new latest model race car!”

Sylvia froze and looked across the living room.

Sitting on the couch next to the floor-to-ceiling windows was a man in a loose gray sweater. He was sitting there in a princely, dignified manner. Holding a book in his hand, he subtly turned his head to look at Sylvia when he heard Isabel's enthusiastic shouts and his lips curved into a faint smile.

The morning light shone through the window illuminated his fair-complexioned face. His smile seemed luminescent as well. Sylvia froze for a moment before asking him suspiciously, “Thomas, did you go out?”

Thomas answered, “I went out earlier this morning to run some errands, then | bought these on the way back.”

There was a wavering look in Sylvia's eyes as she remembered how ill he had been the previous night. She drew closer and asked, “Are you feeling better?”

Thomas put his book down, got up, and walked over to her.

They closed the gap between each other very quickly and got closer than they usually did. If they were to take just half a step more, they would practically be stuck together.

Sylvia’s breath stalled and she tried to draw herself backward.

However, he was faster than her. He touched her head with his hand and greeted her in a pleasant voice, “I’m feeling much better. Let's have something to eat.”

Sylvia felt her cheeks burn when she remembered their conversation the night before about his intention to pursue her. She merely murmured, “Ok.”

She walked with him to the table. Aunt Tonya, Isabel, and Liam had already had breakfast.

At the moment, Aunt Tonya was busy outside. Liam was sitting next to Isabel as he read a book, while Isabel was having the time of her life playing with her new race car.

Thus, it was just Sylvia and Thomas at the table.

Upon sitting down, Thomas pushed several dishes over to Sylvia.

Chapter 624

Chapter 624 Sylvia was astonished.

She was usually not a picky eater and was fine with eating just about anything. She had rarely, if ever, told anyone what her favorite dish was.

With that said, a large assortment of her favorite foods had been laid out across the table.

The plates that Thomas pushed toward her were filled with the foods that she particularly liked having for breakfast. Even Aunt Tonya probably did not know that these were her favorites. How had he known?

Sylvia’s eyes widened and she blurted out, “Thomas, how did you know what my favorite dishes were?”

Thomas smirked with satisfaction and spoke softly,” Knowing what your favorite foods are should be one of the most basic pieces of information that your suitor should have.”

Sylvia felt her face growing hot.

Very well.

4

She lowered her head to avoid his gaze, then she picked up the utensils and began to eat. Everything she ate tasted just the same as she remembered them.

She was so touched that she even felt like she was about to cry.

After having a portion of food, she looked at Thomas and smiled, “Thank you, Thomas.” She was truly appreciative of this gesture.

Thomas rubbed the tip of her nose with a finger and said in a cool voice, “Please don’t be so formal with me. I'll become angry if you keep on thanking me like this.” Sylvia smiled, “Alright, point taken.”

After that, she resumed eating. She practically gobbled everything up without any hint of her previous reservation. Thomas grinned from ear to ear when he saw how happy she was as she ate. The day passed quickly.

It was only around evening when the sky was almost dark when Sylvia saw Thomas again. He came back after having gone out and brought with him a few more things.

He had gotten toys for Isabel and Liam as well as gifts for

Aunt Tonya While Liam coolly and courteously thanked him, Isabel was very sweet as she thanked him. Meanwhile, Aunt Tonya received her gifts very enthusiastically and could not stop smiling

Finally, he drew his slender figure closer to Sylvia. Sylvia could not figure out what was on his mind and only stared at him in confusion. That was when he took out an exquisitely crafted tiny wooden box from his pocket and handed it to her, saying ina low voice, “This is for you.”

“What's this?” Sylvia asked with a tint of curiosity. Thomas opened the box to reveal a sunflower-shaped pendant inside. Sylvia could not tell what material it was made from, but it was truly an exquisite piece of jewelry.

Her eyes lit up. “I saw it at the place of a friend of mine who is a designer and | bought it.” He took the pendant out of the box and placed it around Sylvia’s neck.

The tiny and delicate sunflower rested between her collarbones . Its reflective surface glimmered under the luster of the light above and looked very enchanting.

Sylvia was no fool. Even without a brand logo on it, she

could see by the exemplary workmanship that the pendant must have been worth a fortune.

He had even gone out of his way to buy it for her. She was very grateful, “Thank you, Thomas.” Thomas gently touched her head and said in a low voice,” If you really want to thank me, you could watch a movie with me.”

