Chapter506Patricia's Self-Harm
Patricia sat on the hospital bed, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around her legs, and chin resting on her knees, staring blankly ahead.
Carter's words echoed in her ears. "Patricia, the Boss's last wish for you," he had said, "was to forget him, live well with the kids. If possible, find a decent man to marry. He wanted you to be happy and not spend the rest of your life in pain."
How could she possibly forget?
He had become etched so deeply into her very marrow that forgetting him would mean flaying the flesh and scraping the bone from her soul, a torture so excruciating that she felt she might die from the pain.
Jade and Ariel maintained a vigil by her side, watching over her. They watched, anxious and helpless, as she sat there, catatonic—refusing food, drink, and conversation. They had exhausted all words of comfort and advice. Their throats dry from their efforts.
But Patricia hadn't absorbed a single word. She remained locked away in her world.
If she had broken down in tears, they might have been less terrified. But she remained silent and still, causing them great distress.
Shane, with his eyes swollen from crying, clutched her hand tightly and choked out, "Patricia, you're scaring me! I spent over twenty years searching for you, and finally, you're here. If something happens to you, how am I supposed to go on?"
Jeremy's eyes were also red with urgency.
"Patricia," he pleaded, "Riley knows Hunter was behind your husband's death. I took down the Sackler Group; that empire doesn’t exist anymore. Hunter has completely vanished off the face of the earth—consider it avenged. You have five children to live for; you need to pull yourself together for their sakes."
Riley and Sebastian, not adept at offering comfort, only looked on with deep concern.
Patricia remained silent, hugging her knees tight, lost in thought.
Everyone exchanged helpless glances, uncertain how to console her.
Despite her lack of crying, shouting, and speaking, Patricia was physically fine. After receiving glucose intravenously, she was discharged from the hospital. Once home, she secluded herself in her room, drawing the curtains and closing the door, shrouded in darkness.
When Charles, Randy Langley, and Fannie arrived home that evening and heard Patricia was back, they rushed to her room—their initial joy at seeing her rapidly dissolved as they sensed that something was terribly wrong.
The three of them approached Patricia and reached for her hand together.
Charles asked with trepidation, "Mommy, what's wrong? Why do you look so pale? Where have you been all this time? Did someone hurt you?"
They knew only that Mommy had been away on some business, but the specifics remained unknown to them.
They couldn't fathom how she had changed so much since she left. Patricia, who had been seemingly in a daze, suddenly came to life, her gaze settling on them. She reached out and gently touched their heads, and a faint smile teased her lips.
She had intended to smile at them, but as her lips began to curl, tears cascaded down her cheeks. She parted her lips to speak but found her throat blocked, as if something was stuck, not a sound could escape.
The three little ones were startled by her state. Charles and Randy scrambled to wipe away her tears. Fannie, with an open palm, tried to catch them before they fell.
A wave of unease inexplicably rose within them.
Charles was always the strong one; he fought back his tears. But Randy and Fannie broke down alongside Patricia.
As Fannie dabbed at her tears, she asked, “Mommy, what’s wrong? Tell us! We’re grown up now. We can protect you.”
Patricia looked at them and saw echoes of Martin in the faces of Charles and Randy, and her tears intensified. She stretched out her arms and enveloped all three in a tight embrace.
The little ones clung to Patricia, patting her back gently, comforting. “Mommy, it’s okay. If someone’s hurting you, we will get even for you.”
Yet Patricia remained silent, weeping.
Jade and Ariel stood outside the door, the sounds of the children crying from inside touching their hearts, drawing tears from their own eyes. They covered their mouths with crisscrossed hands, trying not to make a sound so Patricia wouldn't hear.
Exhausted from crying, Patricia eventually fell asleep, still holding the three little ones. Jade and Ariel gently moved her to the bed and tucked her in.
After dinner, the three typically played with their younger siblings, but tonight, they had no spirit left for play and silently returned to their rooms with their backpacks.
Jade and Ariel stayed behind to care for Patricia. Riley voiced his concerns to Ariel at length, ensuring that everything was in order before reluctantly leaving with Shane.
Shane, worried about Patricia, had been hesitant to leave.
Though he was getting on in years, and his presence might not have been of much help, the real concern was whether he could endure the strain. In the end, Riley had to drag him away practically.
It was evening.
The three youngsters shared a room. They were growing up and becoming quite self-sufficient. When bedtime rolled around, they washed up, climbed into their beds, and drifted off with hardly any fuss.
Maria was a good girl too, always hitting the hay by ten o'clock sharp, waking only once at two in the morning for a feeding. The baby boy, still unnamed, kept to the same routine, needing just one feeding after his last meal of the day.
Caring for the two kids was relatively easy.
Jade and Ariel divided the responsibilities: Jade kept Patricia company while Ariel took care of Maria and the little one. Jade dared not fall into a deep sleep at night, ready to spring into action if Patricia got hungry and needed something to eat. But as the night deepened, she couldn't help but succumb to exhaustion.
The days had been grueling, filled with too many events. Her body was tired, her heart was exhausted, and once she hit the mattress, control seemed to slip away.
Jade stirred in her sleep, her hand reaching out by habit to touch the space beside her.
It was empty.
She reached out again.
Realizing it wasn't a dream – there was indeed no one by her side – her drowsiness vanished. She sat up abruptly, swung her legs off the bed, and started searching for Patricia.
The room was empty. So was the bathroom.
Jade opened the door and stepped out to look around. Finally, she found Patricia on the living room couch.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Jade walked over, about to ask why she had come out when she opened her mouth and saw Patricia with a knife in her right hand, repeatedly slicing into her left arm.
The cuts were deep. Blood gushed from the wounds, running down her arm and dripping to the floor with a faint 'drip, drop.'
Patricia seemed utterly oblivious to the pain, her expression blank. She showed no mercy to her flesh.
A chill ran down Jade's spine. As Patricia raised the knife again, Jade rushed over, snatching the knife from her. "Patricia, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?"
Her voice broke with fear and agitation.
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