You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 142

Howard didn’t agree with what Kelly said, but he let her keep an eye on him anyway. It was definitely better than having Theo actually go after Patricia.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Newton tried to mask her feelings as she walked out to the terrace where Patricia was sitting. She hadn’t even stepped outside when she saw the swing gently moving back and forth. Patricia sat there like she didn’t have a care in the world, as if this was her own backyard.

“Pattie,” Mrs. Newton called, her voice breaking the calm.

Patricia glanced up, her lips curling into the slightest smile. “Mrs. Newton.”

The way she said “Mrs. Newton” sounded almost formal—distant, even cold.

Mrs. Newton’s feelings toward Patricia were complicated. She respected her for being clever and capable, someone who could truly run a family. But at the same time, she doubted Patricia’s heart had ever really been with the Newtons. She admired her, but she always had to put her own family first.

“Will I ever hear you call me Grandma in my lifetime?” Mrs. Newton asked quietly. She wore a traditional silk dress, and the night breeze made her look even smaller and more fragile.

“No,” Patricia answered, her voice steady. She didn’t leave any room for wishful thinking.

Mrs. Newton let out a soft sigh. “Then it’s Theo’s loss.” She sank down onto a stone bench, looking tired.

In front of Patricia, the river shimmered with the lights from cruise boats drifting by, while crowds of people strolled along the opposite bank. Yet here, the two of them sat alone in their own little world, silent and tense.

“If you ever need anything in Riverdale, the Newton family will do whatever we can to help,” Mrs. Newton finally said. Her words were half promise, half warning. She didn’t want Patricia to become a real enemy.

The offer was so obvious that it almost felt heavy.

Patricia let go of the swing’s rope a little and looked at Mrs. Newton in surprise. “Anything?”

Mrs. Newton nodded. “Anything.”

“Then tell me, Mrs. Newton—what are the Newtons supposed to be to me?”

The terrace door crashed open. Nina stood in the doorway, looking panicked as she glanced between Mrs. Newton and Patricia.

“Grandma,” she called out, her voice urgent.

Patricia just smirked, grabbed the swing’s rope again, and leaned back, rocking herself gently. She had begged her father to put this swing up years ago, just so she could sit on the roof, listen to the river, and feel the wind.

Nina walked over, eyeing Patricia warily. You couldn’t blame her. Theo and Patricia had been divorced for three years, and all that time, Nina had stayed by Theo’s side but never actually become part of the Newton family. Now Patricia was back, and Mrs. Newton wouldn’t stop praising her. Of course Nina was scared of losing her place. Three years—gone, just like that.

Mrs. Newton pushed herself up with her cane. Before she left, she looked at Patricia and said, her voice full of meaning, “As long as you want it, the Newton family’s door will always be open for you.”