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
After a while, Martin regained his composure and took out his mobile phone to call Patricia.In his line of sight, Patricia and Hunter had just stopped under the dim light of a streetlamp.They paused, and Patricia made a motion as if she was about to reach for her phone. Moments later, her voice came through the line, crisp and clear, "Hey, what's up? Is there something else?"With a deadpan expression, Martin asked, "Where are you now?"Patricia replied, "I’m at the hospital! What's the matter?"Her impatient tone pierced Martin's heart with a sharp pain."In which part of the hospital are you? It's snowing, and you didn't bring an umbrella. I can bring one to you."Patricia declined the offer without hesitation, "No need."In the past, such persistent rejection would have led Martin to hang up immediately. He was not one to be indulged.It seems that only others had ever tried to please him; he's never stooped to this level of desperation.
Patricia furrowed her brow. "Drunk? Why did he start drinking?"Wasn't he doing fine at the hospital recently? He seemed to be in a good mood.Carter's voice grew more anxious: "I don't know, something must have really upset him. He’s in a bad place right now and won't talk about it. He just keeps drinking. I'm afraid he'll drink himself to death if you don't come. Ryan is also close to reaching his limit. No matter what, Martin has helped you a few times, you can't just abandon him now!"Hearing the urgency in Carter's voice, Patricia realized the situation was more serious than she thought.If she didn't go, she would indeed appear heartless and uncaring.She hesitated, glancing at Hunter, wrestling with her thoughts for a moment, then nodded. "Okay! Send me the address, I'll head over right away!"After ending the call, Patricia apologized with a regretful expression, "I'm sorry, I need to leave for a bit! I'll make it up to you tomorrow."Hunter
Patricia bit her lower lip tightly, still unable to completely snap out of the daze from their recent kiss.Martin's gaze subtly swept over Patricia, recalling the image of her under an umbrella with Hunter, his heart stung painfully. He tilted his head and gave Carter a meaningful look without making a sound.Carter looked at him in confusion.Before Carter could decipher the meaning, Martin suddenly pushed both him and Hunter away, claiming Patricia by pinning her against the wall and kissing her fiercely, biting her lip punishingly. He thought he was dreaming before.But this time, he was wide awake.He wanted to show Hunter that Patricia belonged to him, and no one else could take her away.Patricia flinched from the pain on her lips, inhaling sharply. This time, her response was swift; her hands pressed against his chest, trying hard to push him off.But Martin was immovable, like a fortress. His tongue skillfully pried open her teeth, swept int
With a strong yank, Martin tore open the fragile zipper of Patricia’s down jacket. The base layer was pushed up, exposing her soft, smooth skin to the cool air.The sudden chill covered Patricia with goosebumps, snapping her back to reality. Her fleeting sense of reason rushed back, and she became livid, struggling fiercely, "Martin, let me go, you jerk!"Martin restrained her arms with the clothes, his gaze unblinking and filled with an intense anger."This is your punishment for deceiving me."Confusion washed over Patricia. When had she ever deceived him?Before she could ask for clarification, Martin's head descended again, forcefully locking her lips with his own, suffocating her with his brutal kiss.Martin's tongue swept through her mouth, greedily claiming every breath that belonged to her.Despite Patricia's desperate attempts to push him away, she couldn't move him an inch. Her struggles left her gasping for air, her skin flushed, and an involun
The ruthless words sent Martin spiraling into an abyss of despair. His tall frame swayed, almost falling. He gripped her arms tightly, his voice a hoarse roar, "Impossible, I don't believe it. You used to love me so much; how can you just stop loving me?"Patricia snorted softly, "You're right to say it used to be! Five years have passed, even the deepest feelings can fade."With that, she pried off his fingers one by one and calmly began picking up her clothes from the ground, dressing one piece at a time.On the surface, she seemed cold and heartless, but her heart was bleeding.Her words pierced through Martin's heart like sharp arrows. Reluctant to let her go so easily, he pressed her against the wall with a firm grip, roughly tearing the clothes she had just put on. His fervent lips touched her skin, searing over the marks left from last night, branding her once again with his scent and imprint.Compared to her helplessness the night before, Patricia wa
