Chapter 179 Patricia Discovers Hunter's Secret
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 there was still a hint of tartness, the sweetness of the sugar softened the lemon's sour edge, making it quite pleasant to the palate.
Once she had regained her composure, Hunter asked, "What were you about to tell me earlier?"
At this moment, Patricia found herself utterly unable to speak.
She gazed at the crystal-clear glass in her hand, idly twirling it with her fingers. After a moment of silence, she asked, "How have you been all these years in the States?"
It was the first time since their reunion that she had asked him about his life in America.
Her question unintentionally unlocked a secret Hunter had buried deep in his heart, unleashing a flood of memories that he could never forget.
He shuddered, a flash of pain crossing his face, then quickly vanished as if it had never appeared.
Focused on the lemon water before her, Patricia missed his fleeting expression. Seeing that he hadn't spoken, she slowly lifted her head and called out to him.
"Hunter..."
Hunter forced a smile, pushing aside the fear hidden deep within him, and responded, "I've been doing quite well. Studying, going to college, taking over the company—just like everyone else, nothing special."
Relieved, Patricia let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"That's good to hear! I was so worried... so afraid that you might have been bullied, especially during the time you went missing. I almost went to the States to look for you."
People only saw the glamorous side of Hunter; they didn't know he wasn't born to his father's legitimate wife.
Hunter's mother was a mistress his father kept. No, to be precise, his mother had been unaware that his father had a wife in America.
It wasn't until Hunter turned fifteen that his mother learned the shocking truth, that his father had a well-established family in the States, and his wife was of American royalty.
After discovering this reality, Hunter's mother fell grievously ill from the betrayal, and eventually passed away.
His father took Hunter to America. For the first couple of years, they kept in touch, but then suddenly, contact was lost.
She feared something had happened to him and often thought about going to the States to search for him. But she was powerless to do so, and with some issues that arose at that time, she never made the trip.
She thought they would never meet again in this lifetime.
Hunter's voice caught in his throat, his eyes misting over, "Then why didn't you come to look for me?"
Had she come, would things have turned out differently?
Patricia answered with guilt, "I was underage and without my parents, I couldn't go. Also, there were some problems at the time, so I couldn't make it."
Hunter, undeterred, pressed on, "What problems?"
Patricia bit her lower lip, refusing to say. Because that period had been the darkest time of her life. The events had passed, and she didn't want Hunter to worry.
However, Hunter misinterpreted her silence, and for the first time, he couldn't contain his emotions, his palms slowly clenching into fists.
Not liking the tense atmosphere, Patricia took a deep breath, she forced a smile and said, "At least you had a good time there, so I don't have to feel guilty."
Hunter's lips curled into a reluctant smile.
"Let's not dwell on those matters. It's rare for us to have a holiday. Why don't we take Charles and Fannie out for some fun? What do they enjoy?"
As he spoke, he signaled for the waiter to settle the bill.
However, as he extended his arm, a waiter carrying juice happened to pass by, and Hunter accidentally knocked it over, drenching himself.
His sweater was soaked immediately.
The startled waiter began to apologize profusely, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I’ll get something to wipe it off for you."
Patricia gasped and hurried over, "Quick, take off the sweater before it gets through to the inside."
Following her advice, Hunter immediately stripped off his sweater, inadvertently pulling up his thermal underlayer, revealing part of his abdomen. Patricia's gaze happened to fall there and widened in shock.
Unaware, Hunter placed the sweater on a chair and glanced down to inspect himself, letting out a sigh of relief, "Fortunately, the clothes underneath aren't wet, I..."
Before he could finish, Patricia suddenly reached out and lifted his thermal underlayer.
The full extent of his injuries were laid bare for all to see. Circular, linear, triangular scars of all shapes and sizes marred his skin, fierce and haunting.
Patricia recoiled in horror, her hands trembling as she pushed his clothes back into place.
Indeed, there wasn't an untouched spot on his skin. All were scars of varying sizes. What kind of cruelty leaves marks that never fade?
Manda had beaten her too, but she had never been left with a single scar.
Patricia covered her mouth with her hand, tears falling one by one, too heartbroken to speak.
Hunter quickly grabbed his coat from the chair and put it on.
"Patricia, don't jump to conclusions, these scars are from my mischief, not what you're thinking," Hunter said.
The tears fell harder.
Patricia lost control, pounding on his chest, "You said you were doing well in the States, so what are all these injuries? Do you think I'm a three-year-old that can be so easily deceived?"
Hunter firmly grasped her hands, placing them on his left chest, and said softly, "It's all in the past, everything is over, and I'm really doing fine now, truly."
Patricia didn't consider herself a person prone to wild imaginings. Yet, the scars on his body set her mind adrift, even conjuring involuntary visions of him being maltreated.
Her heart ached fiercely as she sobbed, "Tell me, what exactly happened? Why is it like this? How were these scars made?"
Hunter was afraid that she couldn't bear hearing it and wanted to keep hiding it, saying, "Really, it's all in the past! Can we not talk about it anymore?"
But Patricia insisted, "No, I need to know!"
Seeing that she seemed resolute, Hunter couldn't help but give a wry smile. "Are you sure you want me to say it here?"
Patricia glanced around and realized the setting wasn't right for this conversation, so she suggested, "Where do you live? Shall we go to your place? I want to see for myself how much more you've been hurt."
Hunter gave her a mischievous look and joked, "To my place? Are you sure?"
Patricia knew he was just trying to lighten the mood. She glared at him, grabbed his sweater that was always tossed over a chair and forcefully, said, "Let's go."
Hunter heaved an exaggerated sigh; the picture of a boyfriend being hurried by his girlfriend and followed Patricia outside.
Outside, Martin was still resolving a dispute.
Seeing Patricia emerge, he thought she had cleared things up with Hunter, his eyes brightened. Before he could rejoice, he saw Hunter, head lowered, a blissful look on his face, following her out.
The two headed for the parking lot, with Patricia still holding Hunter's sweater.
A while later, a familiar Rolls-Royce exited the garage, speeding away.
And Patricia never even glanced back at Martin.
Martin's heart sank, a sense of foreboding gnawing at him—
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
