"Miss Marsh, didn’t Mr. Bill come back with you? Do you still want me to keep the hangover soup warm for tonight?"

Brenda came out from the kitchen and, noticing Laura's red, swollen eyes, felt a pang of sympathy.

"Miss Marsh, those eyes of yours are meant for scientific research. It won’t be good if you cry them out."

Laura responded with a bright smile, thinking of how in the past, Darren would often be out for social events.

She would always ask the small kitchen to prepare some nourishing porridge and hangover soup for him in the evening.

Thinking about today... she wondered if Darren would return. After all, he was like an uncle to her, the one who had raised her for so many years.

After a moment of contemplation, she nodded.

"Keep it warm. If he comes back, he can have it. If not, just throw it away."

Laura stood beneath a large photograph in the living room, a photo taken when she was eighteen, where she had insisted on having a picture taken with Darren.

At the time, she had her own motives. She thought the large photo displayed in the living room looked like a wedding picture, so her one and only moment of stubbornness and insistence was to have this oversized photo taken.

Back then, Darren had simply smiled, assuming she felt insecure since she had just arrived and wanted to establish that he was the one in charge.

Laura gently stroked the photo, reminiscing about the past. A faint smile unconsciously appeared at the corners of her lips.

"Brenda, help me take this photo down."

Since Melanie had returned, there was no need for her to keep these things around and embarrass herself.

From now on, the owners of this place would be Darren and Melanie. And to him, she was nothing more than a scheming woman trying to seduce men.

"Miss Marsh, this isn’t..." Brenda looked at her in confusion.

Laura only smiled, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "As the saying goes, out with the old, in with the new."

Now that Melanie had returned, why should she stay here and be an eyesore?

By the time Laura had finished packing her things, it was already late at night.

She didn’t feel tired at all; she just sat on the sofa, waiting for Darren to come back, like the countless nights before.

Since she was leaving, it was time to say a proper goodbye.

As she was thinking this, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

Darren, reeking of alcohol, staggered in. His steps were unsteady and even his movements seemed more irritated than usual.

But when he saw her sitting upright on the sofa, a sense of inexplicable calm washed over his heart.

Thinking about everything that had happened today, Darren impatiently yanked at his tie, his tone harsh and dripping with sarcasm. "Did I tell you to leave? You only know how to go home? Laura, do you not know how to get to the hospital, or are you just pretending to be pathetic?"

Laura lowered her head, remaining silent. Her nails dug into her flesh as she inhaled the strong scent of alcohol from him.

She went over to support him, just like she used to, soft and gentle, like a little rabbit who never cried out in pain.

"Darren, there's hangover soup in the kitchen. You should have some to help with your stomach," Laura said softly.

Darren abruptly pulled his hand away from her grasp, his displeasure evident as he snapped, “Why didn't you fight back? Didn’t you have any temper? Why did you just let those people talk down on you like that?"

Laura swallowed the bitterness in her throat. She sniffled, feeling a wave of helplessness and grievance.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to fight back, but what they said... was the truth.

After all, it was Darren himself who had told them the truth.

They stood there, neither of them moving.

Laura’s heart was filled with a mixture of conflicting thoughts, unsure if she should speak or not.

Darren looked up and saw nothing but an empty wall.

He pointed at the wall, his face darkening and the moonlight only deepened his suspicion. "Where's the painting?"

"I took it for repairs. It hadn't been taken down and cleaned in a long time and it had accumulated a layer of dust," Laura replied, not wanting to say much more. After all, whatever she said, it would always be her fault. Perhaps Darren had long been dissatisfied with her.

She just couldn’t understand why, despite his usual control over his alcohol, he had drunk so much tonight.

It must be because of Melanie. She was the woman he had once dated, the only woman he had ever been involved with.

Darren collapsed onto the sofa, one hand shielding his eyes as he muttered to himself.

"Laura, you must be upset after seeing me kiss Melanie today, right? So why don't you get angry? Are you following your mother’s second lesson: learn to tolerate?"

Laura’s steps faltered as she was about to go upstairs, a chill spreading through her heart.

"Laura, your methods are inherited well. Persistent confession, pretending to be pitiful and wronged, all to seduce men. After all, your mother succeeded in this way, didn’t she?"

With each word he spoke, Laura's heart grew colder.

Darren wanted to see anger or jealousy on her face. He didn’t want to see that expression of indifference, as if nothing mattered to her.

His tone grew sharper, his hand trembling slightly in the shadows as he spoke, each word cutting like a blade. "Back then, when your mother married into the Bill Family, we all saw her true intentions. It’s pathetic. She couldn’t just climb the ranks for herself. Now, she wants you to cling to me? Are you really that desperate to hold onto wealth and status?"

