Chapter505Martin's Burial In M Country
Following that decision, the Koch family decided to stay. Riley assigned Ariel and Jade to care for Patricia, while the men checked into the nearest seven-star hotel in the neighborhood. Patricia was virtually chased back to her room to rest. But sleep evaded her as she lay in bed staring at the ceiling for hours, her concerns for Martin keeping her awake. Eventually, she got up to find Carter.
Shane, unable to sway her, reluctantly agreed to let Jade and Ryan accompany her. Ryan drove them to Carter's residence. Greeting them at the door was Lassie. Unfortunately, they didn't find Carter inside.
Noticing Patricia's puzzled expression, Lassie said, "He's got hit pretty bad this time. He's resting upstairs right now!" Patricia's heart sank. More than a month had gone by since the accident, and Carter's injuries still hadn't healed. One could only imagine the severity of his wounds.
Patricia's suspicions were soon confirmed. When Lassie led Patricia and the others to the room, she was stunned, hardly recognizing the man lying in the bed as the once robust and composed Carter. He had lost a considerable amount of weight. While he still had a certain elegance, his complexion was terrible, his cheeks hollowed, his lips pale as paper, and his previously forehead-grazing locks were now cut short.
Seeing Carter in this condition, Patricia rooted to the spot, unable to move an inch. A mix of guilt, self-reproach, and regret merged into a simple apology, "I'm sorry."
Carter attempted a weak smile, propping himself up on the bed. Lassie immediately supported his arm and placed a pillow behind him to lean on. Carter joked weakly, "Why the sudden apology?"
Patricia, looking down, said sincerely, "This was all because of us... If you hadn't gone with Martin to look for his child, you wouldn't have been hurt, and you wouldn't be in such a weakened state, still recovering."
Carter tried to laugh, but he started to cough violently, having used up his strength. Lassie gently patted his back and turned on the warm water bottle from the nightstand, inserting a straw and handing it to him, saying, "Take a sip of water. It'll help."
"Thanks," he murmured and began to sip through the straw.
Patricia couldn't tell how much water he was drinking; he did so very slowly as if even drinking required tremendous effort. Her fists clenched at her sides, starting to tremble.
Once he had finished, Patricia asked, "How bad is it? Did the doctors say when you might recover?"
Carter shook his head. "It's nothing serious. I just need to lie down for a few more days. It's not life-threatening."
His nonchalant words only deepened Patricia's feeling of guilt.
She shuffled towards the bed with footsteps as heavy as lead, wanting to check on Carter's condition, but he stopped her.
"I'm really okay! You don't have to worry, Patricia."
Tears choked Patricia's voice, "If it were just a minor issue, why hasn't it gotten better after so long? You're clearly not alright!"
Carter offered a weak smile, deftly changing the subject, "Did you come to ask me something today?"
Patricia knew he was deliberately diverting the conversation. The more he avoided talking about it, the more serious she feared his injuries were.
"Don't change the subject, I—"
Carter cut her off abruptly. "The boss is dead!"
Those four stark words made Patricia's remaining speech catch in her throat. She stared blankly at Carter, her eyes hollow, a flicker of confusion passing through them. Then, a thin layer of mist slowly gathered in her eyes.
Jade and Ryan, worried that she might collapse from the shock, swiftly moved to her side, each taking an arm to steady her.
Carter knew she couldn't accept the truth, but he had to deliver the harsh words for Patricia's sake. "The boss, before he died, told me to tell you to take good care of the kids; they've lost their father; they can’t lose their mother, too."
The tears in Patricia's eyes fell. One by one, they streamed down her cheeks.
Carter's words completely extinguished the tiny sliver of hope inside her. Martin was dead.
Before Patricia could ask, Carter volunteered, "That night, after we got to Isabella’s place, she was barely alive, injured. We tried to get some answers from her about my brother's whereabouts..."
With each sentence, Carter gasped for breath. His voice faded softer and softer. His breathing grew weaker and weaker. It seemed like he might pass out at any moment.
Ryan watched Carter's state deteriorating with a mix of concern and anger. Worried about his condition, furious at feeling so helpless. If he could, he wished he could personally avenge the Boss for Carter.
It was supposed to be a routine visit. Two men went. One died, and one returned injured. When had he ever seen Carter so broken and disheveled?
Damn it.
After regaining some strength, Carter continued, "We didn't get anything out of the questioning before we were ambushed... The Boss and I were seriously injured, barely holding onto life..."
Patricia clenched her fists tightly to contain the rage boiling inside her.
Catching his breath, Carter went on. "With his last bit of strength, the Boss found the baby nearly starved to death in a shack. To save him, his injuries worsened—by the time Lassie found us, the Boss was gone."
Patricia turned to look at Lassie. She hadn't expected Lassie to have gone to another country on her own, let alone find Carter and the others.
Patricia steadied her trembling hands and pressed her lips together tight, trying to find her voice. She asked hoarsely, "And... what about Martin? Even if... even if he's really gone, then..."
Swallowing hard, Patricia managed to ask, "Then, where is his grave?"
Carter provided the name of a cemetery. "I was too badly hurt to bring the Boss back, so I had to lay him to rest there."
All the evidence pointed to one conclusion: Martin had really left her.
Suddenly, the room seemed to spin around Patricia. It blurred her vision. She shook her head, attempting to clear her sight, but the spinning intensified, and her vision began to blur. Then everything went dark, and she fell straight backward.
Right before losing consciousness, she heard someone crying out her name.
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