Chapter 180 A Painful and Unbearable Past
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 proper justification."
"Help, help! We're being bullied by the rich, abusing power..."
The relatives continued their relentless tirade, kicking and screaming.
Unfortunately for them, no matter how much of a scene they made, the police were unsympathetic and forcefully put them into the patrol car to take them away.
Alan followed to handle the situation.
No longer being held back, Martin immediately ran to the roadside, hoping to catch up with the Rolls-Royce.
Unfortunately, the Rolls-Royce had already disappeared without a trace.
His anger almost consumed him. Pulling out his mobile phone, he was about to call Patricia when Charlotte's pitiful voice came through, "Martin, my wrist hurts so much."
Martin's action of dialing was forced to halt. Seeing Charlotte with tears in her eyes and her cautious demeanor, his heart softened slightly. He put his phone back in his pocket and softened his tone, "Let's go to the hospital to get your wrist treated again."
Charlotte obediently nodded, following behind Martin. Out of his sight, a smirk slowly formed on her lips, a hint of triumph flashing in her eyes.
Earlier, when she arrived at West Rose Restaurant, she had seen an old lady staging a fall in the street.
Sadly, no one took the bait; despite falling several times, no one came to assist her.
Therefore, after Martin had carried Patricia away, she purposely fell for it to lure Martin back.
As long as she was around, Patricia would never have a chance with Martin, let alone a peaceful life.
Meanwhile, Hunter brought Patricia to the hotel where he was staying.
Surprised that he actually lived in a hotel, Patricia asked, "Have you always lived here?"
"Yeah!" Hunter replied while pouring her some juice.
Patricia continued, "Your old home is still there, why don't you go back?"
Hunter paused in pouring the juice, his face etched with bitterness, "That place it is filled with my mother's presence, it's unbearable for me to live there."
Patricia understood him well. After all, it was in that house that his mother had passed.
It was only natural for him to feel such sorrowful memories.
Patricia asked again, "Do you plan to stay here permanently?"
Handing her the juice, Hunter playfully teased her, "Once we're engaged, if you want to settle in Ivara City, I'll buy a house here. Wherever you go, I'll follow."
Looking at his enthusiastic face, Patricia was overwhelmed with guilt. She didn't want to deceive him, but she couldn't bring herself to speak the truth.
"Hunter, I..."
Before she could finish, Hunter suddenly embraced her tightly, his chin resting in the hollow of her neck, "It's only feels like home when you are there! It’s the home I’ve longed for since I was a child."
In that moment, all her words stuck in her throat, making it even harder to speak.
Hunter continued, "You know? Ever since my mother died, I've always longed for a home! A home that we built together."
Patricia's heart was deeply moved.
Remembering the purpose of her visit, she gently pushed him away and asked, "Now that we're here, tell me what exactly happened after you went to the U.S."
Hunter chuckled, trying to avoid the topic with a lighthearted tone. "That's all in the past now, let's not bring it up again."
But Patricia was determined and shook her head resolutely. "No, I need to know! First, let me see your body."
As she spoke, she began to undress him. Hunter did not resist, allowing her to remove his coat, then lift his thermal underwear.
This time, Patricia lifted the thermal upwards, revealing his chest and back covered in scars, not a single spot untouched.
Tears she’d barely managed to hold back once again broke free.
How could this be?
Remembering something, Patricia rolled up his sleeves. Oddly enough, his arms bore no injuries.
Hidden beneath his clothing, even the not-so-perceptive Patricia could guess the intention of the one who had harmed Hunter.
"Who was it? Who hurt you? Does it still hurt?" she asked.
During his years in the States, she could hardly believe the life Hunter must have endured.
But Hunter, feigning indifference, "It's all in the past, the wounds have healed, I don’t feel any pain now."
Seeing him dodge the question, Patricia felt even more heartache.
"I'm not asking about now, I'm asking about back then! It must have hurt terribly, right?" she asked him.
Memories that had nearly been forgotten, lying dormant in the depths of his mind, surged forth like a stormy sea. The pain, despair, and fear from that time overwhelmed him like a flood.
Hunter couldn't help but tremble uncontrollably. He poured himself a glass of juice, attempting to calm his inner turmoil with the liquid.
Unfortunately, it did nothing to help. Instead, his memories became sharper, and his hands, tightly clutching the glass, began to shake violently.
Noticing his distress, Patricia crouched before him, immediately taking his hands in hers.
Only then did she truly see his face.
It was a look of despair, devoid of any glimmer of hope, radiating a profound silence from the inside out, lifeless.
Even though he tried to maintain a calm and gentle façade, he could not conceal the fear in his heart.
Patricia suddenly regretted her selfishness in dredging up the pain that he had kept buried deep inside.
The confident, sunny, and cheerful Hunter of the past was long gone. Before her was a man with a tough exterior, but an incredibly fragile heart.
Feeling a sharp pain in her own heart, she embraced him tightly, gently patting his back to soothe him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pressured you. If you don't want to talk about it, we won't!"
Even without saying it, she could understand the essence of his pain.
The child born out of wedlock, how could the wife possibly treat him kindly?
These scars were likely the result of the wife’s cruelty.
Hunter held her close, like a water weed drifting on the sea's surface, finally finding a harbor to rest in. He felt an unprecedented sense of firmness and tranquility in his heart.
In that moment, his heart truly reached out to her for the first time.
"There are many ways to torment someone you despise, and there are just as many ways to do so without getting caught, one simply has to inflict the wounds where others cannot see."
At last, Hunter began to speak slowly, revealing for the first time the unbearable and sorrowful memories of his past.
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