Tears slipped from her eyes in the darkness, falling one by one before fading into the night.

Everyone could blame her mother, everyone could curse her mother—but not her.

Her mother had schemed everything for the wealth and prosperity of the Bill Family.

But Laura? She had done it for herself for the chance to enter the prestigious family and enjoy a better life.

Her mother had once told her that her talent and abilities should not be confined by poverty, which was why she was willing to do anything, even sleep her way to the top.

"Darren... I will leave, no one is irreplaceable..."

Her voice trembled, every word feeling like an immense struggle. It was as if her heart was being torn apart from within.

"Really? Then why haven't you left? Laura... you think just by acting like your mother..."

"Enough!" Laura shouted, her face pale as she walked back to Darren's side.

"You can't stand me, so I'll leave. It has nothing to do with my mother! I'll do as you wish and never come back..."

Under the moonlight, Laura seemed so fragile, as if a gust of wind could shatter her into pieces. She stood there before Darren, tears glistening in her eyes.

"If you don't even cherish my own love, then so be it..."

Darren's tousled hair covered his eyes. He lifted his head slightly, staring at Laura, his voice growing even more somber.

"A person who said she wanted to be my wife at eighteen, what does she even understand about love? Or is it just about using me? Stop pretending. It’s been seven years, haven't you pretended enough?"

"Darren, the one who truly lacks courage is you!"

Laura's eyes turned red, her tears falling uncontrollably in large drops. All the accumulated grievances transformed into anger and hurt.

"My love is honest and clear, I don't have any hidden motives! There’s nothing up my sleeve! It's your pride, it's your own guilt! Even if you don't love me, you shouldn't trample on my sincere feelings. You are the true coward..."

Darren suddenly stood up, gripping Laura's wrist tightly. His gaze was intense, filled with a mixture of deep love and hatred.

"Laura, if you really had the ability, you wouldn't have stayed until now! On your eighteenth birthday, it was your mother who manipulated you into seducing me, wasn't it? You've been doing a great job of following through all these years!"

She had explained countless times before. She loved him even before that. She wouldn’t debase herself and chase after a man just to get into the Bill Family.

But she was exhausted, so this time, Laura didn’t argue anymore. Instead, she lifted her head to look at him and crystal-clear tears slid down her cheeks.

"Yes, it's a pity that the plan didn’t succeed over the years... Darren, I won’t bother you anymore."

She supported herself against the wall and stood up. Her eyes were filled with numbness and resolve as she continued to walk toward the stairs.

Darren seemed to snap back to his senses in that instant.

He looked down at his hand in disbelief, then let out a bitter laugh. In a slump, he collapsed onto the sofa, feeling as though all his strength had been drained away.

Laura spent the whole night awake, her mind constantly replaying the past, bit by bit.

She remembered that it all started when she was eighteen. Every year, her birthday wish was the same: she hoped that she and Darren would be together forever, growing old together.

Back then, Darren would sit at the table, watching her with eyes that carried emotions she couldn’t understand, remaining silent.

Until one day, Darren finally spoke up. "Laura, do you think I'm that easy to fool?"

Later, he discovered that Laura made the same wish every birthday and his gaze grew more and more disdainful. But he didn’t say another word.

The next evening, Laura looked at the room she had tidied up and suddenly realized how foolish and pitiful she had been.

There were very few things left in the house that belonged to her. Most of it consisted of the gifts Darren had casually given her over the years, or anything related to him. Laura cleaned up once more, letting the memories fade as she put everything away.

Just as she finished tidying up, the door was knocked on.

Quickly wiping away her tears, Laura glanced at the research applications she had gathered on the table and said, "Come in."

She thought it was Brenda, but the person didn't speak for a long time.

Darren hadn't changed his clothes. He looked around the room that was once filled with so many things and for a moment, a sense of unease crept into his heart. After a long silence, Darren finally spoke, his voice carrying a slight tremor that was barely noticeable.

"Why is the room empty?" Darren asked, his voice low.

"I felt those things were a bit old and the broken ones were thrown away. The rest will be sent for maintenance and repair this afternoon," Laura replied, her voice calm.

Darren, who had been tense until that moment, finally let out a sigh of relief. He nodded in agreement, "It's fine. You can get whatever you want, just swipe your card."

Laura instinctively lowered her head to look at the research applications, not acknowledging the card.

Suddenly, a hand reached around and snatched the paper from her. Darren's temple twitched as he frowned, his tone growing impatient. He scolded her, his face twisted with displeasure.

"Laura, do you think this will threaten anyone? Or are you just following the third step your mother taught you—acting distant with men? You’ve only said a few words, yet here you are, putting on this act. Who are you doing this for?" Darren's voice was filled with mockery and frustration.