Chapter 2: Rape?

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett stared in shock at the document, then turned to Sally. "Did you do this to Lauren?" they demanded.

Tears welled in Sally's eyes. Before she could speak, Lauren coldly interrupted, "That man gave me screenshots of your online conversations and the transfer records. Denial is futile." Lauren had no intention of wasting time.

Sally trembled, her cries escalating. "I'm sorry! I made a mistake! I was afraid you'd reject me!" She grabbed Lauren's arm. "Please forgive me! You're Mom and Dad's biological daughter now. You can have anything you want! Please!"

Lauren frowned in disgust at Sally's hypocritical plea. It sounded like forgiveness, but it was a thinly veiled attempt to portray Sally as the victim. To Lauren's dismay, her parents immediately forgave Sally.

"Sally, don't cry. It's not a big deal. We understand," Mrs. Bennett said soothingly.

Mr. Bennett added, "Your mother's right. You're our daughter. Lauren wouldn't do anything to you; you didn't mean to hurt her."

Lauren's expression hardened. She had hoped for justice, only to find her parents didn't care. Disappointment washed over her.

Still reeling from the emotional blow, Lauren felt a cup of cold water splash toward her face. She dodged instinctively, but her shoulder was still soaked. Darren, her younger brother, was the culprit.

"You're fine, so what more do you want? Are you trying to drive Sally out of the family?" Darren raged, grabbing a glass and hurling it at Lauren's eyes.

Lauren narrowly avoided blindness, stumbling backward onto the stairs. She twisted her ankle and cried out in pain. All hope for this family vanished.

"What else do you have to say?" Darren demanded, dissatisfied with Lauren's silence. He lunged forward, raising his hand to grab her hair.

A stern voice from upstairs halted him. "Stop!" It was their grandfather.

"How dare you hurt your sister!" Grandpa thundered, pointing his crutch at Darren.

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett quickly defended Darren. "Father, he's still young. He didn't mean it," Mr. Bennett pleaded.

Mrs. Bennett echoed, "He just cares deeply about Sally. He didn't intend to hurt Lauren."

They had watched coldly as Darren attacked Lauren, offering no intervention. Now, they were desperate to shield him.

Sitting on the stairs, Lauren felt a pain that transcended her ankle. Mr. Bennett Jr. glanced at his wife, then changed the subject.

"Sally had Lauren assaulted. How will you handle this?" Mr. Bennett Sr. asked, having overheard the earlier conversation.

Mr. Bennett, fearing his father's wrath, interjected, "Lauren's fine. Let's drop it."

Mrs. Bennett agreed. "Sally didn't mean to hurt Lauren. Maybe she just wanted to scare her."

"Nonsense!" Mr. Bennett Sr. scoffed. "She should face consequences for her actions, regardless of Lauren's injuries." He adopted a firm stance against Sally.

Mrs. Bennett, though worried about Sally, dared not argue. She turned to Lauren. "Since you're alright, could you forgive Sally?"

Lauren raised her head, gazing intently at Mrs. Bennett, then lowered it. The semblance of a mother's concern felt hollow and unsatisfying.

Mr. Bennett Jr. pressed, "Lauren, you'll be a Bennett. Surely you want a harmonious family? Shouldn't you forgive Sally?"

Lauren couldn't believe her parents' words. Her father was essentially threatening her into forgiveness, implying that refusal was unreasonable.

Lauren rose, walked to Sally, and feigned a smile. Then, with surprising force, she slapped Sally.

"Okay, I forgive you now!" she declared, the resounding slap echoing through the room.