Theo’s fingers twitched on the steering wheel.
“No… no, nothing.”
“It’s not just us looking into this. Mr. Miller and Mr. Martin are both digging around too.”
Everyone seemed obsessed with who Patricia was going to marry.
Emerson was investigating, wanting to know who was behind Patricia.
But what about Joseph? What was he after?
Theo’s grip on his phone was so tight the veins stood out on the back of his hand. Even his fingertips shook.
His feelings for Patricia were a tangled mess.
Did he love her?
Probably not.
Did he hate her?
Honestly, yes.
He hated the debt she’d forced on him three years ago. Hated how she always looked down on him.
He hated the way she’d look at him from her wheelchair, like he was some kind of stray she had to
pity.
Her gaze was always so gentle–just not with him.
For strangers, she was kind.
For him, she was merciless.
He’d imagined it a thousand times–if Patricia had just been a little warmer, a little less cruel, would things have ended differently between them?
But there are no what–ifs.
In the end, every relationship either becomes family or turns into animosity.
Strangers? How do you ever go back to being strangers after you’ve been married?
Theo’s resentment only grew as his car picked up speed on the highway, spreading in the darkness like a monster’s claws. There was no escaping it.
After Cloud Peak, Patricia was completely drained. She collapsed on the bed, too weak to even roll
over.
Oliver was crazy. Absolutely out of his mind.
When the sound of running water from the bathroom stopped, she buried herself deeper under the comforter. She didn’t want to see him.
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Chapter 259
Oliver walked over, looking annoyingly refreshed, and put his big hand on the comforter, gently smoothing it over her. “Come on, eat something.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Are you mad at me?”
Of course she was. Who wouldn’t be? She’d told him to stop–over and over. Did he ever listen?
Oliver sighed, sounding helpless, then leaned down and picked her up, comforter and all. “I know, I know, I’m a jerk.”
“I get jealous, Pattie.”
He said it so quietly, like it was a secret he was ashamed to confess. “I get jealous of those three years you spent with Theo.”
Patricia blinked and pushed the covers away, looking at him in surprise. “Nothing ever happened between us. You know that.”
Her first time had been with Oliver. She’d never had anything with Theo.
“I know!” Oliver jumped in quickly, looking anxious.
“That’s why I think I’m going crazy.”
The Padilla family had strict rules. Oliver grew up with discipline in everything, always expecting perfection–even from himself.
He knew he shouldn’t be feeling this way.
But he was only human.
He had his flaws, his jealousy, his longing.
He loved Patricia so much, he wanted to be the only one in her past, the only one who mattered.
Patricia opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come out.
She thought he was sick, too.
But she didn’t know how to help him, so she just stayed quiet.
She didn’t talk any more with Oliver, didn’t get up to eat like he wanted.
She was exhausted. All she wanted was sleep.
Oliver, though, was wide awake, full of energy.
Instead of resting, he called Aiden into the main house.
He held a cigar between his fingers, not bothering to light it, and asked, “How far along is Mrs. Padilla with the Newtons?”
“We’re just about ready to reel Kelly in.”
Oliver took a deep breath. “And after that?”
Aiden shook his head. “Mrs. Padilla’s careful. She hasn’t said.”
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Chapter 259
Aiden couldn’t help but think: for Mr. Padilla to be this patient, letting Patricia waste all her time on her ex–husband, he must have struggled with himself a lot.
Otherwise, with the Padilla family’s reputation, the Newtons would have been gone a long time ago.
Mr. Padilla could be ruthless when he wanted.
Early the next morning,
Kelly left home for a graduate thesis defense at the music academy.
She was busy all morning, and when she finally stood up, she felt dizzy and almost collapsed, only to be caught by someone nearby.
“Ms. Phipps, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, just a bit of low blood sugar.”
A coworker gave her a gentle reminder, “You know, women around retirement age are more likely to have health problems. If you’re not feeling well, maybe see a doctor.”
She knew the woman was being polite. She meant menopause, not retirement.
Kelly was almost there, anyway.
Most women reached menopause before fifty,
But Kelly’s pampered life had its perks.
One of them was that menopause had come a little later for her.
She nodded and thanked her coworker.
On the way home from the academy, she thought about it, then drove straight to the hospital.
After some endocrine tests, the doctor suggested a blood draw.
When the results came back, the doctor glanced at the paper, then at Kelly, then back at the paper, looking absolutely stunned.
“What is it? Is there something wrong?” Kelly felt her heart race.
The doctor looked at her, still in shock. “You… you’re pregnant.”
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