Sonia didn't blame her father. He might have taken her away, but he never abused her, even though she was the daughter of his enemy. Instead, he gave her everything he had. She could never get angry at him, but she did lament this dramatic outcome. If Titus had just been that much kinder, none of this would have happened. Sonia closed her eyes in pain, but her heart was still in turmoil.
Despite the silence, Mary was still worried for Sonia. "Master Toby, she has stopped crying."
"I can see that." Toby pursed his lips.
Mary looked at him. "So, what should we do now? Should we check in? I don't like this sudden silence. She might have fainted from all the crying." It would be bad if they didn't check in. What if she did faint? We can't just assume she's tired.
Toby understood that all too well, so he said at once, "Mary, go in and check on her."
"What about you, sir?"
Toby massaged his temples. "I'll just stay here. She might still be angry at me. I'd rather not make her madder than she already is."
He has a point. Mary entered the room alone. The first thing she saw was a pale Sonia lying on her bed, her eyes closed. The light gleamed off her skin coldly, and Mary felt her heart squeeze. "Young Mistress Sonia!" she shouted.
Sonia opened her eyes. "Oh, it's you," she whispered.
Mary heaved a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she's still awake. I thought she had fainted. "Do you feel better now, madam?" Mary straightened out Sonia's blanket. She noticed that Sonia's eyes were puffy, and Mary felt for her.
Sonia could feel her concern, and she was touched. "No." She shook her head. "Don't worry, Mary. I'm fine."
But Mary couldn't not worry. "Are you sure?" She peered at Sonia and said, "This is serious, madam. You shouldn't push yourself just to calm us down. That'll only make us worry even more."
"I know. I'm not lying. I'm fine." Sonia nodded adamantly.
Mary heaved a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. Young Master Toby and I were really worried about you. You were crying really loudly."
Sonia's eyes flickered the moment Toby was mentioned. "He's still outside"?
"Of course." Mary nodded. "He can't leave you alone, not when you're in this mess. He insists on staying with you."
Sonia stayed silent.
Mary sat down on the edge of the bed. "Are you still mad at him?"
Sonia said nothing.
"Don't be, madam. If you weren't his daughter, then your father wouldn't have stolen you from Titus. You would've grown up to be someone like Tina and wouldn't have met Young Master Toby."
Sonia laughed. "You have a point."
"Oh, you're laughing." Mary was surprised to see her laugh. "You must've gotten over your mental hurdle, then."
"After what you and Charles told me, I have to get over this a little. I can't let you guys down, right? Don't worry, Mary. I'm really better now."
"Good to hear." Mary nodded. "But Young Master Toby is still feeling down. He knows you're still mad at him, and he's standing outside alone. It's really sad, and his heart is still recovering."
Mary sighed.
Sonia chortled. "Alright, Mary. You just want to make me feel sorry for him so that I'll forgive him, right?"
Sonia hit the bullseye, but Mary wasn't embarrassed at all. She chuckled. "You're smart, Young Mistress Sonia. That's what I'm gunning for. So, will you forgive him? He's going to stand outside the whole night if you don't. It'd be bad if that wears his heart down."
"Now you're guilt-tripping me." Sonia shot her a look. "But I'm hungry. He's going stand until I have my fill."
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