Chapter 29

Sally, sitting next to Darren, was startled by his sudden movement. Her face paled, and she turned to him, saying, "You should calm down."

Darren remained agitated, his fists clenched as if he were about to attack Lauren.

"Don't make trouble here! I don't care if you help me or not!" he said.

Lauren calmly met his gaze. "You're so simple. Do you solve problems only with force?"

Darren, slightly embarrassed, asked, "Who are you? How dare you judge me?"

"Then get out," Lauren said, pointing to the door.

She had already understood Sally and Darren's intentions from Sally's voice, but she'd given them a chance. Opening the door, she initially thought they had come because of their family connection, not to use her to plead with Jeffery. But the truth was harsher.

Suddenly, feeling disillusioned, Lauren questioned her years with the Bennetts, who never treated her like family. What am I expecting? she wondered. Perhaps, she simply longed for a real family. She knew Grandpa and Jeffery loved her, but she’d wanted more—true belonging. Now, that illusion was shattered, and she no longer wished to engage with Sally and Darren.

She told them to leave, but Sally refused. She'd come to Lauren's room not to intercede for Darren but to drive a wedge between them. Her plan failed, however, as Lauren saw through her. Darren, too, felt embarrassed.

Sally, having known Darren since childhood, understood him well. Though angry, he also knew he was at fault. Regardless of Lauren's help, he wouldn't harbor resentment toward her.

Sally grabbed Darren's arm, her eyes tearful. "Darren," she pleaded, "do you really want to go abroad? I'll worry about you alone. No one will look after you. Mom and I will miss you so much."

Darren looked helpless. "Then what should we do?" He didn't actually want to go abroad. He wasn't afraid of going abroad per se, but he disliked the prospect of Jeffery's surveillance and meager financial support. It felt like imprisonment.

Lauren had begun packing her backpack. Looking up, she saw them still in her room. Raising an eyebrow, she picked up her bag, the ease of her travel preparations emphasizing her readiness to leave.

"Why don't you leave?" she asked, approaching them in the doorway. "Then I must go."

Sally, preoccupied with Darren, hadn't noticed Lauren. Now, she asked, "Are you leaving?"

Lauren nodded.