Emma just smiled; Patrick seemed to have grown up in love. There were no complex social relationships in his family, his thoughts were so naively simple that he simply believed that loving children in this world was as natural as social norms.
“You’re right, perhaps there wouldn’t be any mothers who don’t love their children, after all, mothers who don’t love their children wouldn’t let them be born in the first place. But have you ever thought, why should one love someone who causes them pain? My existence constantly reminds her of the fact that she was once betrayed by a partner.”
Patrick didn’t know how to comfort her.
“In reality, I am the source of her pain all these years. If she had hardened her heart and chosen to abandon me from the start, she would never have died in torment before the age of forty.”
In the face of painful reality, all casually spoken words seemed too light, like a kind of charity from a superior to the lowly.
“For everything about her, I am sorry. You too, you deserve better.”
Emma had heard these kinds of words countless times, but not once had her life improved after hearing them.
“I never thought I could get anything. I have only lived a brief sixteen years, all I wanted was a little love and the means to barely get by. It wasn’t until my mother’s death that I finally obtained that bit of scattered love. Now all I have to do is find a job to stabilize my life. I don’t need anyone’s charity.”
Patrick earnestly stopped her, “This isn’t charity. The Silver Moon Pack will provide everything you need. You can do whatever you want, even if you want to confront Nelson about your mother’s death. I won’t stop you, as long as you are of age and know what you’re doing.”
Emma’s body halted, she found herself unable to comprehend something.
Seeing her stop, Patrick stopped too, looking at her with confusion, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just thinking, what do you really want from me?”
Patrick didn’t understand why she was asking this; he had never approached her with any ulterior motives. It was just her experiences that made him feel compassion.
“I don’t understand,” he shook his head.
“I find it hard to imagine someone releasing goodwill to a stranger, especially since you are an alpha of a pack. I don’t think we are equals, even if I am Nelson’s daughter. I still feel something isn’t right.”
Patrick’s confusion deepened, “What do you mean?”
“You don’t need to go to such lengths for me. Nelson is Nelson. I have never acknowledged myself as his daughter, so before I truly came to the Silver Moon Pack, we were complete strangers. You didn’t need to promise me these things, you could have just ignored everything, feigned ignorance like your mother, and left it all to Nelson.”
Patrick was suddenly at a loss for words. Emma’s question seemed to have no logical flaw, he could indeed have completely stayed out of it, ordered Nelson to clean up the mess he had left behind. But obviously, he hadn’t done so.
So where did his intentions really lie? Perhaps even he couldn’t explain it.
“I don’t know, maybe I just don’t want to see a young girl like you struggling to work hard for a living; you should be able to enjoy life and knowledge.”
Emma felt that this statement was untenable, “Then you should establish a foundation specifically to help troubled girls return to school so that they can be more quickly accepted by society in the future.”
“…” This statement left Patrick speechless.
They continued walking together, but no one spoke anymore.
“I want to tell you about my past.”
Emma was startled by his sudden words, “If you want to.”
Patrick had always thought he would have a younger sister or brother. At that time, he was already nine years old, an age at which he could take care of younger family members. One day, Jennifer asked him with a happy face, “Do you want a little brother or a little sister?”
At that time, Patrick looked up with an innocent voice, “I want a cute little sister, Mom. A sister wouldn’t snatch my toys. I want a sister.”
His father came over, a smile on his stern face, “Our Patrick doesn’t like little brothers?”
“Little brothers snatch toys,” Patrick replied in a childish voice, “and little brothers don’t listen. The neighbor’s sister is cute and obedient, but not the little brother, little brothers are mischievous. I don’t like little brothers.”
The father and mother burst into laughter together.
Jennifer patted his head, “But Mom and Dad don’t know if the baby inside their belly is a boy or a girl. What if it’s a little brother, will you be a little nicer to him for Mom’s sake?”
Nine-year-old Patrick thought seriously for a long time, and finally nodded solemnly, “Whether it’sa little brother or a little sister, I will love that child sincerely. But it would be even better if it’s a little sister.”
Jennifer laughed and hooked her pinky with his, “Then it’s a deal. Our little man will take good care of our second little life in the family for Mom and Dad in the future.”
But Patrick never had the chance to see the birth of the second little life.
When he was five months old, Jennifer fainted at the hunting ground, and when they returned, the doctor said the fetal heartbeat was unstable and it was very likely that they couldn’t save the baby. After half a month, the child still left.
It was then that Jennifer developed severe depression, and Patrick was always by her side. However, he still often heard his mother’s suppressed cries at the door, and that kind of pain also infected him. For a long time, Patrick himself wondered if his mother would still be so distressed if the child had survived.
Of course not.
But the tragedy had already occurred, and he could only occasionally wonder whether the child would have been a sister or a brother. Whatever it was, he really wanted the chance to hold that child, to tell them that they were loved not only by Mom and Dad but also by their big brother.
But after that, Jennifer’s health gradually deteriorated. The family never welcomed a second child again.
Both father and mother were despondent for a long time. During that period, his father asked him to take care of his mother’s emotions as much as possible, but he himself rarely went in. Patrick didn’t know if it was because he always cared about the deceased child. So later, after his father passed away, his mother found Nelson as her second partner. He didn’t like Nelson, but silently accepted him because of Nelson’s meticulous care for his mother.
“I really wished for a little brother or sister. Even if there wasn’t a blood relationship, I hoped for their existence, to soothe my mother’s pain and fulfill my nine-year-old fantasy. In my fantasy, I held that child’s hand, took them to buy candy, and taught them how to hunt. We would share snacks, I would tell them bedtime stories when they couldn’t sleep, and we would share all our secrets.”
Emma understood, “So you just transferred your love for the unborn child onto me, right? Allowing me to take on the role of that sister, because it’s something you once hoped for but never got.”
Patrick didn’t deny it, “I hope you don’t burden yourself with too much psychological pressure, because it’s not your fault. Adults have ways of dealing with problems, you can consider it a belated birthday gift. Even if you feel unworthy of this gift, we have to admit that this solution is currently the least contentious.”
Emma remained silent. She didn’t believe she could soothe the pain of Patrick’s mother. On the contrary, she thought she might even worsen Jennifer’s condition. But she understood the meaning behind Patrick’s words; he really wanted a brother or sister, whether they were blood-related or not.
So she said, “Deal. I’m willing to go back with you.”