Chapter 273
Someone actually dared to push him this far?
*So, what do we do now?” Oliver asked again, his voice tight.
“Aiden, you can go,” Patricia called from the doorway, cutting in before Aiden could answer.
She could see Oliver was at his breaking point. If she didn’t do something to soften him up, there was no telling what would happen next.
As soon as the door closed behind Aiden, Patricia walked over and slipped her arms around Oliver’s solid waist, hugging him close. Her face, freshly cleansed and makeup–free, nuzzled against his chest. Her hair was still damp, probably from just taking off her shower cap, and she smelled faintly of shampoo.
She tilted her head up, her eyes shining, long lashes fluttering like a mischievous little fox. “Can you help me dry my hair?” she asked, her voice sweet and a little playful.
“Patricia, don’t think you can use your charms to make me back down,” Oliver warned, his tone stubborn. “I’m not giving in on this.”
If the security camera across the street hadn’t caught what happened at the café, this whole situation would be even messier. The thought of his wife having to spend the night at the police station was something he just couldn’t accept.
“I only want you to dry my hair, not to give in,” Patricia replied, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.
She’d learned early on that with a man like Oliver, who needed to be in control, sometimes you just had to go with the flow.
The hair dryer buzzed to life. Patricia watched him in the vanity mirror, quietly thinking about how she’d win him over this time.
When the noise finally stopped, Oliver met her gaze in the mirror, his stare intense enough to make her want to shrink away.
Eventually, he broke the silence. “If I hadn’t come home early, were you even going to tell me about all this?”
“I was going to tell you. My plan was to call you as soon as I got home,” she said honestly. It wasn’t her fault he showed up ahead of schedule.
“Why didn’t you say anything when you were at the station?” Oliver pressed.
Honestly, what was the point after it was all over? He always acted like she didn’t need him. Whether it was money or connections, he always seemed to feel left out.
Back when they were abroad, he’d had a handle on everything in her life. He knew exactly what she did every day–just coffee or rehab–so he could relax.
But since they’d come back home, Patricia had gotten busy. She was out early, home late, sometimes not back till after midnight. She didn’t seem to rely on him, or even this house. It left him feeling unnecessary, and his insecurity only grew deeper by the day.
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Chapter 273
“I was too busy matching wits with them to think about anything else!” Patricia turned around on the stool, grabbed his hand, and looked up at him, her voice soft and coaxing. “You’re my husband. If I don’t lean on you, who will I lean on? Why are you always so worried I won’t tell you when something’s wrong? I’m not stupid, you know.”
She ran her fingers gently across his palm, soft and soothing, almost like a cat kneading,
His lips stayed pressed in a thin, stubborn line, tension radiating from him.
Patricia stood up, kneeling on the stool so she could loop her arms around his neck. “I’m really glad you came home early,” she whispered close to his ear.
“We’ve been apart for a week. Do you really want our first night back together to start with a fight?” Of course he didn’t. He’d spent every day overseas imagining a warm welcome home, not this chaos.
Oliver let out a long sigh, his frustration obvious. “Pattie, is it really that hard for you to just lean on me?”
Chapter 274