Holding Charlotte's toothbrush, Martin headed straight to the DNA testing center, determined to her the results as soon as possible. "Get me the results within three hours."The lab technician nodded and collected saliva samples from Martin's mouth and then proceeded into the testing room with the toothbrush.While waiting for the results, Martin made a call to Alan."Check Charlotte's recent movements, find out where she's been, who she's met, where she came from and how long she's been back in Ivara City."Alan paused, surprised. "Charlotte? Your own sister Charlotte?""Yes, she's currently at Ellenstein Villa District and returned an hour ago."Once Alan confirmed the other party's identity, handling the matter became much easier. With clear-cut determination, he said, “Alright! I’ve got it! I’ll go check it out now!”Martin waited at the door of the forensics department to ensure the authenticity of the results.The results came out in less than t
Unfortunately, after sending the message, it disappeared without a trace, with no response.Thinking that Martin hadn't received it, Carter excused himself to the restroom under pretense of needing a break, temporarily leaving the private room, and made a phone call to Martin.The phone was answered after two rings."What's up?"His voice was deep, betraying no emotion.Hearing him put it that way, Carter was even more convinced that Martin hadn't received the message, so he hurriedly said, “I saw Patricia and Hunter at Basque Taste, with Charles and a little girl tagging along. It looked pretty official, like a meeting with the parents.”Martin's grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white from the strain. Despite Patricia having already left him battered that morning, he hadn't managed to develop a thick skin; his heart still ached fiercely.Silence from Martin prompted Carter to ask, puzzled, “Martin, are you listening to me?”Martin to
Martin, lost in thought and gazing into the distance, didn't see Charlotte deliberately fall to the ground when her relatives reached out to her."Ah..."Her cry successfully snapped Martin back to reality.He immediately bent down to help her up. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"Charlotte, tears welling up in her eyes, replied pitifully, "My wrist hurts so much, I think I've fallen on it again! I hope it's not dislocated?"Martin noticed the bandage on her wrist had come undone.The packet of medicine inside was nearly falling out. Anger started to well up inside him; this time, he was thoroughly enraged."Alan, take all of them to the police station, contact the lawyer, charge them with slander, intentional harm, extortion... I want them in jail."Feeling his boss's rage, Alan immediately carried out the order."Why are you suing us? We're the ones who have been wronged.""Just because you're wealthy doesn't put you above the law. Let me tell you, we won't back down without pr
Hunter looked at her with tenderness, patiently waiting for her to finish speaking.Seeing his gentle expression, Patricia found it difficult to voice the words at the tip of her tongue. Nervously she reached for the lemon water on the table and took a gulp.She drank too hastily, and the sourness made her teeth quiver, causing her face to scrunch up.Hunter was amused by her adorable expression and considerately poured a little packet of sugar into her lemon water."I remember you used to hate sour tastes! What changed? Are you not afraid anymore? Going straight for it?" he asked with a smile.With her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and faced with his caring gesture, found her words of refusal even harder to pronounce.Hunter stirred the water in her cup with a straw for a while, making sure the sugar dissolved, then handed it back to her: "Here, try now. It shouldn't be sour anymore."Patricia nodded and took a sip through the straw. The taste was a bittersweet delight.Although
Only when the phone’s ringtone broke the silence, the deadlock was finally broken.Martin glanced at the caller ID with a gloomy expression, sighed, turned the phone upside down on his thigh in resignation. He turned to Patricia, unbuckled his seatbelt, and moved closer, taking hold of her shoulders. With a serious and helpless look on his face, he said, "Patricia, I'm sorry, I admit I was too overbearing just now. But I'm being overprotective because I care about you so much, and I don't want to see you getting too close with Hunter."Care? It was the first time Patricia had heard this word from him.The anger in her chest dissipated almost instantly, and her tone softened unconsciously. "Hunter and I grew up together. When Debbie and her daughter bullied me, he was the one who protected and encouraged me time after time. He is very important to me. If a condition for remarrying you is to cut ties with him, then I can give you the answer now."Even without her saying it, Martin gues
Martin didn't give her a chance to escape, questioning every word, "So, is what Hunter said true? Are you really going to get engaged and marry him?"Patricia felt that the matters between her and Hunter couldn't be explained in just a few words, and moreover, everything was premature without having cleared things up with Hunter first.Seeing her still not responding, Martin grew impatient and urged, "Answer my question."Patricia pulled her hand back and said indifferently, "I won't marry him."That was her only answer. The rest, she wasn't ready to share with Martin yet.This answer caused a surge of joy in Martin's heart, his previously tense facial features gradually softened as he smiled like a child, unable to hide his delight."I knew you wouldn't like him." He said.Patricia rolled her eyes at him, "Now take me back to the restaurant."The smile on Martin's face vanished in an instant, and he refused without hesitation, "No, I won’t..."Before he could finish, his cell phone r
