"Don't move, Melanie, there's broken glass everywhere. Be careful not to get hurt."
But in the next moment, his gaze shifted to the crimson stain on Laura’s body. His hand tightened slightly, then slowly relaxed. In the end, he just irritably tapped the table.
"What are you doing here, Laura? Are you here to make a fool of yourself? Get out!"
Laura opened her mouth, but her throat felt dry, unable to speak.
“I... I'm sorry..."
She couldn't understand. Why was he always so gentle with Melanie, yet when it came to her, all he showed was disdain?
If it was because of the misunderstanding from before, she had already explained everything.
Laura was truly exhausted. She knew that the incident from back then was like a thorn lodged between the two of them. If either of them took a step forward, they would be pierced and bleed.
***
Her mother, fearing her own aging and fading beauty, obsessed over money. From the moment she married into the Bill Family, she constantly reminded Laura.
Her mother believed that the only way to secure a stable future was to seduce Darren. The Bill Family only had two brothers. If she married the elder and her daughter married the younger, they would never have to worry about poverty or illness.
Her mother wasn’t a wise woman, so she could only use the methods that had worked for her to teach her daughter.
It meant confessing love over and over again, constantly enduring and maintaining a delicate balance of being close yet distant.
She had done all of this in an attempt to win the man's heart.
But all of it was overheard by Darren, the very person involved.
From that moment on, no matter how much love she had, it was all twisted into something manipulative in his eyes.
The man standing before her had a dark and stormy expression, one that only grew more terrifying. Inside, he was filled with disgust and anger.
Under the gaze of those around him, he scolded, "What are you standing there for? Get out! Laura, stop using these tricks to get men’s sympathy!"
Laura trembled at his harsh words. An overwhelming sense of shame mixed with pain made it impossible for her to stay there any longer.
She wiped away her tears and turned to run out.
No one tried to stop her, because they were all Darren’s friends, not hers.
The group exchanged glances and soon someone started joking again.
“Darren, are you not going after her? What if your little arranged wife really runs away and gets lost?”
“Honestly, it’s ridiculous. Her mom was crazy to marry your brother. They both died and now she still wants to marry you? Just the thought of it is disgusting.”
Darren lit a cigarette against the wind, turning a glass in his hand.
Listening to their insults, his gaze darkened and a sudden wave of anger rose within him.
He burst out with a curse. "Everyone just shut the hell up! That was enough!"
Laura stumbled back home in a daze. She clutched a confidential notice tightly in her hand, leaning against the wall as she slowly slid down to the floor.
If it was fear of moral ethics, there was no blood relationship between them. If it was fear of the age difference, she didn’t care.
She had explained countless times before. She sincerely and passionately loved him.
Whether it was a ten-year difference or twenty, her love was simply love, not something to be trampled on or dismissed as worthless.
Laura looked at the confidential notice in her hand. It was about a national radioactive materials team experiment in an uninhabited zone, a secret project that would require six years of research.
Today, Laura had intended to share this news with him. Perhaps leaving would ultimately be the best outcome for both of them.
Silently, Laura began packing her things. By evening, she made her way to the living room.
