It was like a current ran through him.
Martin froze, momentarily unsure where to place his hands.After a pause, he gathered his wits, slowly reaching out to gently wrap his arms around Patricia's back, preparing to hold her—Before her hand could make contact, Patricia seemed to snap out of her behavior, suddenly becoming aware of its impropriety. She awkwardly released Martin, apologizing sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I was just... just startled..."Martin's arm froze midair for a moment before it fell resignedly back to his side. He cleared his throat twice, adjusting his posture to conceal his own embarrassment. "It's alright... if you're scared, you can hold my hand tightly," he suggested, extending his hand toward Patricia.In the darkness, the details of his hand were not clear.Patricia's heart tightened slightly, a new sensation swirling inside her chest.After a pause, she shook her head and declined, "No need, once is embarrassing enough!"Mart"Everyone died in the fire?" Fannie exclaimed with horror in her widened eyes, full of sympathy, "Those poor souls, mad as they were, to die such an agonizing death."Charles realized she had missed the point and said with a heavy voice, "That's not what I meant. It's about Debbie... She had just been admitted there shortly before it caught fire."Somehow, he felt that the whole situation was too much of a coincidence.Fannie blinked dismissively, "She reaped what she sowed with her many evils."Randy perceived Charles's concern, "Charles, are you worried there might be more to this?"Charles nodded, "Yes! Which is why I need to find out more."Eager to assist, Randy asked, "How do you plan to confirm it? Do you need my help?"Charles looked at him steadily without a word, but an idea was forming in his mind.Fannie pouted, dissatisfied, "Daddy's heart is all for mommy, and there's no room for us! I am so tired, I want to sleep."Charles and Marti
Inside the understated and luxurious champagne-colored business car, Debbie's scarred face was shrouded in darkness, the moonlight streaming through the car window reflecting a cold glint in her eyes.Hidden in the shadows as well, Hunter's thin lips slowly curved into a smile, a smile that didn't reach his eyes, sending shivers down one's spine."From today onwards, Debbie is dead. You, and Gavin, and Manda, even the entire Watson family, you have no relation with her anymore. Do you understand?"Debbie touched her scarred face and said, "Even if you've helped me escape from Jocelyn's pursuit, what can I do looking like this? The moment I step outside, I'll be recognized instantly and forced to live in darkness, never seeing the light of day."Hunter confidently responded, "Don't worry, I will change your appearance, give you a new identity."Debbie hurriedly asked, "What identity?"Hunter replied with a hint of mystery, "An identity that's supremely noble,
Despite imagining countless possibilities and knowing what a person burnt alive would look like, the sight still shocked Patricia deeply, making her stomach churn."Patricia, must you destroy my sister's last bit of dignity and appearance? Isn't it enough that she perished in flames? Can't we let her leave this world with some decency?" Joe felt his sister had been violated and roared with tears swirling in his eyes."I’m sorry, I merely wanted to see her one last time! I’ll cover her up now!" Struggling to suppress her physical discomfort, Patricia was about to put the white cloth back over Debbie and seize the opportunity to take a tissue sample for DNA analysis.But just as she reached out, Joe grabbed her hand."Don’t touch my sister with your filthy hands!" After saying this, he shouted, "Kaylee, cover my sister's disfigured face."Upon finishing his words, Joe pulled Patricia to the front of the mourning hall.Manda, weakened by her sobbing, seeing Patr
Patricia and Martin chose a nearby Western restaurant for their meal.After dinner and a short break, they stood up to return to the hospital.With one hour left for the results, Patricia and Martin decided to wait outside.Martin said, "I had Alan send someone to investigate the fire that broke out at the Athens psychiatric hospital. The weather has been getting colder, and one of the staff, seeking warmth, was using a heater. After dozing off, a sudden electrical short circuit ignited the heater, setting the curtains on fire. The building material inside was all shoddy and cheap so once it caught fire, it was uncontrollable, and the blaze just kept growing."Patricia furrowed her brows, voicing the doubt in her heart: "With so many people inside, there must have been a process to the fire outbreak! How is it possible for not even a single person to escape?"One hundred and eighty people, all perished in the flames.Unless they had all taken sleeping pills.Otherwise, setting aside t
By the time Patricia arrived at Sofiat Restaurant, she was a full half-hour late.She had thought Hunter would've left, but to her surprise, he was still there waiting, albeit with a frosty expression."I gave you half an hour, not an extra half hour to show up."Patricia kept bowing in apology: "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to be late. I was with Martin earlier, about to head over when he injured his hand. I took him to the hospital—that's why I was delayed."Hunter still looked at her expressionlessly, unmoved.Patricia handed over the menu: "To show my apologies, please order anything you like, eat as much as you want; don't hold back on my account."Hunter watched her silently, a deep and well-concealed chill in his eyes.She had never seen Hunter like this before. Patricia felt a chill down her spine, her skin crawling, suddenly finding the Hunter before her unfamiliar, different from the one in her memories, giving her a sense of dread.Was it an illusion, or...?Before Patri
Patricia returned home with Hunter after buying clothes. It was already nine o'clock.She was exhausted, spread out on the sofa in the shape of a star, not wanting to move even her toes.It wasn't just physical fatigue that tired her, but emotional weariness too.Charles and Fannie were about to sleep, but when they saw Patricia return, they excitedly ran over and pounced on her: "Mommy, are you going to stay with us again tonight?"Patricia, touching their little heads, said speechlessly: "What do you mean 'again'?"Fannie pouted her lips, discontentedly saying: "Ever since we came back to Ivara City, you've been almost constantly with Randy, and it's been so hard to see you. So, isn’t my use of 'again' correct?"Patricia, without a word, chose to remain silent.Charles, seeing her lack of enthusiasm and seeming preoccupied, asked with concern: "Mommy, is something wrong?""Umm..." Patricia stared absent-mindedly at the ceiling for a moment, then asked: "Would you be able to accept a
Patricia’s gaze fell on his bandaged hand, and she suddenly remembered her promise from the day before. She quickly apologized, “Oh dear, I’m sorry, I promised to visit you at the Ellenstein Villa District last night, but it slipped my mind because it got too late.”After speaking, she walked over, gently held his hand, and asked with concern, “How’s your hand doing? I hope there hasn’t been a fracture?”Just as her hand touched the sore spot, Martin sharply inhaled with an exaggerated display of pain, his face contorted, “It hurts, it hurts... please, be gentle.”Seeing him in such agony, Patricia anxiously inquired, “Does it hurt that bad? Could it be broken? Did you get an X-ray? Where is it? Let me see?”Martin pouted, a mix of self-pity and distress in his voice, “Do you even care about me? I thought you were only concerned with going out on dates and wouldn't care about me.”Patricia asserted righteously, “I was the one who injured your hand, how could I not care?”Hearing her w
Hunter stood at the entrance of the inpatient building, hands in his pockets, a warm smile on his face as he watched her. He looked like a boyfriend waiting to pick up his girlfriend from work.He was dressed in a burgundy mid-length woolen overcoat with a black turtleneck sweater underneath. A hint of a smile lingered at the corners of his mouth, giving him the air of a debonair gentleman. He exuded an air of elegance and charisma. Black leather boots paired with his long legs accentuated his slender figure, along with an innate air of nobility that could rival that of a top international male model.The cold wind howled, causing his coat to flutter and his hair to sway. Patricia could clearly see him shivering from the cold. She immediately went over, pulling him away from the wind to take refuge behind the wall, scolding, “You're dressed so lightly, aren't you cold standing in the wind? Don't you know to find shelter from the wind?”Hunter, like a child