Upon hearing his question, Patricia burst into laughter, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "So what if it is? What difference does it make if it isn't?"She did not deny it.Martin took her non-denial as an admission, and his handsome face darkened like the bottom of a pot, his eyes filled with brooding shadows."I don't agree.""Haha..." Patricia laughed even harder, her snort of derision loud and unmasked. "And might I ask, who are you to me? By what right do you interfere? What does it matter to you whom I'm with? At best, you're nothing more than my ex-husband. Remember, ex-hus-band."She enunciated the words “ex-husband” deliberately, making sure he grasped their significance.Martin's normally composed brows furrowed, wrapping him in an aura of cold sternness.He was clearly displeased with these words. Then silence hung in the air, heavy and enigmatic.He spoke with grave seriousness, "Let's remarry!"As he spoke, a chilly wind blew past them, its whistling sound drowning out Mar
Hunter expected Martin to back down and leave in a sorry state.However, to his surprise, Martin’s expression was filled with pain as he stared at their clasped hands for a moment and then strode over to them.Confusion filled Patricia as she instinctively turned her head and locked eyes with Martin, whose gaze burned with fierce anger. Her mind felt like it was exploding as if something detonated."How did you get here?" Patricia asked, barely able to form the words.No sooner had the words left her lips than Martin had reached out, forcibly separating Patricia and Hunter's clasped hands. In Patricia's stunned state, he grabbed her wrist and started to pull her away."Martin, what are you doing?" Patricia's heart began to flutter with slight panic.Martin's face had been a ghastly sight just now, as if he was on the verge of a killing spree. She had no clue where his rage was coming from.Hunter quickly stood up and seized Patricia's other wrist, forcing Martin to stop. Martin turned
The doctor conducted a thorough examination of Charlotte. Her wrist wasn't fractured but had suffered from a dislocation and soft tissue damage."Mr. Langley, please hold her tightly. I'm about to reset the bones in her wrist, which may cause some discomfort. Keep her steady, and do not let her move.""Bone reset!" Just hearing it, Charlotte's eyes widened with fear, and her body trembled. Despite this, she bravely closed her eyes, extended her hand, and prepared herself for the pain. "Go ahead! I'm not afraid of the pain!"The doctor looked surprised and said, "It's going to be very painful. Are you sure you're not afraid?"His words instantly drained the color from her face, but she vigorously nodded, clenching her teeth, and refusing to voice her fear."I'm not afraid! Back when I was boarding at school, someone pushed me down the stairs, and I broke my leg but didn’t cry. I can handle this pain!" she explained."You were pushed down the stairs?" Martin's discerning eyes narrowed,
Patricia's heart skipped a beat. She knew she had been framed, again. And this woman's tactics were identical to Debbie's.Not only did she remind her of Debbie, but her methods and cunning were also the same. Indeed, Martin's taste had never changed. He always liked these hypocritical, nauseating women who could put on an act.The incident had happened too quickly; the onlookers only saw a scuffle but hadn't truly seen who had started it. They only saw someone fall and another with a hand outstretched as if pushing, so they naturally assumed Patricia was the aggressor."Professor Watson, what happened? Why did you push her?" one on looker asked."Yes, Professor Watson, is there some conflict between you two? If so, have a proper conversation about it. Getting physical in public won't do your reputation any favors." Another said."Yes! Professor Watson, perhaps you and her should talk in your office? It's not convenient in this corridor."After the incident with Debbie, everyone's vie
Martin had thought he would be calm when he saw Patricia again, as if nothing had ever happened.But in this moment, with Patricia standing right in front of him, his heart raced with intense emotions that he had suppressed for so long. It was in that moment that he realized the depth of his love for her, far greater than he had ever imagined.He couldn't bear to see her with Hunter, nor could he draw a clear line between them. "You..."Martin's lips parted as he tried to speak to her, to bridge the distance between them.Unfortunately, Patricia had made up her mind to keep her distance, and with her head bowed, she took a step back, yielding the path ahead.Martin clenched his fists tightly, struggling to contain the anger and turmoil within him. Unaware of the tension between Martin and Patricia, Charlotte flashed a sweet smile at Martin and said, “Martin, let’s go! I can’t wait to see Randy!”Patricia smirked derisively, her lips curling up."Well, isn’t that affectionate?"Marti