Chapter 447 Martin and Patricia Head Home
As they continued their conversation, a knock at the door interrupted them.
Martin immediately recognized it as Patricia's knock. Without needing to open the door, he quickly finished his instructions on the phone, ended the call, and slipped his phone into his pocket. Then, he went to open the door for Patricia.
Patricia had no idea that Martin had been on a call. As the door swung open, she threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a peck on the cheek. Martin reciprocated by wrapping his arms around her waist, his mood lifted by her infectious joy, and a smile lit up his eyes.
"What's made you so happy?" Martin inquired.
Patricia tilted her head to the side, "I'm going home soon. How could I not be thrilled? I'm finally going to see my kids!"
Then, a question seemed to strike her, and she couldn't help but ask, "Last time you only told me about Maria, but what about the brother? What name did you pick for him?"
The smile faded from Martin's eyes, and to divert Patricia's attention from any concern, he took her hand and guided her inside the house.
"Let's get inside; it's cold outside!"
Caught off guard, Patricia allowed herself to be ushered indoors where the warmth enveloped her. She removed her down jacket and casually draped it over the couch.
Martin poured her a glass of water and handed it to her before taking a seat beside her. "Has Mr. Shane left?"
Patricia nodded. "Yeah, he's gone."
As she spoke, she clutched at her chest, a strong feeling of longing washing over her, confusing her.
Martin noticed her expression, ruffled her hair gently, and guided her head onto his shoulder while whispering, "We can visit him anytime we want; it's not goodbye forever."
"Mhm!" Patricia nodded vigorously, clasping Martin's other hand in hers and fidgeting with it.
"Jeremy has signed a contract with me for my designs! He wants me to design a piece of jewelry for the Koch Group every year. I won't need to be on-site, and the terms are very generous. I've agreed."
A career in medicine might be busy, but it wasn't too busy to prevent her from pursuing other passions, especially since she preferred jewelry design over medicine. Patricia hoped it would be a path she could follow for a long time.
"You do whatever you want! As long as you're happy, it's all good."
The closeness between them had been missing for far too long, and Patricia was loathed to shatter the tranquility of the moment. Yet, after pondering for a while, she couldn't help but say, "I've been staying with the Koch family, and from what I've seen, Grace must've been the one who tipped off Hunter. Her actions were deplorable and unforgivable.
“Still, she is Shane's granddaughter, after all. I guess you could say I got some revenge for us at the jewelry design contest. Should we just let this slide? If something were to happen to her, I'm worried Shane would be heartbroken."
When she first joined the Koch household, her initial desire was nothing short of wanting to tear apart whoever harmed Martin. But aside from Grace, she found the rest of the Kochs genuinely welcoming. Shane, Riley, Jeremy, and Ariel were all so kind to her. Even Sebastian, with whom she hadn't had much interaction, clearly struck her as a man of honor. So, it seemed the mischief was solely Grace's doing. But still, this was Martin's issue, and she needed his consent. If he objected, she would understand.
Martin, rubbing her head affectionately, said without hesitation, "As you wish."
Indeed, he had conducted his own investigation into the Kochs and confirmed that none had ties to Hunter.
"Thank you!" Patricia beamed, planting a kiss on Martin's cheek.
Wanting to spare Patricia any heartache, Martin kept the issue of their twin sons under wraps, as well as his plans to deal with Hunter. He just wanted her to stay by his side, happy and unscathed.
The chapter in Country Y had closed for good.
After bidding a final farewell to the Kochs, Patricia and Martin boarded a plane back to the States.
Hours later, they arrived at their long-missed home before dawn cracked. As they opened the door, a warm, familiar scent enveloped them. The Langleys and their four kids were still asleep, cocooned in the quiet peace of an undisturbed morning.
The two didn't disturb the rest of the house; instead, they headed back to the master bedroom for a shower, slipping into some cozy loungewear afterward. Martin made his way to the home office to catch up on work for the Langley Group, while Patricia headed to the kitchen to whip up breakfast for everyone.
She hadn't set foot in the kitchen for the longest time, yet she felt no awkwardness; swiftly, she rustled up a hearty pot of spaghetti, complementing it with fried eggs.
By the time breakfast was ready, dawn was just breaking.
Charles was the first to rise. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he shuffled out of his room and was about to head to the bathroom when a familiar scent wafted from the kitchen. Subtle, but not overpowering. It was enough to send a shiver through him, dispelling any remnants of sleep instantly.
Thinking it was a dream, he pinched his face hard, feeling the sting. It wasn't a dream, and so he chased the tantalizing aroma straight to the kitchen.
Indeed. The mother he thought he had lost was busy in the kitchen, surrounded by rising steam, an almost surreal sight, like a longed-for illusion coming to life.
"Mom... Mommy?" he called out tentatively, his voice trembling.
Hearing the call, Patricia turned around and upon seeing Charles standing at the doorway, his eyes brimming with tears, her own eyes quickly misted over. Setting down her utensils, she stepped toward Charles, crouched down, and wrapped her arms around him.
"Charles, Mommy's back! I'm sorry for making you worry."
His mother's warmth seeped through the fabric of her clothes. It was at that moment he knew this was no illusion. Mommy really had come back.
Patricia thought he would have so much to say to her. Unexpectedly, Charles pushed her away and bolted out of the room.
Run—away—
Patricia was stunned. Before she could react, shrill screams came from inside the house, then Fannie and Randy dashed out of their rooms, barefoot, and charged into the kitchen, excitedly rushing toward Patricia.
Seeing her, they rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Realizing it was really her, they hurriedly wrapped their arms around her legs. "Mommy, you're not dead, you really came back! Waaah, you're finally home... We thought you were gone..."
There stood Charles, quietly by the kitchen doorway, eyes red-rimmed as he watched the scene unfold.
Overwhelmed by their outpouring of emotion, Patricia fought back tears, took a deep breath, and gently rubbed their heads. "I'm sorry, I worried you guys. I'm back now, and I promise to take good care of you from now on. I won't let you be concerned about me ever again."
Fannie and Randy were overjoyed, hugging Patricia tightly for a while before reluctantly letting her go.
Just then, a baby's cry echoed from another room. Patricia's face lit up, realizing her youngest was awake. She quickly asked, "Is our little boy awake? Which room is he in? I want to see him."
Goodness, how she missed them. From the moment she entered, she was itching to rush to their side but restrained herself to avoid waking them up. Now that they were awake, she could hold back no longer.
"Little brother?" Fannie looked up at her with a puzzled expression.
Patricia was confused.
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