You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 862

“She read it, but never finished. She got pregnant. Grace was scared the girl would drag Nick down, so she dragged her to get an abortion. Then she pressured the school to force the girl to apologize in front of everyone. The girl refused and dropped out.”

“So what happened after that?”

“I guess fate wasn’t done with them. They met again, and this time Nick got smarter. He snuck off with her, grabbed the family register, and they went to get married. Ended up living together. Grace tracked them down, but by then, the girl was pregnant again. Grace tried the same tricks, but this time it blew everything apart. They cut ties for good. When Nick was twenty-seven, he married into the Golden Bay family for business, but the marriage was a mess from the start. He cheated, got another woman pregnant, and when his wife’s family couldn’t take it anymore, they divorced.”

“And Aunt Tina just let all this happen? Uncle Emerson never stepped in?”

Oliver’s thumb moved slowly over her hand. “Uncle Emerson plays it safe. It’s always been Aunt Tina calling the shots in the Brooks family.”

Patricia was quiet for a long time, lost in thought.

“What’s on your mind?” Oliver asked.

“I was just thinking… Nick’s kind of a tragic case, isn’t he?”

Oliver gave her a faint, almost amused smile. “People who seem pitiful usually have their own flaws. If you spend too much time pitying someone, you end up shouldering their mess. And Nick… He’s no innocent.”

Anyone who let their life fall apart like that really didn’t deserve much sympathy. He challenged his family before he was truly independent, chasing love and dragging everyone down with him. It wasn’t just his life he ruined, but that girl’s and their two unborn children too.

“This isn’t the way home. Where are we going?” Patricia asked, glancing out the window.

“The mall. Cooper’s birthday is tomorrow. I ordered a gift and need to pick it up.”

“There’s something else I need your help with,” Oliver added.

Patricia turned to him, curiosity in her eyes.

He looked so serious it made her want to laugh. He pulled her into his arms, his palm resting lightly on her belly. “When I came back from Toronto, I didn’t just bring back Lincoln and Hector. There was someone else, Melanie. She’s the VP and head of legal at the Golden Bay branch. Next week is her ten-year work anniversary.”

“You want to pick out a gift for her?” Patricia caught on right away.

“Or should I be like those dramatic women on TV, crying and making a scene?”

Before he could answer, Patricia kissed him softly. “Mr. Padilla, I trust you not to cheat on me every bit as much as I believe I’ll get my revenge.”

Oliver was too proud, too sure of himself. A man like him would never let his woman be treated badly. If there was anything between him and Melanie, Patricia wouldn’t even be in the picture.

She kissed him again and started to pull away, but Oliver caught the back of her head and kissed her hard.

As they moved, her belly pressed against him and his hand drifted to the small of her back.

She tilted her head, staring up at the roof of the car, breath coming faster, heat pooling under her skin.

She had just cleaned up, but now it felt like someone had poured water over her all over again.