You Looked Down on Me Once, Now You Look Up. novel Chapter 494

“If you care about me, why can’t you just show it a little more gently? I’m not a kid. I don’t need you lecturing me like I’ve done something wrong.”

Oliver watched her, quiet for a moment.

Patricia let out a soft sigh, her frustration clear. “I don’t like when the people I love only show it by being tough on me. If I really care about someone, I just want to talk to them as kindly as I can.”

“If I ever raise my voice, I worry I might scare them.”

Patricia had grown up surrounded by warmth and love. Her parents, Tina and Emerson, had lost a child before her—stress from work had taken its toll. When Patricia was born, they poured all their love into her, careful and affectionate, determined to never let her feel unloved.

So even after everything she’d been through, Patricia could still speak gently to those around her.

Oliver was the youngest in his family. He’d been cherished too, but in a family like his, love often came hand-in-hand with strict rules and high expectations.

That balance of sternness and care had shaped him into who he was.

He understood what Patricia was saying—he really did—but changing felt impossible.

It wasn’t until they had a baby of their own that it clicked. Seeing their tiny daughter curled up in her crib, he finally got it—Patricia’s fear of being too harsh, of frightening someone so small and fragile.

Their conversation stalled there.

Oliver lowered his head. “I’m sorry. This is on me. I guess, in my mind, if I warned you about something and you didn’t do it, it got under my skin. And honestly, I end up treating you like I do with the kids—Sara and the others. It’s not fair to you. I’m sorry for being rough. I’ll work on it. Can we not stay upset?”

Being a dad for so long had made him a little too reactive, a little too quick to handle every problem like an emergency.

It weighed on him.

In the dim light of their bedroom, they just looked at each other.

Oliver waited, searching Patricia’s face for any sign she’d forgive him.

At last, she made a quiet sound of agreement.

He let out a huge breath and pulled her into his arms.

“I’m tired,” she murmured.

“Eat something before you sleep, okay? Marian said you skipped dinner.”

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