Chapter 191 He Really Fell in Love with Her
Martin’s lips curved up with a wicked smile, "I’m not insane. I'm very clear-headed. I know that I want you... Patricia, I want you..."
His tone was resolute. A certainty he had never felt before. Patricia wasn't sure whether his 'want' referred to a physical desire or an emotional one.
She scoffed disdainfully, "Martin, you can have any woman you want with just a wave of your hand. Countless women would fawn over you. I have no relation to you, no obligation to satisfy your physical needs."
The last four words hit Martin's heart like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, it felt as if all the strength was drained from his body. The hands that were restraining her arms lost their power, and he collapsed helplessly onto her body.
Patricia took this opportunity to try to push him away. However, his hands slid to her waist, tracing the contours of her body to her back, then slowly tightened as if trying to meld her into his frame, so tight that she could hardly breathe.
"Let me go, I can't breathe!"
Martin released her, placing her hand over his heart on the left side of his chest so she could feel the beat. He whispered in her ear, a voice only audible to them, "It’s here... it's here I need you."
This short phrase shook Patricia profoundly. She looked at Martin in disbelief. Was it the understanding she thought?
Martin's voice almost pleaded, "Patricia, I really need you. Please don't be with Hunter. Give me a chance to make up for what I've done."
Patricia felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, her whole body chilled in an instant. "I don’t need your amends, I..."
Martin knew his words had been misunderstood again, and quickly clarified, "That's not what I mean. In truth, you've always been in my heart. It's just that at the time, I couldn't see my own feelings clearly, and my male pride got in the way, which is why we missed out on so many years."
Patricia thought he was making excuses and snorted coldly, "Is that so? And I suppose Debbie was also because of your pride?"
Martin’s mood brightened at the mention of Debbie, and he laughed, "Debbie's appearance, was merely an opportunity, for me to make up my mind during a time of indecision."
He truly hesitated about whether to divorce or not. Debbie had appeared just at that time, blackmailing him with the debt of saving her life. So, he went with the flow, which led to everything that followed.
"Hah..." Patricia found it laughable, almost ironic.
Five years ago, her pain was all because of his pride. If it were just pride, why then did he tie her to the operating table, forcing her to donate bone marrow to Debbie?
"Patricia, what will it take for you to forgive me? To give me another chance?" For the first time, the usually haughty Martin pleaded in a lowered voice.
"Forgive?" Patricia pondered the question seriously.
The two, engrossed in their own world, completely forgot there was a feverish patient lying beside them. It wasn't until Hunter let out an uncomfortable groan that Patricia jolted awake, summoning all her strength to push Martin away.
"We can talk later; this isn't the place! You should go first!"
Martin's face darkened as he flatly refused, "No, I cannot let you be alone with him."
Patricia's expression turned ugly, "You don't trust me?"
Martin hurriedly explained, "It's not that I don't trust you."
"If you trust me, then go! Hunter is very sick with a high fever, I can't leave him alone," Patricia insisted.
Pointing at the bedridden Hunter, Martin fumed, "He's delirious from his illness. What if he takes advantage of you? How will you resist?"
Like just now. Patricia had not resisted or refused. Even saying things that misled him. Quietly, Patricia watched him without a word.
Feeling her piercing gaze, the previously righteous Martin instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, "I... I'm just worried about you."
Patricia pointed to the door, enunciating each word through gritted teeth, "Leave now, immediately! Hunter is sick, he needs to rest properly, and you're making too much noise here."
"I'm not leaving..." Martin mumbled, his earlier dominance gone.
Seeing his refusal to leave, Patricia, vexed beyond endurance, simply pushed him out of the room.
"If you won't leave, then wait outside!" With that, she slammed the room door shut and locked it from the inside.
Martin stood outside the door, leaning on the panel, dejected, "Why must you insist on sending me away?"
"Everyone deserves privacy. I'm protecting Hunter's privacy," Patricia said magnanimously, delivering her last word to him, before ignoring all of his subsequent attempts to speak with her.
Frustrated, Martin sat on the couch, but soon grew restless and began to pace back and forth in the living room. After a while, he would sit down again, only to start pacing once more. And so he continued, back and forth.
Seeing Patricia alone with Hunter, he felt uneasy sitting, standing, or walking. His body was uncomfortable, yet he didn't dare to push the door open, fearing it might anger Patricia.
Inside the room, Hunter's fever continued to rise. He was so delirious with fever that he'd lost consciousness.
Physical cooling was proving ineffective, so Patricia rummaged through the medicine box for fever reducers and anti-inflammatory drugs, coaxing him to swallow them.
Though confused from the fever, Hunter obediently took his medicine. As Patricia brought the pills to his lips, he opened his mouth and swallowed them without fuss.
If the fever didn't subside after the medication, Patricia thought they'd have to visit the hospital. Thankfully, about an hour later, Hunter began to sweat and the fever started to break. Soon his clothes were soaked through.
Patricia then helped him change out of his sweat-drenched clothes and wiped him down. After her efforts, Hunter's condition finally stabilized, and exhausted, Patricia fell asleep leaning against the bed.
The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Hunter lay under a down comforter, and Patricia, kneeling on the floor and leaning over the edge of the bed, was deeply asleep. Time passed quietly.
As dawn broke, Hunter, who had been asleep the entire night, gradually woke up. He stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, when suddenly, fragmented memories began to flash across his mind like scenes from a movie.
Patricia turning him, wiping his body, changing his dressings, his clothes, holding him through his agony with tender, meticulous care.
"Don't be afraid, I won't leave you. I'll always be here with you; no one will hurt you.” These words echoed in his ears continuously.
When he was trapped in his nightmares, unable to break free, it was she who gave him comfort, courage, and strength. He had felt an unprecedented sense of security, something miraculous.
His heart started to race uncontrollably. He placed a hand over his chest and could distinctly feel his heart thumping 'thump, thump, thump' wildly, irregularly, under his palm.
In this moment, he knew without a doubt, he had fallen for Patricia. He was truly in love with her. The emotions he'd been suppressing fiercely broke free at last, uncontrollably sweeping over him and engulfing him.
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