C271 Disbelief

Sarah couldn't help laughing. "Well..." "They aren't wrong." "The old Samantha would've cried and forgiven them immediately." "The Samantha sitting here today made them sign away thirty percent of their company." The room erupted into laughter. Even Kelvin couldn't suppress a smile. "I suppose becoming part of the Wood family has made you much stronger."

Samantha smiled. "No..." She glanced affectionately at Sarah. "It wasn't becoming part of the Wood family." "It was finally having people who taught me that my kindness also deserves respect." Sarah smiled but didn't say anything. The atmosphere around the dining table gradually became lively again. Meanwhile... Upstairs... Ben quietly closed the bedroom door behind him.

The laughter downstairs echoed faintly through the walls, making his heart feel even heavier. He slowly walked toward the bed before collapsing onto it. His phone was still tightly gripped in his hand. After lying there for nearly a minute, he unlocked the screen once more. Natalie's contact was still at the top of his recent calls. Without hesitation, he pressed the call button again. The phone rang for barely a second. Then... The call was redirected to voicemail.

Ben clenched his jaw. Again. He dialed a second time. Exactly the same result. Voicemail. A third attempt. Still... Voicemail. He slowly lowered the phone onto his lap. His mind became a battlefield of emotions. Disbelief. Anger. Regret. Heartbreak. He had genuinely fallen in love with Natalie. At least... That was what he believed. Closing his eyes, countless memories began replaying one after another.

The prison. The lonely nights. The endless humiliation. He remembered waiting every visiting day. Some small part of him had always hoped Samantha would come. Even after everything he had done to her... He had hoped. But she never came. Instead... The person who always appeared was Natalie. She smiled at him. Encouraged him. Comforted him. She had told him to stay strong. She had promised to wait for him. Thinking about those memories now made his chest ache.

Even his own parents had visited less often than Natalie had. She had become the only light during his darkest days. "...Was all of it fake?" He whispered to himself. Another memory surfaced. One after another. Each time he offered to take Natalie home... She always had an excuse. "I'll take a taxi." "Drop me off at the mall." "I'm meeting someone first." "Don't worry about me." Ben suddenly sat upright. A strange realization hit him. "Where... does Natalie actually live?"

His breathing became heavier. He tried remembering her address. Nothing. Not even the suburb. He couldn't remember visiting her home even once. His eyes widened. "How..." "How did I never notice that?" He laughed bitterly at himself. "What kind of fool was I?" Tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. He covered his face with both hands. His voice trembled. "Natalie..." "I trusted you." "I loved you."

His expression slowly hardened. "I'll find you." "No matter where you run..." "I'll find you." "And when I do..." "I'll make you answer for everything." He wiped away the tears before unlocking his phone again. This time, his attention shifted to another thing. The anonymous message. He stared at it for a long while. Finally... He pressed the call button.

The phone barely rang once before someone answered. A familiar laugh came from the other side. "Ben, my friend." "I honestly thought that after getting out of prison, you'd completely forget about your promise." Ben took a deep breath before replying. "Jack..." "The day after I was released, I actually went to the prison looking for you." "They told me you had already left that morning." Jack laughed. "You really went?" "Well..." "My uncle bailed me out before you got there."

There was a brief pause. Then Jack spoke again. "I have to admit..." "I'm surprised you called." "So..." "How can I help you?" Ben remained silent for several seconds. There were too many things he wanted to say. Too many questions. Finally, he spoke. "This isn't something I want to discuss over the phone." "I think we should meet." Jack sounded intrigued. "Oh?" "When?" "Tomorrow." "I'll explain everything face to face."

Jack didn't hesitate. "Fine." "I'll send you my location." "We'll meet there." Ben nodded instinctively. "All right." The call ended. Ben stared at the dark phone screen for several moments. His life had become a complete mess. Natalie had disappeared. The money was gone. The casino dream had collapsed before it even began. Now... The only thing left was finding answers.

At the Chambers Residence, the atmosphere was far calmer. Valeria had already left for her night shift. David had gone to bed early after a long day. Chris lay comfortably on his bed, staring at the ceiling. For some reason... He couldn't stop thinking about Sarah. A smile slowly formed on his face. "My wife..." "I wonder what you're doing." After thinking for a while, he suddenly picked up his phone.

He opened our group chat. The conversation had been silent for weeks. Chuckling to himself, he began typing. " Sister, Brother... are you two doing well?" Without waiting for either of us to reply, he sent another message. "This weekend we're going out together." A few seconds later... Another message was sent. "I'm honestly surprised neither of you misses me."

Chris grinned mischievously before typing one final message. "And this time... I'll be bringing my wife with me." He placed the phone on the bedside table and smiled to himself. He could already imagine Alicia's reaction when she read the messages. For the first time in many days... He found himself looking forward to the weekend.

Chris waited a few minutes hoping to get a reply but nothing came. He locked his phone and closed his eyes. Suddenly his mind went back to the lunch he had today with Samantha and Sarah. He smiled and whispered, "Brother I hope you won't be upset because I ate with Samantha." "She is my in-laws now my family I have no choice."