Chapter 306 Patricia's Jealousy Toward Eva
Martin slept straight through until the next morning, while Patricia was freshening up in the bathroom. His slumber was interrupted by the ringtone of his personal phone.
Without checking the caller ID, he picked up and answered, "Hello?"
An excited female voice burst through. "You're awake!"
"You're awake!"
It was Eva's voice.
Martin's sleepiness evaporated in an instantinstantly as he furrowed his brows in irritation.
"Who gave you my private number?"
"Oh please, that's not the point," Eva pouted.
Martin was perplexed. "Okay, then what is the point?"
"Didn't you check the message I sent? Look at it now..." Eva pressedsaid, excitement in her voice.
Martin was on the verge of declining when Eva, as if reading his mind, added, "It's a selfie I took with Gregory and Jessica. It's absolutely hilarious."
Hearing it concerned a photo of his grandparents, Martin exited the chat and opened the text thread.
A series of photos popped up.
In them, Eva held her phone high for a selfie, with Gregory and Jessica in the background, donned in equestrian gear and looking dashing on their horses.
It was meant to be a rather ordinary snapshot.
However, just as she hit the shutter, the horse bolted. The old couple got such a frightwas so frightened that they leaned back, their riding hats tumbling off. Thankfully, Gregory, an experienced rider, managed to grab the reins with one hand and steady Jessica with the other, preventing a fall.
The camera had frozen at the exact moment the horse had reared up.
Gregory and Jessica's faces were paper-white with shock, hilariously twisted and contorted.
The sequence of shots captured everything from the horse's rearing to its wild run - —every emotion on Gregory and Jessica's faces clear as day.
At the moment of rearing, Eva, too, was startled, her face a picture of horror, eyes wide and mouth agape.
All in all, the expressions on the three faces were comically priceless.
Martin scrolled through the pictures, fixing his gaze on his grandparents' antics, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
" Aren't these really funny? I was bored yesterday, flipping through old photos, and stumbled upon these gems. I just had to share them with you. It's a once-in-a-lifetime shot," Eva shared.
He brought the phone back to his ear. "They're okay, right?"
Eva laughed heartily. "Of course, they're fine! Do you think I'd share it if they weren't?"
TalkingWhen Martin talked about his grandparents, Martin found himselfhe was chattier than usual. "They're up there in years but never act their age. They still love to throw themselves into these risky adventures."
Eva nodded vigorously in agreement. "Absolutely, they are so spirited. I was freaked out when I heard they were going horseback riding. I warned them not to overdo it, but they wouldn't listen and even asked me to take pictures. Well, you saw the result—total wipeout!"
Then, something occurred to Martin. "Are you still in touch with them?"
Eva: "Absolutely! They call me every day, you know, wanting to chat. And it turns into hours-long conversations."
Martin's lips twitched involuntarily as he said, "... "Well, that's quite the commitment."
His grandparents were notoriously talkative.
As they got older, they seemed to talk even more.
Eva said with a smilesmiled, "Oh, it's no trouble at all! Here I am in Ivara City without a single friend. Chatting with them is a great way to keep the blues at bay."
Martin, always a man of few words, was particularly tight-lipped around strangers. "So, I guess I'll just—"
"So, I guess I'll just..."
"Where are you now?" Eva hurriedly said, sensing his intent to end the call, hurriedly brought up a new topic: "Where are you now? . "I haven't seen you at the hospital. Your grandparents mentioned you were here with your son."
Martin frowned, clearly irked by Gregory and Jessica's oversharing of his private life.
"You don't need to come looking for me. We're not close."
Eva pouted, saying indignantly, "Come on! We've met a few times. We're not just potential dates—I once saved your life. How can we not be close?"
Martin: "...??" was at a loss for words.
SHeearing him fall silent again, Eva pressed on:. "When will you be at the hospital? I've got a surprise for you—an excellent piece of news."
Martin glanced towards the restroom, preoccupied with why Patricia had been in there for so long, and showed no interest in continuing the conversation with Eva.
Suddenly, he noticed a shadow move behind the frosted glass door of the restroom and, without a word, ended the call.
"Sorry, something's come up. Gotta go," he said.
In a moment,, then ended the call.
The restroom door swung open.
Patricia came out looking pale.
Concerned at her appearance, Martin asked, "Are you okay? You look unwell. Is something wrong?"
Patricia shook her head, setting a basin on a chair and wringing the water out of a towel to wipe his hands and face.
"I'm fine, just worn out from the past few days. I'll be better with some rest."
Martin, worried, reached out to touch her cheek.
Patricia instinctively flinched, then seemed to remember something and stopped herself from dodging.
HisMartin's warm palm touched her cool cheek, and Martinhe was startled:. "Your face is so cold.
Why?"
Patricia forced a smile, more pained than joyful.
"I just washed my face with cold water. Of course, it's cool!"
Believing his own words, Martin chastised her, "Even though spring has officially started, the chill hasn't lifted yet. How can you dare to wash your face with cold water? ?" Martin chastised. "What if you catch a cold, especially since you're still recovering..."
He stopped abruptly.
trailed off. Both chose to avoid the topic, as if they could pretend it never happened by not speaking of it, it never happened..
Silence hung between them.
Patricia quietly continued to wipe Martin down without a word.
Martin regretted his insensitivity, realizing he had struck a nerve.
The atmosphere in the hospital room grew oppressively heavy.
Martin tried several times to find a conversation starter to break the smothering silence, but his lack of eloquence left him at a loss for words.
Until Patricia spoke up.
"All done! I'm going to dump out the water."
"Mmhmm!"
Head bowed, Patriciashe carried the basin to the sink. As, and as she poured out the water, tears silently fell.
Fearing Martin would hear her cry and worry, she bit her lip hard to stifle the sound, yet tears cascaded down like pearls off a string.
An excruciating pain throbbed in her heart.
She pressed her hands against her chest, as if this could somehow strengthen her against the pain.
Sadly, the pain only intensified,; every nerve in her body seemed to twist and tear at her very being.
Everyone knew Martin wasn't interested in women.
But she could feel it—his demeanor towards Eva was different.
Even, even more so than with Debbie.
Patricia had never seen Martin speak so softly and patiently with any other woman. Did this mean Eva held an extraordinary place in Martin's heart?
Did this mean Eva held an extraordinary place in Martin's heart?
Had she— truly lost Martin for good?
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
