You Looked Down on Me Once, Now You Look Up. novel Chapter 312

“You guys go ahead and catch up,” Patricia said, glancing at the clock. It was getting late.

She started making sure everyone had what they needed to settle in for the night—it had been such a long trip from the northwest, and her relatives looked exhausted.

Her uncle, Atticus, suddenly spoke up. “Pattie, your uncle’s been dying to ask—who’s the guy you married?”

Everyone knew about the whole inheritance thing and how she had to get married to claim it. They also understood Patricia had just come back to Riverdale and was swamped with setting everything up, so no one had pushed until now. But tonight felt like the right time.

Patricia’s fingers curled a bit at her side. “You’ll find out soon enough, Uncle.”

Atticus’s worry was obvious. “Is this something that’ll really last?”

Patricia didn’t answer.

He continued, “The people who hurt you the most are usually the ones closest to you. I just want you to really think about this, Pattie—don’t make the same mistake twice. If this is just a temporary thing, you need to be ready to walk away.”

“Don’t let a man hold you back.”

Patricia gave him a small, reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Uncle. I know what I’m doing.” After everything with Theo, she wasn’t about to be that naive again.

Atticus sighed, gentle but persistent. “These days, most of a woman’s troubles come from marriage. I just want you to be happy.”

From where he stood, it was impossible not to worry. Patricia was young, beautiful, wealthy, with no parents and a huge inheritance—of course people would come after her for all the wrong reasons. If someone tried to hurt her for money, he’d be too far away to help.

Even though Patricia seemed polite and put together, Atticus just couldn’t relax. “Why don’t you set up a dinner while your aunt and I are still here? Let us meet him, see what he’s like. Maybe I can scare him a little.”

Patricia’s heart skipped a beat. Did she really want them to meet? Honestly, that sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.

But she kept all that hidden and just said calmly, “Maybe next time, Uncle.”

Across the room, Chelsea sat with her chin propped in her hand, clearly enjoying the drama. Maggie noticed and nudged her under the table.

“You’ve met him?” Maggie whispered.

Chelsea jumped. “What? No way! You guys haven’t even met him, how would I?”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify