You Looked Down on Me Once, Now You Look Up. novel Chapter 318

“You’ve got it wrong, Colonel Ouyang. The reason I haven’t come to see you isn’t because I don’t want to. It’s because I’m afraid to.”

Emerson kept his head down, every word laced with honest regret. “You asked me back then to take care of Patricia. I’ve never stopped feeling guilty about what happened.”

Atticus poured him a cup of tea, his voice light and almost dismissive. “No need to feel guilty.”

“That’s not why I called you here today,” he continued, not missing a beat. “I’m not here to catch up.”

Emerson looked up, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

Atticus’s tone sharpened. “I just wanted to see how thick your skin has gotten, Mr. Martin.”

Emerson’s hand clenched at his side.

Atticus was humiliating him, plain and simple.

“You know, I still remember the day you knelt in front of the Parsons family. Quite the sight. Tell me, do you ever wonder if one day you’ll have to kneel in front of Patricia too?”

The words hit Emerson right where it hurt, slicing open wounds he’d tried to bury.

The memories came flooding back, sharp and relentless.

Back then, his grandmother and Patricia’s mom were always at odds. The tension was so thick, it felt like everything could blow up at any second.

One night, Jason came home late from a business dinner. He and his wife started arguing. It had nothing to do with grandma, but she just had to butt in. Voices got louder, no one was backing down, and grandma’s blood pressure went through the roof.

Emerson lost his temper. He snapped.

That same night, Patricia’s mom grabbed her daughter and went back to the Parsons’ house. They stayed there for a whole month, no matter how many times he begged them to come home.

Finally, grandma called the Parsons family. They gave her a solution.

He had to show up, kneel, and apologize.

Did he do it?

Yeah. He did.

He had no other choice. The Martin family needed Jason, and if his parents split up because of him, his whole life would be ruined.

He swallowed his pride. Crawled if he had to.

It was the most humiliating thing he’d ever done.

Emerson stormed out, his coat swirling behind him. Kyle came in through the side door, clearly having heard everything.

“Was that really necessary?” Kyle asked quietly.

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