Chapter 902 Who You Were Meant to Be
For some reason, although he was saddled with regrets and felt somewhat sorry for his mother, he was relieved by his change of character.
His mother was proud of the Toby Fuller of the past and had everyone singing praises for him. However, this only gave the old Toby a lot of pressure. No one knew he disliked his past self as he felt his mother was not looking at him, but rather, looking at someone else through him.
“Just as I expected.” Sonia sighed sorrowfully after listening to the man’s words.
Sensing a vague premonition, Toby lifted Sonia’s chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Just as you expected? Did something happen for you to bring up my past character so abruptly?”
This man is still as perceptive as ever. Sonia’s red lips twitched a little before she bit her lip and uttered a response. “Toby, the truth is… I was reminded of how you were the moment I met Connor Salzburg today.”
“Huh?” Toby frowned.
Sonia took a deep breath before explaining herself, “Looking at Connor was just like looking at how you were in the past, that gentle and graceful boy in white. Do you know that Connor and you give off the same kind of energy? You two are so much alike, not in terms of your looks, but in the way you two expressed yourselves as well as your personalities. Naturally, I’m comparing Connor to your past self since how you are right now is completely different from him. How you were in the past is almost identical to Connor. It’s not even a stretch to say that the two of you were one and the same person. Do you understand me when I put it this way?”
She fixed her gaze at him after her explanation.
His character was exactly the same as Connor’s. To put it more bluntly, someone had intentionally developed his character to be just like Connor’s. And that person was his own mother.
The reason why he thought of his mother was because of Sonia’s question on the person who had developed his past character. With the fact that she told him that his past character was exactly the same as Connor’s, everything fell into place in his head.
Toby was not a foolish person, which was why it was not impossible for him to read between the lines of what Sonia was saying. It was because he understood Sonia that he blanked out with his body tensing up once more at this moment.
Clenching his fists tightly, Toby fixed his gaze on Sonia before asking in a somewhat trembling and hoarse tone, “What are you saying? Connor Salzburg is just like how I was in the past?”
Toby had only ever seen pictures of Connor and had never met the man in person. Although he had heard talks about how Connor’s character was and how Connor treated others, thoughts of himself being similar to Connor had never crossed his mind, nor did anyone mention this to him. Thus, it was no surprise why Toby never knew how similar he was to Connor.
Looking at Toby, who was clearly starting to get agitated, Sonia nodded reluctantly even though she knew that it would be hard on the man right now. “Yes.”
After all, he grew up according to what his mother wanted. In order for him to fulfill her wishes, he gave up on his ideal personality and grew into the character his mother wanted.
Everything he did, he did for his mother.
However, the end result of Toby’s actions was for him to be told by another that the reason why his mother had raised him in this way was not because of her fondness for a gentle and warm child, but because she wanted to realize her longing for another man through him.
Anyone in his position would feel turmoil in their heart. Even more so for a man as prideful as Toby. Toby lowered his head slightly and stayed silent, as he did not wish for others to witness his expression in this instance.
Nevertheless, Sonia noticed from the cold air Toby was exuding that he was angry and extremely furious, but she did not know who was the target of his anger.
Was it Connor, Sonia herself, or… his own mother?
After some time had passed, Toby abruptly lifted his head and revealed a pair of bloodshot eyes. Though his voice became hoarse by the minute while filled with indications that he was holding himself back, he said, “I need some time to calm down.”
Sonia knew that he was feeling awful at this moment as various emotions would no doubt spring inside him. Should he choose not to calm himself down here, troubles would no doubt appear further down the road. With such thoughts, Sonia nodded to Toby. “Alright, then I’ll return to my room for now.”
“No need.” Toby grabbed Sonia’s hand to stop her from getting up. “I’ll head over to the study.”
Saying that, he released his grip on her hand before standing up himself and leaving for the study. Even in such a moment when his heart was in turmoil, the man had not asked her to take a step back, but rather chose to take a step back himself.
This man is really…
As Sonia watched Toby’s usually tall and straight back become somewhat hunched at this moment, she felt a vague sense of unpleasantness and felt her heart aching inside with her eyes filled with pain for the man.
The birth of one person was the end of another. For the prideful man—that was looked up to by others and even caused others to feel inferior to him—to be hunching like this would be a shock to anyone.
Furthermore, the person that had brought the man into this state was none other than his mother, whom he had great respect for. Although the reason for his birth was his mother’s desire for freedom, Toby still loved her and respected her. Yet, he had never considered that his mother—who had always treated him well and loved him dearly so—had mixed her motherly love for him with such impure desires.
His own mother wanted a gentle and warm child merely because the person she loved was a gentle and warm person. Just because she could not meet with her beloved, she molded her own son to be exactly like her beloved. It was all so that she could use her son to relieve her longing for her lover.
Was it really appropriate for a mother to treat her own son as a stand-in for her lover? Toby knew precisely that he was a substitute for Connor, which was why his back was hunched now.
Every person in this world was unique and should not be taken as a substitute for anyone else. However, regardless of how firm and upright his posture usually was, it was expected for someone as prideful as Toby Fuller—who had unknowingly become someone’s substitute—to be hunching his back after being dealt such a blow, especially since it was not an enemy but his beloved and revered mother who dealt such a fatal blow to him.
Oftentimes, the most painful wounds a person could have was not dealt by their enemies, but by the people closest to them. Sonia’s eyes reddened at such thoughts.
As she clenched her fists, she stood up instantly and shouted at Toby, “Toby Fuller!”
With his hand on the door handle, Toby was already by the entrance of the room and was about to open the door to leave at this point. After Sonia called out to him, he stopped in his tracks but showed no other reaction aside from staying silent.
Wearing a serious expression, she stared at the back of the man before saying, “Toby Fuller, there’s something I’ve never told you all this time. Truthfully, I have always regretted the fact that you’ve not reverted into that gentle Toby Fuller.”
Toby was stunned at her words with his eyes turning into a deep shade of crimson red by the seconds. What does she mean by that? She wants me to continue being a stand-in for Connor Salzburg?
Just when he was about to turn around and question her, Sonia continued, “However, I no longer have such regrets. Instead, I’m glad that you did not revert into that Toby Fuller. I know now that the past you weren’t the real you. Although the way you are now was formed by way of hypnosis, you were the one that chose this; no one else influenced you in this. Perhaps the current you is the real you, and perhaps this is your ideal character. That’s why I’m happy right now, and I’m happy for you. Congratulations, Toby Fuller. You have finally returned to being who you were meant to be!”
Before Sonia knew the reason for his personality, she felt that it was such a pity for Toby to have not returned to how he was in the past. After all, she loved how gentle he was. Who wouldn’t be fond of that gentle and graceful boy dressed in that white shirt of his?
Nevertheless, now that she knew the origins of his gentle personality, she no longer felt that it was a pity.
Moreover, she felt slightly grateful for Tina to have found Miles to hypnotize Toby, where it had indirectly aided Toby into becoming his true self once more.
