Chapter 23
Patricia pressed her lips and said in a more dejected tone, “And…Paula seems like she’s held a grudge against me for a while. Living in different places will help, right?”
Patricia had been sent to the hospital twice in a short time.
It was hard to say whether she’d suffer more if there was a next time.
Nelson said nothing. A storm was brooding in his eyes as if he were deep in thought.
The next morning, a nurse dropped off the test result. “There’s nothing serious. Keep your wound dry and come over in time to change the bandage.”
Patricia was relieved.
She didn’t like the smell of the hospital.
Although she wanted to take the chance to hint at Nelson, she didn’t want to stay here.
Because of Patricia’s injury, Nelson planned to take her back to the house to take better care of her. As soon as they got into the car, he got a call from the Chapman’s mansion.
Elnora said–loudly, “Paula is back. Where are you? You won’t come home unless I die. Is that right?”
Paulette went back to Chapman’s mansion?
Nelson paused and said in resignation, “Mom…I’m busy.”
Chapter 23
“You’re always busy!” Elnora huffed. “I don’t care. Drop whatever you’re doing and come home! Once Paula leaves, I doubt I can see you even once a year!”
Then she hung up.
Nelson was in a dilemma as Elnora had used a demanding tone.
Patricia overheard the conversation and said gently, “I haven’t met your mom anyway. Would you take me home with you?”
Paulette took the high–speed rail and arrived at the Chapman’s mansion one hour later. She went to take a shower and didn’t know Elnora had called Nelson.
As she went down downstairs, Elnora waved excitedly.
“Paula, why didn’t you ask Nelson to come back with you?”
Paulette smiled, “Grandma, Dad is busy working. He’ll come back once he has time.”
Elnora was an older mother, hence the huge age gap between Monty and Nelson. Since Nelson was a boy, he was reckless and caused the family trouble.
Elnora hid the thoughtful glimmer in her eyes and put on a serious face. “Did you two argue?”
Paulette wouldn’t find the words to answer.
She thought, “Am I that obvious?”
Elnora snorted, “In the past, I’d be happy to see you berate him. I never defended him, remember?”
Paulette knew everyone in the Chapman family well and knew what they
Chapter 23
liked to hear.
Her polite but distant tone was a telltale that something was off.
Paulette smiled, “Grandma… You guys told me to treat Dad with respect and be polite.”
Elnora huffed, “I mean your attitude. But you can say whatever you like as long as you respect him.”
Elnora always had her reason. Paulette didn’t want to argue.
Her relationship with Nelson had changed.
They’d only be adoptive father and daughter.
“The weather is quite nice. Let’s go out.”
Elnora looked Paulette up and down, confirming that something was off… She thought, “I bet something happened. It’s hard to get it out of Paulette. I should leave it to Maxine.”
Behind the house, there was a lawn. Elnora and Maxine didn’t have to work and used their free time to turn it into a vegetable garden, planting their own vegetables.
Maxine had finished her work in the company that morning. After receiving Elnora’s order, she brought Paulette to the garden to water the vegetables and pull the weeds.
Paulette sat by the garden and wielded the hose freely.
She blocked half of the pipe hole with a finger to see how far the water could spread.
Maxine was pulling the weeds with gloves and would glance at Paulette from time to time, her gaze full of affection. She didn’t‘ t have a daughter.
1629
When Nelson insisted on adopting Paulette, Maxine felt her wish had come true.
“Paula.”
“Yes?”
“Did Nelson upset you?”
