You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 167

“Pfft—”

Outside the townhouse.

Ruby stood by the river, letting the chilly night air sting her cheeks, hoping it might help her clear her head.

She couldn’t stop replaying what had just happened. Theo had been so desperate to confess his feelings, but the second he saw Patricia, it was like everything disappeared. Poof, gone. His love for her just vanished.

It was classic. Once bitten, twice shy. Every time Theo saw Patricia, he was dragged right back to all that pain he’d buried, and somehow, he ended up projecting all of it onto Ruby. That was the worst part—no matter what, she and Patricia were tied by blood, and there was no escaping that.

“Stop torturing yourself. There’s no solution here,” Joseph said, standing next to her with a cigarette between his fingers, smoke drifting in the breeze. Ruby could barely smell it, but it was just enough to remind her he was there.

“Even if Nina never showed up, you and Theo weren’t going to work out,” Joseph continued. “As long as Patricia’s breathing, Theo’s never going to let himself get close to you again.”

“He lost so much to her, you know? Patricia destroyed him. Every time he looks at her, he remembers that, and to make it worse, you two are related. Enemy or not, family is family. Those ties don’t go away.”

“Let’s say Patricia loses everything one day, maybe even dies, and Theo finally lets the past go to be with you. It wouldn’t matter. All it takes is someone to mention it, just once, and it’s a knife twisting in your marriage,” Joseph said, his voice serious. “There are so many people in the world, Ms. Martin. Why put yourself through this?”

Ruby couldn’t deny that what he said made sense. She even wondered if Patricia had planned everything from the start, setting them all up as pieces in some game where she pulled every string.

They were all just pawns on Patricia’s board.

Ruby shot Joseph a look. “If you’re so wise, why didn’t you tell your own sister not to be the other woman?”

Joseph shrugged. “Love isn’t about who gets there first.”

Ruby faltered, but Joseph just kept going. “You really haven’t noticed? Theo cut ties with you a long time ago. Even if it wasn’t Nina, it’d be someone else. Anna, Emma, whoever.”

Of course she knew. But knowing didn’t change anything.

She didn’t want to listen anymore, so she turned to leave.

Sara: [photo]

The picture showed Colton and Roger standing stiff as boards in front of Oliver’s desk, heads down, clearly getting scolded.

Sara: “Uncle Oliver is terrifying. Aunt Patricia, you have to come back. I’m scared I’ll be next o(╥﹏╥)o”

Patricia just sighed.

Those three kids were really out of luck tonight.

“Aiden,” Patricia said, suddenly curious about the Padilla family. She’d never really asked before. “Why are Sara and Roger always hanging around your boss?”

Aiden, up in the passenger seat, glanced back at her. “Honestly? They tried to run away once. Mr. Padilla caught them before anyone else did. Figured it was better to have them working for us than ending up in trouble somewhere else. At least here, he can keep an eye on them.”