Chapter 147 Charles Knows of Patricia's Threat
A heavy voice came from the other end of the line, "Alan has discovered through street surveillance that the last place Charles was seen is Cambridge Road. The Riverside Apartments are also on Cambridge Road. Could Charles have gone back there?"
"Cambridge Road?"
Could it be that after seeing Randy, Charles had gone back home?
As this possibility dawned on her, Patricia shook with excitement. "Hold on for a moment, I'm going to check the surveillance at home!"
Without ending the call, she switched from the call screen and opened the home surveillance app.
As she accessed the surveillance, she prayed incessantly in her heart, hoping that Charles had indeed returned.
Alas, she was met with disappointment.
Charles had not come home.
A sense of boundless despair overwhelmed her.
She brought the phone back to her ear, her voice filled with dejection. "No, I just checked the surveillance. Charles isn't home."
Martin knew she was feeling guilty and remorseful. With a softened tone, he comforted her, "Even though we haven't found him yet, we now know his last seen location was Cambridge Road. This significantly narrows down the search area. I'm going to Cambridge Road with Alan and the team right now. Don’t worry. I will find Charles. I won't let anything happen to him."
Patricia nodded, then realizing her nod wasn’t visible over the phone, she murmured in acknowledgement.
After ending the call, Patricia slumped onto the steering wheel, her tears streaming down relentlessly.
Charles.
Where on earth could you be?
Did you run away from home to get back at Mommy?
Charles had always been more mature than children his age.
He might have been mischievous, but he never did anything to cause her concern.
This time, he must have truly been disappointed in her, right?
Patricia didn’t allow herself to wallow in sorrow for too long. After a brief moment of grieving, she wiped the tears from her eyes, took a deep breath, and drove off straight to Cambridge Road.
By the time she arrived at Cambridge Road, Martin and Alan had already started a thorough search.
Cambridge Road wasn't very large, and with the narrowed search area, it became relatively easier to conduct the search.
Patricia joined the search party.
She checked many places.
The kindergarten, the supermarket, the vegetable market, all the usual spots she and Charles frequented, but unfortunately, she didn’t catch a glimpse of Charles anywhere.
The flicker of hope that had been so hard to ignite was now slowly shattering into pieces.
Patricia wandered lifelessly among the greenery below the apartment complex, cuddling the last thread of hope, wondering if Charles might be hiding in the corridor outside the door.
As she walked, she took out her phone and opened WhatsApp.
The messages she sent to Charles had vanished into thin air, with no response.
Out of options, she dialed his number once more.
In the tranquil night, a familiar ringtone suddenly filled her ears.
Struck by lightning, Patricia froze, the sound so faint she thought it a hallucination and pinched her thigh hard, sucking in a breath of cold air from the pain.
It hurt, so it wasn't an illusion.
It was real.
Meaning Charles was nearby.
Thinking of this possibility, an intense excitement trembled through Patricia’s body, but just as she moved towards the sound to find Charles, the ringtone stopped.
She immediately dialed again.
This time, a mechanical female voice responded.
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off, please try again later!"
Switched off.
Charles was not replying to her texts, didn't want to answer her calls, and had even switched off his phone upon seeing her call.
This proved that Charles was still holding a grudge against her.
A pain as if her heart was about to explode wracked Patricia. She felt a chilling numbness from the soles of her feet throughout her body.
However, knowing Charles was nearby allowed her to glimpse a shred of hope.
"Charles…"
Her voice shook as she called out Charles's name.
"I know you're still angry with Mommy, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have sent you to your daddy without asking how you felt. Mommy knows her mistake. Can you forgive Mommy, please? Mommy promises I'll never send you away again. I have always loved you!"
Met with dead silence and the howling of the cold wind, Patricia was not sure if Charles had heard her. She followed the winding cobblestone path, moving forward, continuing to speak.
"Charles, will you come out and see Mommy, please? Mommy misses you so much…"
"Jade has already scolded me; I know I'm wrong. Mommy promises you, as long as you don't want to, I'll always be with you, Charles… Charles…"
"Sob… Charles, please come out! Mommy is really worried about you, and your daddy is too. He's looking for you everywhere. If you don't come out, Mommy will stay right here with you, until you do…"
"Charles, where are you? Sob… Mommy really misses you… What do I need to do for you to forgive Mommy… Charles…"
Patricia said so much, but still, there was no sign of Charles.
Her strength seemed to be drained all at once, her body went weak, and she squatted down on the ground, burying her head in her arms, and wept bitterly.
Crying for only a short while, a tissue was handed to her from the front.
"Here..."
Patricia shuddered, suddenly looking up. Charles stood against the light, his figure shrouded in the silvery white moonlight that obscured his expression.
The moment she saw Charles, Patricia felt as though she had seen a beam of light piercing through darkness, her dim eyes instantly brightened.
"Charles..."
His eyes were red, his face streaked with drying tears, and he spoke with a disdainful expression, "Your face is a mess with snot and tears, so ugly. Clean yourself up quickly."
Patricia, like a child, obediently nodded, took the tissue, and wiped her face haphazardly.
Charles looked down at her imperiously and asked with haughtiness, "Was everything you said earlier true?"
Patricia hesitated for a moment, her mind too cluttered, her only focus to find Charles, so she had said a lot earlier, and could not immediately recall what exactly she had said.
Seeing that she did not speak, Charles thought she had lied just to coax him out and his face darkened. He turned to leave.
Fearing he would run away from home again, Patricia hastily grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, anxiously explaining: "It's true, everything Mommy said earlier is true, Mommy really loves you. As long as you forgive Mommy, she won't send you to your daddy's place anymore! Mommy will be with you always."
Charles's back was to Patricia, so she did not see the corners of his mouth slowly curl into a devious smile, his eyes betraying his triumph.
"Really?"
To make his sadness seem genuine, Charles's voice was thick with nasal tones.
"What if you go back on your word and change your mind?"
Patricia immediately raised her hand to swear, "I swear to Heaven, if I ever regret and send you back to the Langley family, then may you three siblings never speak to me again."
Such a vow was undoubtedly the most vicious for a mother.
Charles's mouth twitched twice, he tried to hold it in but couldn't, and the curve of his lips spread wider and wider.
"Given that, I will choose to believe you this time. If you do such a thing again, I'll take my brother and sister and leave this place, so you'll never see us for the rest of your life."
Patricia nodded vigorously, "Okay, okay, okay, as long as you forgive me and come home with me, anything goes."
Charles still didn't turn around but stretched out his hand pompously.
Patricia's heart, finally put at ease, firmly grasped Charles’s extended small hand: "Let's go home."
Charles's small body trembled slightly, and he nodded forcefully, "Yes! Let's go home!"
Mother and son walked hand in hand toward their apartment building.
Patricia, with a heavy heart, gazed at their shadows reflected on the elevator door, lost in thought.
She would never let go of Charles.
But what about Samuel? What should I do with him?
If he really resorts to extreme measures, I certainly won't be able to stand against him.
How can I ensure Charles's safety while convincing Samuel to let go?
Catching Patricia's expression, Charles spoke softly, "You know, there are some things you don't have to deal with alone; you can leave them to Daddy."
"Huh?" Patricia didn't catch his meaning for a moment.
Charles explained, "Like the threat from Samuel, for instance."
As his words sank in, Patricia froze, looking at him in disbelief, wondering how he knew about Samuel's approach.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
