Chapter 511Patricia, You Tell Me What This Is
"It's because we fought," Eva explained. "I wanted to annoy him a bit. That's why I came out on a blind date. He found out and came looking for me."
"I don't buy it."
Eva, tired of arguing, grabbed Riley's tie and yanked his head down, sealing his lips with a kiss.
The moment their lips met, both froze.
Riley, for a split second, forgot to push her away, gazing down at her, inhaling the subtle, sweet scent of her. Distinct and pleasant.
Time seemed to stand still. They continued to gaze at each other, nearly cross-eyed.
Upon seeing the couple locked in a kiss, the blind date walked away in disgust, muttering under his breath. "Disgusting, shameless, indecent..."
Eva, noticing the blind date finally left, was about to let go of Riley.
Suddenly, there was a loud "bang."
Patricia's thermos tumbled to the ground. Standing at the entrance of the diner, she covered her mouth in shock at the scene before her. "You... you two... what is this?"
When did they get together? How come she didn't know?
Startled by the sudden noise, Eva, like a frightened bird, let go of Riley, instinctively trying to push him away. But instead of pushing him over, she almost fell backward.
Riley quickly reached out, steadying her by the waist before swiftly letting her go and taking a step back to create some distance.
Patricia's eyes were nearly popping out of her skull.
Eva, a bit slow on the uptake, felt her face blaze with embarrassment and began to apologize profusely, her head bowed.
"I'm so sorry, so sorry... It wasn't intentional..."
Riley glanced at her, pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket, and delicately wiped his lips.
Patricia's mouth twitched, and she strolled over, giving him a light nudge with her shoulder while casting a meaningful glance at the handkerchief in his hand.
Riley got the hint and slipped the handkerchief back into his pocket.
Eva hadn't noticed Riley's motion and looked up at him. "Riley, I really had no choice earlier. I hope you're not mad at me."
Riley furrowed his brows slightly as he gazed at her. "I'm sorry, who are you?"
Eva paused, clearly not expecting to be forgotten so soon after their meeting. A shade of disappointment flickered in her eyes before she remembered wearing a mask that day and hurriedly explained, "I'm Eva, Shane's caretaker and a friend of Patricia's. We met briefly before. Do you remember?"
Suddenly, it dawned on Riley. "Oh, right. It's you!"
Eva's smile brought out the faint dimples at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, it's me! We always wear masks at work, so it's normal you didn't recognize me."
As she spoke, she picked up the insulated lunch box from the ground and handed it to Patricia, "Did I scare you, Tricia?"
Patricia took the lunchbox in a daze. "Yeah, you did scare me! What did I miss?"
She wasn't one to meddle in others' affairs. But this was just too bizarre.
Eva shrugged with a mischievous grin. "My colleague, Kiki, insisted on setting me up with a blind date—that guy just now. Honestly, while I like good-looking guys, that doesn't mean I have to date one. All I care about is character and compatible values. But that guy was just too much."
Eva recounted the whole ordeal in detail. The more she spoke, the more Patricia's brows knotted.
Feeling increasingly guilty about her earlier impulsiveness, Eva turned to Riley again. "I'm really sorry about what happened before. I was just so upset, and without thinking, I... I kissed you because you were the only person I recognized there. I took advantage of you. Uh... I can make it up to you! What do you want? I can do anything."
Both Patricia and Riley were at a loss for words.
Realizing her slip of the tongue, Eva quickly corrected herself. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant."
Patricia patted her shoulder. "Enough apologies; it's no big deal. Go on your way. Riley and I came here to pick up lunch for Grandpa."
Grandpa was picky. He could never stomach the hospital food. Eating habits had to be kept light.
Seeing his cousin in low spirits, Riley decided to get her out of the house and help him buy some takeout for Grandpa. She understood his intentions; he was trying to keep her busy so she wouldn't dwell on Martin. But as soon as they reached the diner, trouble stirred.
Eva playfully stuck out her tongue. "Guess I'll take off now."
Patricia nodded in agreement. "Sure! Let's catch up when we have the time."
"Definitely!" Eva waved goodbye, sneaking a glance at Riley before leaving the restaurant.
Once Eva was out of sight, Patricia said to Riley, "Don't be harsh on her. She must've been pushed to the very edge."
Riley patted her shoulder and said, "It's no big deal, like getting licked by a puppy."
Patricia was puzzled.
Riley continued, "Let's go shop for Grandpa's meal."
Patricia nodded and approached the counter with the insulated food container to place their order.
These days, Patricia kept herself extremely busy. She woke up early to make breakfast and sent the kids to school. Then she'd be off to the farmers market, cooking lunch to bring to Shane at the hospital. In the afternoon, she took care of Maria and the little one, and in the evening, she cooked dinner herself.
After supper, she'd push Maria and the little one in the stroller, take all three little ones downstairs for a walk to aid digestion, and then end the day with baths and bedtime. By the time everything was done, it was already 11 p.m.
This repetitive cycle went on for a week. Patricia was running nonstop without any breaks. People noticed she was getting thinner and more worn, her eyes dull and lifeless.
Occasionally, she would just sit and stare into space. Sometimes, while feeding the baby, she'd suddenly start crying. Other times, she seemed perfectly fine, as if nothing had ever happened. Her emotional state was erratic.
When Jade saw Patricia once again carrying a big bag of groceries into the kitchen, she couldn't hold back anymore and snatched the shopping bag from her hands.
"Patricia, how much longer will you let yourself grieve? Don't you realize that I..."
Jade's eyes inadvertently caught sight of wounds on Patricia's exposed arm. She paused for a moment in shock, dropped the bag, and grabbed Patricia's arm. Patricia tried to pull away, but Jade held on tightly and pushed her sleeve up.
A myriad of scars came sharply into view.
Jade flew into a sudden rage, fury burning inside her like a fiery blaze climbing higher and higher.
"Patricia, how did you get these scars on your arm? Huh?"
She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed for so many days. She had thought Patricia only self-harmed that night, but it had been ongoing.
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