With just one glance, Patricia knew that Debbie was not insane. Her act of feigned madness downstairs was just that—an act. But as to why Debbie was pretending, Patricia couldn't yet fathom."What do you want?" Patricia asked, stepping back subtly, her hand inching towards the desk lamp.Debbie advanced, her eyes bloodshot, her gaze scattered like a wild beast teetering on the brink of madness."Why?" Patricia's brow furrowed. "Why what?""Why didn't you save me?" Debbie pressed, getting closer.Patricia scoffed, "Save you?"Tears swirled in Debbie's reddened eyes. "You watched those men insult me, why didn't you save me?""I was barely able to save myself, how could I save you?"Debbie was irrational. "We're sisters. Shouldn't you have protected me to the death?"Patricia laughed at the absurdity."Protect you to the death? Who was it that got me kidnapped by Madam Thomas? And who was responsible for your own plight? Have you forgotten all the terrible things you've done to me? Why s
Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down her forehead.Patricia exerted all her strength to resist Debbie's force.Unfortunately, the deranged Debbie was frighteningly strong, and Patricia was no match for her.As the struggle wore on, Patricia began to lose ground.The knife's tip pressed against the tip of her nose.There was a sharp pain.Not very painful.Like a needle prick.But Patricia knew that if the fruit knife went any deeper, her nose would be gone.Despite using all her strength, Patricia's efforts were futile against the crazed Debbie. No sooner had she pushed the knife away than it came stabbing down again.And she could clearly feel the strength draining from her body.The back of her head ached against the cold ground, both painful and numbing.Sensing Patricia's weakening grip, Debbie's eyes shone with bloodthirsty excitement."Patricia, you're going to die!"With her words trailing off, Debbie bit down hard on Patricia's wrist."Ah..."Patricia winced in pain, h
Martin pulled out his phone, scrolled through the call log, and shot her a knowing glance.Patricia looked at his phone and was shocked to discover that the emergency number she had dialed in her panic was actually Martin's."I... Wasn't I calling the police?"Martin didn't respond to her question, but said instead, "Even though you infuriated me this morning, I couldn't just stand by and watch you walk into danger. So, I secretly followed you in my car. When you didn't come out for a long time, I came in to look for you. Gavin lied to me, claiming you had already left and stubbornly refused to admit you were here."Hearing this, Patricia was filled with alarm and relief.If Martin hadn't followed her today, would she have died at Debbie's hands?Seeing the fear in her eyes, Martin pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back to soothe her: "Don't be scared, it's all over now!"Resting in Martin's embrace, Patricia was unusually obedient and did not resist. Listening to the ste
With the night still young and fearing that they might suffer from indigestion after such a hearty meal, Patricia encouraged them to walk it off downstairs.Although it was deep into autumn and the cold wind was howling, the temperatures in the south were generally much warmer than the north. Everyone was wearing lightweight down jackets, and after a while of walking, they felt warm and toasty, not cold in the slightest.Jade curiously asked, “Patricia, how is Randy recovering?”“He's doing very well,” Patricia replied. “If the next two surgeries go as smoothly as this one, he will be like a normal child, no longer having to worry about his heart condition flaring up at any moment.”Jade exclaimed excitedly, “Does that mean he can come play at our place then? Let’s set a time and go on a trip together! Bungee jumping, mountain climbing... I heard that the Purple Mount offers paragliding from over two thousand meters up; it’s thrilling. There's also diving, skiing, and so much more...”
It was destined to be a sleepless night.The next morning, Charles's biological clock woke him up promptly at seven, as usual. He went to the restroom to wash up and use the toilet. Once everything was in order, he went to wake the little sleepyhead, Fannie.With her eyes still closed, Fannie groped her way to the restroom, where Charles had already prepared mouthwash and toothpaste for her to use directly.While Fannie was getting ready, Charles had already dressed and gone to the living room.Seeing Patricia setting up breakfast, he immediately rolled up his sleeves to help.Patricia didn't pat his head and praise him as she used to; instead, she was so distracted that her hand accidentally went into the steaming soy milk, and she didn't even notice the burn.Frowning, Charles grabbed her hand and rushed it under cold water at the tap, scolding, "Mommy, what are you thinking about? Your hand is all red from the burn. Can't you feel the pain?"At his stern voice, Patricia snapped bac
Seeing him like this, Patricia's eyes reddened and gradually misted over; to prevent Charles from seeing, she took a deep breath, holding back her tears."Let's go! After I drop you off, I still need to visit the hospital."Charles kept backing away until he was against the wall, unable to retreat further. He stopped and stared at Patricia in disbelief."You're willing to sever our mother-son relationship just to get rid of me?"Patricia’s heart was resolute as she deliberately kept a stern face, "I merely wish for you to return to the Langley family. Even if you blame me, it doesn’t matter to me. No matter what, the blood of the Langley family runs through your veins."She knew all too well that if she told Charles the truth, he would never leave. He might even feel obliged to protect her. She couldn't be that selfish, to leave a child with such danger.Catching the fleeting look of reluctance and distress in her eyes, Charles was momentarily stunned, t
Patricia clenched her fists tightly, using this to suppress the piercing pain in her heart.Just as she was about to step through the doorway, Martin's voice suddenly rang out behind her, “Wait…”Patricia paused, but still did not turn around.Martin asked, “What in the world is going on? Why are you leaving Charles with me? I promised him that I wouldn’t contest custody with you. He's always been with you, aren’t you being too cruel to him now?”Patricia hastily denied it: "I didn't abandon him, I... I just..." She paused, then with a pained expression added, "Compared to me, you can protect him better. He's just living in a different environment now. Our relationship as mother and son won't change."After speaking, without waiting for a response from the two behind her, she quickly left, afraid that lingering would only make her more heartbroken.Martin felt something was off, that there had to be an issue. He wanted to chase after her for the truth, but wi
Hearing that Charles was missing, Patricia bolted upright from the bed, her voice becoming shrill without her realizing, "What did you say? Charles is missing?"Martin blamed himself: "I had been with him all day, and just when I went back to my room to shower, he disappeared. None of the servants saw him leave, and it was only when we checked the security cameras that we spotted him. He must have avoided the servants and slipped out secretly."Patricia’s heart leapt to her throat, her fatigue swept away as she immediately jumped out of bed, "He hasn't come back, send someone to look for him at once, I'm going too, inform me if there's any news!""Will do!"After ending the call, Patricia tried Charles’s mobile phone immediately, only to be met with the notification that it had been switched off.In a panic and without hesitation, she grabbed her phone and car keys and rushed out the door.Jade had just sent Fannie back to her room to bathe and saw Patricia's