Sylvia was stunned by this offer. She hesitated for a moment before replying, “Alright, but | need to wait until Isabel and Liam are asleep.” “Alright.” He smiled and said, “See you at ten p.m. tonight, don’t forget.” Sylvia smiled back at him as she accepted the invitation,“ Okay.”

The kids were very habitual animals. The clock had only just struck nine when Isabel began to yawn.

Sylvia helped her wash up before helping her into her pajamas. Liam has always been independent , so he did not need Sylvia's help to wash up and brush his teeth.

By the time Sylvia had carried Isabel to bed, he had just

finished washing up and emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas. Sylvia told them a bedtime story as usual.

Isabel fell asleep first, followed by Liam who closed his eyes soon after. By ten o'clock, they were both sleeping soundly and peacefully.

Sylvia kissed them on their cheeks before walking out of the room with her coat in hand. Thomas was waiting for her in the living room.

 

Chapter 625

Thomas was wearing a white shirt and trousers underneath a long trench coat. His figure stood tall and straight.

When he saw Sylvia, he smiled in delight at her.

Sylvia returned the smile and greeted him, “Hey, let's

go.”

“Alright.”

Sylvia walked out of the living room with him and they both got into a white car.

The car drove out of the district as they headed for the nearby cinema.

There were not many people at this cinema, partially because this was a rather remote and sparsely populated area to begin with.

Sylvia and Thomas were the only ones in the theater for this particular showing.

They chose the most ideal seat for the best viewing angle, then they sat together and watched a very newly released romance film.

The story was pretty wholesome until an unexpected twist happened nearing the end of the story.

It turned out that all of the wholesome scenes they had seen up until this point had merely been the fantasies inside the head of the male protagonist. The romantic interest of the protagonist had passed away from an accident long ago and before her passing, the protagonist had been unjustifiably cruel to her.

Apiece of sad and somber background music began playing as the tone of the movie took on a depressing turn.

It was a touching and sad movie, and Sylvia could not help but relate her experiences with the story itself. Her eyes began to water against her will.

She tried to use a piece of tissue paper to wipe away her tears.

Thomas swiftly extended his hand in front of her as he held a piece of tissue paper in between his slender and delicate fingers. Sylvia was suddenly filled with embarrassment.

Had he seen her cry?

She quickly accepted the tissue paper and wiped her nose while remarking nonchalantly at the same time, “It’s pretty cold in here.” She was trying to insinuate that it was the cold that had gotten to her, not the movie.

Thomas noticed her red and puffy eyes as he looked at her, but he echoed the same sentiment by saying, “Yeah, it’s a little cold.”

The movie ended. Sylvia and Thomas stood up at the same time.

Before she could even take a step, he took his coat off and draped it over her shoulders. Immediately afterward, he deftly wiped the corners of her eyes with his hand. His warm fingertips ran across the corners of her eyes which were swelling with tears, and she instantly felt a strange sense of comfort wash over her.

She was taken aback by this gesture.

Thomas looked down at her and smiled faintly, “Your eyes are all red from the cold. Hurry up and put on the coat.”

He was obviously teasing her.

Sylvia playfully swatted at him but as she pulled her hand away, he suddenly grabbed her wrist. She froze, and her first instinct was to jerk her hand back again.

Looks were definitely deceiving and Thomas was much stronger than his gentle appearance suggested.

Sylvia could not pull her arm away as he was clenching her wrist tightly.

Feeling discomfited, she looked at him and said, ” Thomas, 1-”

“Let's go have some supper,” He interrupted her.

With that, he led her outside.

Sylvia darted a glance at his hand that was still holding onto hers and pursed her lips.

She supposed that it was no big deal. Since she already agreed to let him pursue her anyway, there was nothing wrong with holding hands. Not feeling bothered any more, the two walked out of the cinema hand in hand. They ate supper at a nearby restaurant and only returned around midnight.

The car stopped outside the house.

Thomas was still holding Sylvia’s hand as they stepped out of the car.

She gently shook her hand that was still entangled with his to remind him that he was still holding on to her. Unexpectedly, he suddenly strengthened his grip on her hand.

With a swift ‘thump’, Sylvia found herself in his embrace,

with her face pressed against his chest. She could feel his beating heart as she was pressed against his warm body. That was when he suddenly said, “Goodnight.” With that, he let go of her.

The pink shade glowing on his fair cheeks made him look every bit like a teenager who had just the first taste of love and was feeling shy. Sylvia smiled upon seeing this and said, “Goodnight.”