C206 Resentment

The dining room fell into complete silence. Ben slowly looked around. Every pair of eyes was fixed on him. No one spoke. No one even breathed loudly. Finally, he broke the silence. "So..." He leaned back against his chair before looking at everyone one by one. "Am I wrong?" His voice wasn't loud. Yet somehow... It echoed through the entire room.

Samantha lowered her head. Sarah instinctively tightened her grip on the edge of the dining table. Kelvin frowned. "What do you mean, son?" Ben suddenly laughed. It wasn't the carefree laugh everyone was familiar with. It was bitter. Cold. Filled with years of disappointment. "What do I mean?" He slowly stood up. "You all looked shocked because I said something about Sarah's pregnancy." "But tell me..." "Have any of you ever stopped to think how I feel?" No one answered.

Ben turned toward Samantha first before shaking his head. "No..." "You all never cared." Kelvin sighed. "Ben..." "If you're upset, then let's talk calmly." Ben immediately interrupted him. "Calmly?" "Dad..." "You want me to stay calm?" "You've all had weeks to stay calm while I was rotting inside prison." "You think I had the luxury of being calm?" The room became even quieter. Kelvin slowly placed his chopsticks down. "Then tell us." "What exactly is hurting you?"

Ben looked straight into his father's eyes. "You really don't know?" Kelvin remained silent. Ben gave a bitter smile. "When I asked you to help Jack..." "Who have protected me in prison." "You refused." "You said his case was complicated." "You said he was dangerous." "You gave me every excuse you could think of." "But when it came to everyone else..." "You always found a way." Kelvin frowned. "Jack is suspected of murder." "He is connected to organized criminals." "I cannot simply interfere with the law."

Ben laughed sarcastically. "I knew..." "I knew you would say that." "You always have reasons." "But when I was arrested..." His voice gradually became quieter. "How many times did you visit me?" Kelvin froze. Ben answered for him. "Once." He held up one finger. "One single visit." "I stayed behind those bars wondering whether my family had abandoned me." "You know what hurt the most?" "I kept telling myself..." 'Dad will come tomorrow.' "But tomorrow never came."

Kelvin slowly lowered his eyes. Ben nodded. "See?" "You can't even deny it." "I am your son." "Yet I felt completely alone." Tracy could no longer remain quiet. "Ben..." "We didn't abandon you." "We were trying to protect this family." "We visited whenever we could." Ben immediately shook his head. "No, Mom." "You visited because you felt responsible." "Not because you understood me." His words pierced Tracy's heart. She slowly clenched her hands together. "That's not true." "I worried about you every single day."

Ben looked at her quietly. Then smiled sadly. "You worried..." "Yes." "But worrying and understanding are two completely different things." Tears slowly gathered in Tracy's eyes. Ben continued. "Mom..." "Do you know what prison is like?" "Every day..." "You wonder whether someone still believes in you." "Whether someone is waiting for you." "I kept hoping..." "Maybe Mom will come today." "But every time the guards walked past my cell..." "They never stopped."

His voice cracked slightly. "And every time they walked away..." "So did my hope." Tracy covered her mouth. She had never imagined... Her son had carried those feelings all this time. Ben looked away before continuing. "And that's not even what hurt me the most." He slowly faced his mother again. "You've always loved Sarah more." The room instantly became tense.

Sarah immediately raised her head. "Ben..." Ben lifted his hand. "Don't interrupt me." He looked back at Tracy. "Ever since we were children..." "When Sarah achieved something..." "You praised her endlessly." "'Well done, Sarah.' 'I'm proud of you.' 'You're amazing.' "I heard those words countless times." He laughed bitterly. "And when I achieved something..." "What did I hear?" "'Don't become arrogant.' 'Do better next time.'"

Tracy immediately shook her head. "No..." "I never compared the two of you." Ben smiled sadly. "You didn't have to." "The difference in how you looked at us..." "Was enough." Tracy finally lost control. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I loved both of you equally." Ben slowly nodded. "I believe..." "You think you did." "But children notice things adults never realize." Silence. Painful silence.

Sarah stared at her mother. Then at Ben. For the first time... She couldn't find a single word to defend anyone. Ben continued quietly. "When Sarah told you she was pregnant..." "What did you do?" "Let me guess." "You hugged her." "You comforted her." "You told her everything would be alright." "Even though she is still young." "Being pregnant at 18 years is a disgrace." "But you protected her."

His smile disappeared. "If that had been me..." "You would've scolded me first."

"You would've asked me why I embarrassed this family." Tracy cried even harder. "I would never.." "You would." Ben interrupted softly. "You just don't realize it." Another silence settled over the dining room. Kelvin slowly stood up. His usually imposing figure now looked strangely tired. "Ben..." "If we have truly made mistakes..." "Then I apologize." Those words stunned everyone. Even Ben froze.

Kelvin bowed his head slightly. "As your father..." "I may not have understood everything you were carrying." "I believed giving you opportunities..." "Teaching you responsibility..." "And correcting your mistakes..." Was enough." "It seems..." "I was wrong." Ben stared blankly at his father. For several seconds... Neither of them spoke. Finally... Ben slowly shook his head. "It's too late for apologies." His voice was calm now. Far calmer than before. "But..." "It still hurts."

The entire dining room remained frozen. Ben stood with his back facing everyone. His fists were tightly clenched. For years... He had buried every grievance inside his heart. Today... Everything was finally pouring out. He slowly turned toward Sarah. His expression was no longer angry. Instead... It was filled with disappointment. "You..." Sarah looked up at him. "Brother..." "I..." Ben shook his head. "No." "Today you'll listen."