Take Me Away novel Chapter 77

"But your expression shows that you are in much more pain now!" Terence exposed Spencer's lie.

Spencer smiled despite looking like he was about to cry. When he spoke, there was a quiver in his voice that Terence had never heard before. He could no longer pretend that everything was alright. "Terence, my heart feels like it's being wrenched. I've never felt so powerless. I'd rather be shot on the battlefield than hurt this way."

Terence furrowed his brows. He initially thought that Spencer losing his mother during the brink of adulthood was the most hopeless he would ever get. He had buried the pain and trauma of that experience deep in his heart. But looking at him then, he saw a much different Spencer, someone who looked even more desolate and distressed.

"What on earth happened?" Terence asked with concern.

"I picked up Fiona from the university this afternoon, but..."

Spencer narrated everything to Terence. As he spoke, he slowly realized that he had fallen in love with her. He felt lucky that he was married to her and was even excited at the prospect of having a baby with her.

Just then, a gust of cold wind blew, sending a shiver down his spine. It was December so it was likely that it was going to snow.

Terence had mixed feelings after listening to Spencer's story. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Let's go inside first."

He almost had to drag Spencer because the latter wouldn't budge. His thoughts made him feel utterly helpless. The warm living room offered comfort from the bleakness of the weather outside. But Spencer would rather stand in the cold. The sting of the chilly air made his aching heart feel numb.

Terence sat him down and poured him a glass of warm water. "How's Fiona now?" he asked.

"I don't know..." Spencer shook his head. "The doctor said that she was waking up just when I left the ward. That's when I received your call. I came here then."

"Why did you leave her?" Terence asked, both confused and a little angry.

"I cannot..." Spencer covered his face with his hands. "I'm scared, Terence. I don't want her to question me with her eyes. I don't want to see her cry. I've messed everything up!"

"Why don't you just tell Fiona the truth? Let her hate you... That's what you wanted, right?"

"Tell her the truth and then what? Give her a taste of this hell I'm living in? She'd already lost her parents. She was just a young and innocent girl, and in the blink of an eye, she became a poor and lonely orphan. I don't want her to suffer like that again." There were tears in his eyes when Spencer raised his head. "I would rather her hate me. I'll probably tell her the truth when her body has recovered and she feels better. I also need more time to process everything."

Terence couldn't think of anything to say to Spencer so he merely patted him on the back for comfort. Despite his efforts, he couldn't come up with an advice that would help him solve his dilemma. But there was one thing that he understood very clearly, which was that Spencer loved Fiona very much. He had suspected it from the beginning but he wanted to hear it directly from him.

"Do you love Fiona?"

It was a question which sounded more like a statement.