Chapter 233 Cold Comfort from the Past
Finished
Alice, her hands supporting her on the ground, her legs weak, struggled toward Lauren, tears streaming down her face as she almost crawled in her direction.
“Laurie, I was wrong. I won’t side with Willow anymore. Please forgive me. Your brother was put in jail because of that scumbag David, and now all I have is you.”
Alice’s voice was hoarse and desperate, filled with the agony of a mother begging for mercy in front of Lauren, recounting her regret in a heart–wrenchingly pitiful manner.
Yet, Lauren remained as indifferent as before, unmoved. She merely glanced in Alice’s direction with a detached gaze and then looked away.
This cold, indifferent demeanor stabbed straight into Alice’s heart like a sharp blade.
At that moment, Alice truly understood the depth of a grief greater than death.
Lauren had completely given up on her, would never forgive her again. Realizing this, Alice felt her heart tearing apart.
Desperation filled her eyes as she trembled, “Laurie, are you really that heartless? Don’t you want me anymore?”
Lauren wasn’t even looking at Alice, so she didn’t catch what was said. Alice was heartbroken by Lauren’s silent, indifferent attitude.
Marilyn, her face shadowed with anger, confronted Madam Alice fiercely, “You have no right to call Ms. Bennett heartless. In the three years she spent with the Bennetts, you never showed her any care. You knew she endured fifteen long years in that orphanage, yet when she finally returned to the Bennetts, you continued to ignore her. You sent Willow 140,000 every month, but not a dime to Ms. Bennett. Willow had a new outfit for every day, while Ms. Bennett wore nothing but a high school uniform all year round. You turned a blind eye, never once buying her a new piece of clothing in those three years. Ms. Bennett and Willow share the same birthday, yet you celebrated only Willow’s, showering her with gifts. Ms. Bennett left for school early and returned late, never welcomed by a warm meal, while your family of four enjoyed dinner together, laughing and eating. I suggested we send meals to Ms. Bennett, but you refused, claiming she was never home because she wasn’t hungry.”
Marilyn’s voice dripped with scorn, “Ms. Bennett was in high school, a critical period for both physical growth and academic pressure, yet you justify your neglect while she suffered from hunger and malnutrition. You may not have abused or insulted Ms. Bennett like David, or schemed against her like Willow, but your cold neglect is even more contemptible. I remember every single wrongdoing; how dare you call Ms. Bennett heartless? What right do you have to expect her love as a mother? Ask yourself, have you ever even slightly fulfilled your responsibilities as a mother?”
These words had been bottled up in Marilyn for many years. In fact, during the five years Lauren was wrongly imprisoned, Marilyn had considered leaving the Bennetts more than once.
But at that time, Mia was in high school and needed money for everything. When Mia went to college, the expenses only increased.
Though the Bennetts‘ behavior was deplorable, the salary was decent. Moreover, Marilyn worried that once she left, no one would genuinely care for or protect Ms. Bennett once she returned from prison.
So, despite her grievances, she gritted her teeth and stayed.
Later events proved her decision right. That time when Alice, in defense of Willow, had hit Ms. Bennett with an ashtray, causing a bloody wound. If Marilyn hadn’t carried her away and fortuitously encountered Felix, Lauren’s life would have been in jeopardy.
Marilyn had kept a tight account of each incident, and today, she finally had the chance to unleash years of repressed feelings, feeling much relief.
Kate and Anna had known Lauren had a tough time with the Bennetts, but they hadn’t realized how heartless her biological mother could be.
They looked at Alice with disgust.
1/2
1:14 PM
Chapter 233 Cold Comfort from the Past
Finished
They too were parents, their own daughter cherished too much to ever think of hurting her, which was why they’d lashed out so fiercely when Elaine became comatose.
Send Gifts
368
