I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 110

Nora suddenly turned around.

The tenderness in Felix's eyes instantly vanished, flawlessly replaced by his usual charming, devil-may-care smirk. He tilted his head. "What's up?"

Nora smiled softly. "Come clean, Felix. How long have you guys been planning this?"

Felix puffed out his chest, feigning arrogance. "It wasn't a big deal. Just threw it together over a couple of days."

Nora knew he was lying through his teeth. They must have been preparing for this for a long time—probably ever since she decided to return to the institute.

"Felix," Nora called out, her tone shifting into absolute sincerity. She stopped walking, turned to face him fully, and looked him straight in the eyes. "Thank you."

For a split second, Felix looked entirely flustered. He was a master of witty banter, completely fearless when it came to trading sarcastic jabs.

But the one thing he couldn't handle was her unvarnished sincerity. Whenever she looked at him with that level of earnestness, he had absolutely no idea where to hide the quiet devotion he had harbored for ten years.

He reached out, resting his palm on top of her head and ruffling her hair with incredible gentleness. "Don't mention it. You're my brilliant partner, the pride and joy of the entire institute. You are so much more than just the widow of the Fletcher family."

Nora lowered her gaze, taking a deep breath. When she finally spoke, her voice was much softer. "I never thought I'd be able to come back, Felix. Things ended so terribly back then. Looking back on it now, I was such a fool."

Felix's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He wanted to tell her how much it broke his heart when she threw everything away for Finnegan. He wanted to tell her that over those long years, every time he heard rumors of her suffering at the Fletcher estate, he had wanted to storm the gates and drag her back home.

But there were too many words lodged in his throat, choking him, leaving him entirely speechless. He settled for keeping his tone as comforting as possible.

Felix shoved his hands into his pockets and gave a casual shrug.

Nora thought it over and realized he was right. From leaving Xander's place that morning, to surviving her interrogation at the Fletcher estate, and then rushing back to the institute, she desperately needed a break. She nodded. "Alright. When is the concert?"

"This weekend. I'll shoot you the details beforehand."

"Sounds like a plan," Nora agreed.

The two of them walked side by side toward the exit. As they reached the doors, Nora glanced over at him. "So, let me guess... there wasn't actually an emergency with the lab data, was there?"

Felix laughed out loud. "Only you would survive a deeply emotional surprise party and instantly pivot back to interrogating me about the data. You really are the exact same workaholic I've always known."