You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 849

As soon as Patricia stepped into the living room, Lydia and Selara hurried over to greet her. Both of them smiled, their voices soft and welcoming. “You must be tired. Come, sit down.”

“Did you eat? Are you hungry?” Lydia asked.

Patricia shook her head and checked the time. It was rare to see Miles and his wife still awake at this hour. Clearly, the drama with Grace had everyone on edge tonight.

“The second you showed up, Oliver was about to run outside to get you. Dad had to stop him. He said you should handle things, as long as you didn’t actually kill Aunt Tina,” Katie joked, pouring Patricia a cup of hot water. She grinned as she explained why no one met her at the door. “After tonight, I bet Aunt Tina will avoid you whenever she can.”

Patricia just smiled politely and stayed quiet. She knew their approval didn’t mean they were truly supporting her. They wanted her to be the one to clean up the mess. No matter how nicely they put it, she could see their real motives.

Her face was distant, none of the usual warmth in her eyes. After a bit of small talk, she made an excuse and went upstairs.

As soon as she was gone, Sara spoke up first. “I think Aunt Patricia’s mad.”

Roger nodded. “She once told me, you can leave problems to your employees, but you can’t leave family to face them alone.”

Sara sighed. “Uncle Oliver’s probably in trouble again.”

Miles looked down, lost in thought for a while before speaking quietly. “Isn’t family supposed to help each other, especially when things get tough?”

“Aunt Patricia’s done plenty. Whenever people gossip about Dad, she’s the one who takes the heat. But Grandpa, come on, you can’t pile everything on the same person every time.”

“Grandpa just means, as a family, we have to look at the bigger picture.”

Sara rolled her eyes. “How can you take care of the whole family if you can’t even handle your own household? Honestly, Aunt Patricia and Uncle Oliver should just go back to Riverdale and live their own lives. They used to be so happy there.”

She grumbled under her breath, clearly annoyed that the older generation had dragged Jackson and Patricia into fixing the Grace situation.

The living room went quiet and heavy. Even if Sara could see what was happening, Oliver definitely could too.

After that night, Oliver rarely brought Patricia back to Golden Bay. It was like he’d become that boy again, the one who never wanted to come home.

Lydia tried talking to him, but he always brushed her off, blaming work.

It had always been tradition for Miles to name all the Padilla grandkids, from Roger to Colton. But when Patricia’s baby was born, Oliver didn’t use the name Miles picked. That silent split, just in the details, stung the whole family.

Later that night, Patricia took a quick bath. She was pregnant, so she didn’t stay in long, just enough to shake off the chill.

Back in the master bedroom, Oliver waited for her with a bowl of ginger soup.

She glanced at it and frowned, pushing it away. “I don’t want it.”

“Just try a few sips, it’ll help you not get sick.”

“I said I don’t want it.”

“Pattie, please…”

“I said no.” Patricia’s voice was sharper now, her patience gone. “Can’t I even decide what I want to drink?”

Her words made Oliver flinch. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I’m tired. I want to sleep.” Patricia didn’t want to talk anymore.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify