Chapter 40
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Patrick patted the space on the couch next to him, gesturing for Louis to sit. “Your mom’s been sick since this morning, and it’s pretty late now. She doesn’t need to be running around anymore today.”
Louis crossed his arms and pouted, clearly unhappy.
“Don’t you think, as her son, you should be helping out? Maybe buying her some medicine, checking in on her?” Patrick suggested gently.
Louis‘ eyes lit up. ‘Oh right! How did I forget that?‘ he thought.
Before he could jump up, Patrick placed a hand on his shoulder to hold him back.
“I’ve already arranged for someone to bring the medicine,” Patrick said. “But when someone’s sick, they tend to act like a kid. You need to make sure she takes it, alright?”
Louis nodded eagerly, his expression serious.
Patrick handed him his phone. “Here. Open WhatsApp and add your mom as a friend. Then, call her to make sure she takes the medicine.”
Louis took the phone and began tapping away. He added Juliette’s number, then pressed “send.”
“Your mom’s probably not paying attention to her phone right now. Use your phone to call her, so she knows it’s from you,” Patrick added, watching Louis with a soft smile.
Louis didn’t hesitate for a second. He was too focused on doing the right thing.
At that moment, the little boy had no idea that he could actually add Juliette’s WhatsApp account using his own phone.
“Tell her the medicine is from you, and she’ll appreciate it more. She might even take better care of you in the future,” Patrick teased lightly.
Louis beamed at the thought. “Got it! I’ll tell her!”
Juliette had just received a call about the delivery when Louis‘ call popped up on her screen. He said he had bought medicine for her.
She quickly approved the friend request on WhatsApp, thinking it was him.
But when she glanced at the name, she realized it was Patrick.
There was no profile picture, just a blank avatar.
Curious but a little confused, she hit accept, grabbed the medication, and headed upstairs. Just as she walked into her room, a video call from Patrick came through.
She answered it, and there on the couch sat both Patrick and Louis, side by side.
Patrick looked effortlessly put–together in a loose gray sweater, his expression calm yet soft.
“Did you get the medicine, Mom?” Louis asked, his voice bright with excitement. “Dad said you should be upstairs now.”
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Patrick raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised that Louis had spilled all the details. He gave Louis a small, playful side–eye.
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Juliette felt an odd flutter in her chest as if Patrick’s gaze was burning through the screen. “I got it,” Juliette replied, trying to push away the feeling, but her heart was still racing.
‘Damn it! Why am I reacting like this?‘ she thought.
‘Damn it, no, no, I shouldn’t be feeling this way. I’m here for revenge, revenge!‘ she thought.
Louis‘ voice broke through her thoughts. “Mom, you need to drink some water before you take the medicine. I’m going to supervise!”
Juliette blinked in surprise. “What?”
“You need to drink water with your medicine. I’m watching!” Louis said seriously like it was his duty.
Juliette couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Oh, okay.”
It had been years since someone had cared enough to remind her to take her medicine.
It had probably been years, at least that long.
After all, she couldn’t even remember how many years it had been.
—
‘Having a child… it’s not so bad,‘ she thought quietly.
She poured a glass of water, placed her phone on the table, and opened the medicine, taking it with a sigh.
“Good job, Mom! Dad said you wouldn’t want to take it, like a little kid, so I need to supervise,” Louis said, his grin wide and proud.
Patrick raised an eyebrow, clearly caught off guard by Louis‘ honesty.
When Juliette’s gaze met his, a gentle smile appeared at the corners of Patrick’s lips.
“After you left this morning, Louis was worried about you,” Patrick said, his voice unexpectedly tender.
Juliette gave a simple nod.
“You had a pretty bad fever earlier. It wouldn’t hurt to take another round of medicine, just to be safe,” Patrick suggested.
“I think I’m okay now,” Juliette replied, though she was just going along with it. She wasn’t really sick anymore, but Louis was staring at her, so she took the medicine anyway.
Louis immediately piped up. “Mom, please take it! You have to listen to Dad!”
Juliette gave him an affectionate smile. “Your dad doesn’t care whether I take the medicine or not. It’s no big deal.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how wrong they sounded. Too casual. Too playful. Too… personal.’
And her intention was just not to take any more pills.
Patrick’s lips tightened as he studied her, his gaze steady. “I do care.”
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Juliette froze.
There was something in the way Patrick said it–so calm, yet so earnest–that made her heart race.
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She quickly swallowed the last bit of medicine, grabbing her glass to hide her flushed face. She didn’t want him to see how his words were affecting her.
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When she lowered the glass, Patrick was still smiling at her through the screen, that warmth in his eyes practically radiating through the phone.
It was as if she were a little girl throwing a tantrum about taking her medicine, and he was there, patiently coaxing her. When she finally gave in, he smiled, his eye’s soft with affection and pride.
‘Damn it,‘ Juliette thought. ‘Why is he making me feel like this?‘
She could almost understand why so many people admired Patrick.
There was something magnetic about him–his.confidence, his charm–it made her want to get closer.
“Good job, Ms. Vaughn. Now get some rest, okay?” Patrick said, his voice smooth and affectionate.
When he hung up, Juliette was left staring at the screen, frozen.
‘Ms. Vaughn?‘ She’d heard him call her that before, but never quite like this. The way he said it just now, with that tone–it was almost… intimate.
She quickly closed her eyes, trying to shake off the feeling, but it lingered, along with the image of Patrick’s soft smile.
*****
Louis frowned as he pulled away from the screen. “Dad, I wasn’t done talking to Mom! Why’d you hang up?”
Patrick gently tugged Louis to his feet and led him toward the bathroom. “Your mom needs to rest, Louis. She’s sick. You don’t want to disturb her, do you?”
Louis frowned, clearly upset. ‘I don’t want to disturb her, but I still want to say goodnight. Why doesn’t Dad let me?‘
Patrick, of course, didn’t have any of it.
Patrick was just being cautious. The medicine he’d sent wasn’t the kind for a cold–it was actually a mild sedative for Juliette’s sleepwalking.
Keeping her at the Clarke family home, especially before she and Finn called off their engagement, was more harmful than beneficial.
It could pull Louis into the mess, too.
For now, it was safer for her to stay put and take the medicine.
The next morning, Juliette felt a lot better. Her immune system had kicked in, and she was back to her usual self.
But Louis kept calling her every night, reminding her to take more medicine, just to be sure. Juliette complied, knowing she had no choice but to go along with him.
After a couple of days, it was time for both families to sit down and finalize the wedding plans.
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Polly’s injury wasn’t severe–it was just a minor scratch, and by now, it had healed without affecting her movement.
The meeting was scheduled for six o’clock.
The Vaughn family was in full attendance, and the Montgomerys arrived with Finn, his parents, Belle, and her parents
They had reserved a fancy private room for the meeting.
The Vaughn family was greeted by the Montgomerys at the top of the stairs.
Stuart, who was also there for dinner with clients, spotted Juliette and immediately remembered Patrick’s request. He quickly excused himself and called Patrick.
“I’ve spotted Ms. Vaughn. She’s with the Montgomerys. They’re discussing the wedding details,” Stuart reported.
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