C269 I Was Fooled

The warmth that had filled the house only moments earlier vanished completely, replaced by a heavy silence that seemed to freeze the entire room after Ben's shocking revelation. "Natalie... ran away." No one moved. No one knew how to respond. Kelvin was the first to recover from the shock. He slowly leaned forward, his brows tightly knitted together.

"Ben..." His voice was calm, but there was unmistakable concern in it. "What exactly do you mean she ran away?" Ben lowered his head without saying a word. Kelvin continued, "Did she leave after the two of you argued?" "Or..." He paused before asking the question everyone was thinking. "...did she simply disappear?" Tracy looked equally worried. She had never seen her son in such a miserable state before. "Ben..." She spoke gently. "My son..." "Did she break up with you?"

Ben slowly shook his head. "No..." His voice was barely audible. The silence returned once more. Samantha quietly watched him for a few seconds before speaking. "You seem far more heartbroken over Natalie leaving you..." She paused. "...than you ever were over everything you put me through." Her words were calm rather than angry. Ben didn't even bother defending himself.

On any other day, he would have immediately argued back. He would have blamed someone. He would have shouted. Today... He simply remained silent. His mind was exhausted. His heart was even more exhausted. He had already made one promise to himself. No matter what... I won't cry. Seeing her son's condition, Tracy could no longer sit still. She slowly stood up and walked around the table.

Without saying another word, she wrapped her arms around Ben. "My son..." She gently rubbed his back. "Tell us what happened." "You're scaring us." The warmth of his mother's embrace almost shattered the wall Ben had been desperately trying to build around his emotions. He clenched his fists tightly. His lips trembled. Sarah quietly observed the scene. Even she felt sorry for him. However... She also remembered everything Ben had done over the past few months.

She sighed softly before speaking. "Well..." "I have to admit..." "This is the very first time I've seen my brother like this." She folded her arms. "The great Benjamin Wood..." "The tough..." "The cunning..." "The man who always believed he could outsmart everyone..." She smiled faintly. "...brought to his knees by a woman." She shook her head dramatically. "Who would've imagined that?" Ben bit his lower lip. Every word pierced deeper than the previous one.

He wanted to respond. He wanted to defend himself. But somehow... He couldn't. After several moments, Tracy slowly released him. "Sit down, my son." Ben nodded weakly before taking his seat. Everyone waited patiently. After calming himself down, he finally spoke. "She..." He swallowed hard. "...fooled me." Another painful silence followed. "I believed everything she told me." "I believed she cared about me." "I believed she loved me."

A bitter smile appeared on his face. "But..." "It was all an act." His breathing became heavier. "She betrayed me." "I've been looking for her the entire day." Kelvin frowned. "Looking for her?" "What happened exactly?" "Did the two of you fight?" "Did you do something to hurt her?" Ben immediately shook his head. "No." "I didn't hurt her." "Nothing happened between us." Kelvin looked even more confused. "Then why would she suddenly disappear?"

Ben slowly looked up. His eyes were already red. "Dad..." "She withdrew all the money..." "...and left the country." The words echoed throughout the dining room. This time... The tears Ben had been desperately holding back finally escaped. A single tear rolled down his cheek. Then another. He quickly wiped them away. Unfortunately... Everyone had already seen them. Sarah's eyes widened. She stared at him for several seconds before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Hehehe..."

She placed a hand over her mouth. "Wait..." "I'm sorry..." "I think I heard you incorrectly." She tried to control herself. "Say that again." Ben remained silent. Sarah continued. "You're telling us..." "She ran away..." "...with the money?" Still... Ben refused to answer. His silence was answer enough. Sarah couldn't help laughing again. "Oh, Brother..." She pointed at him. "Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" "I warned you about that joint account." "You even argued with me." "You compared Natalie to my Chris."

She folded her arms proudly. "So..." "Who was the naive one?" Kelvin immediately raised his hand. "Sarah." "Enough." His voice carried authority. "Your brother is already suffering." Sarah sighed. "Fine..." "I'm done." Before she could say anything else, Samantha suddenly spoke. She looked directly at Ben. "So..." "The casino?" Ben remained silent. "The business?" Again... No answer.

Samantha slowly shook her head. "So everything was built on money that wasn't even yours." She smiled bitterly. "If only..." "If only you had invested that money in your daughter instead..." She lowered her head slightly. "...perhaps none of this would've happened." Ben clenched his fists beneath the table. Sarah wasn't finished yet. She looked at him and smiled helplessly. "I called you stupid yesterday." "You got angry." She leaned slightly forward. "But tell me honestly..." "Was I wrong?"

Ben didn't answer. Sarah continued. "You trusted someone enough to open a joint account." "You trusted her enough to build a business together." "You trusted her enough to hand over access to hundreds of thousands of dollars." She sighed. "Brother..." "You weren't betrayed by a stranger." "You were betrayed by the same woman you slept beside every night." "If she had wanted to kill you..." Sarah paused. "...she could've done it while you were asleep."

Those words finally broke whatever strength Ben had left. He slowly stood up from his chair. No one tried to stop him. His shoulders had completely slumped. He no longer looked like the proud Benjamin Wood everyone knew. He looked like a man who had lost everything in a single day. Without saying another word, he slowly turned around and walked toward the staircase. Each step felt heavier than the last. As he reached the first few steps, Sarah called out one last time. "Oh..." "So who's the crybaby now?"

Ben stopped for the briefest moment. Sarah looked at his back. "You once laughed at us and you called us cry babies now who is crying." She smiled faintly. "Never make a joke out of another person's downfall..." "...because one day, life may decide it's your turn." Ben never looked back. He simply continued climbing the stairs. Step after step. Until he disappeared from everyone's sight.