C307 Tracy's Visit

For a moment, Ben froze. "Mom?" Tracy gave him a gentle smile. "My child, I think we really need to talk." Ben stared at her for a few seconds before slowly nodding. "Fine." He hesitated. "As long as you aren't going to blame me for something I didn't do." Tracy's smile remained, although the worry in her eyes did not disappear. "I'm not here to blame you." She walked over and sat beside him.

After a moment, she reached out and took his hand. "Son, I know what you're feeling right now." Ben looked at her. "What am I feeling?" "You feel as though everyone is turning their backs on you." Ben gave a bitter laugh. "Isn't that exactly what's happening?" Tracy shook her head. "No." "We're not turning our backs on you." "We're trying to correct you before you make decisions that could destroy your life." Ben looked away.

Tracy gently squeezed his hand. "I want you to understand something." "I have never stopped caring about you." "And now that this situation has become this serious, do you honestly think I can sleep peacefully knowing that my only son might be in danger?" Ben slowly looked back at her. This time, he studied her face carefully. There was no anger there. No disappointment. Only fear. Her eyes were beginning to water. Ben realized that she wasn't pretending.

Tracy took a slow breath. "Son..." "When you came to us with the idea of opening a bar, I thought you had finally found something you truly wanted." "I knew running a bar would require strong people around you." "And I believed you were strong enough to handle it." She smiled sadly. "I thought that was finally the beginning of something good for you." "I thought the only thing left would be repairing your relationship with Samantha." "I wanted to see the two of you become a real family."

She paused. "I wanted to see you spending time with your daughter." A tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. "But now..." Her voice became quieter. "Now I'm scared, Ben." "I'm genuinely scared." Ben remained silent. "The people you've become involved with..." "They have just massacred an entire family." "Three people are dead." "An elderly woman, a young man, and a young woman." Tracy shook her head. "And even if you didn't directly order it..." "You told your friend about Natalie." "You told him what she did to you." "Maybe you never imagined that he would take things this far." "But three people are dead."

She looked directly into her son's eyes. "And as your mother, I can't stop feeling guilty." Ben frowned. "Guilty?" Tracy nodded. "Yes." "Because when I look at what happened, I feel like somehow our family is responsible." Ben opened his mouth, but Tracy continued before he could speak. "I know you hate Mike." "I know there are things that happened between the two of you that you haven't forgotten." "But Sarah is involved with them now." "She's married to one of their closest friends." "If this Harris family really decides to go after Mike and Alicia..."

She swallowed. "They could easily start looking at the people around them." "And that could include Sarah." Ben's expression changed. Tracy's voice trembled. "We don't know what they will consider a weakness." "What if they see Sarah as the easiest way to hurt them?" "What are we supposed to do then?" Ben lowered his head.

Tracy shook hers. "My child..." "As your mother, I'm begging you." "Please." "Stay away from Jack." "Focus on the life you were trying to build before all of this started." "Your father and I have already settled everything with Mr. Weatherby." "The warehouse is yours now." "Start renovating it." "Focus on your bar." "Focus on your business." "And most importantly..." She looked at him carefully. "Focus on your family." Ben's eyes suddenly filled with tears. He tried to hold them back. But he couldn't.

Without saying another word, he leaned forward and hugged his mother tightly. Tracy wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Mom." His voice cracked. "I really don't understand." "Every time I try to solve one problem, another one appears." "Even when I try to ignore them, they still find me." He tightened his embrace. "When Jack came into my life, he treated me differently." "He protected me." "He made me feel like I had finally found someone who understood me." "I trusted him."

Ben's voice became weaker. "Look what happened." He pulled back slightly, wiping his tears. "Not because I'm strong." "Not because I don't feel pain." "I'm human too, Mom." "I have feelings." "You might see me laughing." "You might see me smiling." "But that doesn't mean everything is fine inside." Tracy listened silently. Ben continued. "Natalie did the same thing." "Just when I thought I had found someone I could build a future with..." "She betrayed me." "She took the money and disappeared."

He lowered his eyes. "And now..." His voice became almost a whisper. "It feels like I'm the one who indirectly ordered her execution." Tracy's eyes filled with tears again. Ben slowly released her. "Mom..." "What am I supposed to do?" "I know I've made mistakes." "I know sometimes I do terrible things." "But killing people..." He shook his head firmly. "That's never been who I am." "I don't want to kill anyone."

Tracy wiped her tears. "Then don't." "Just stay away from Jack." "Focus on the business you're building." "Give yourself something else to think about." Ben nodded slowly. "I will." He took a deep breath. "I'll try, Mom." Tracy smiled. "That's all I'm asking." She remained with him for a little longer. Eventually, she stood up. Before leaving, she turned back. "Ben." He looked at her. "You also need to remember that you have a wife."

Ben looked away. "Mom..." "Please." Tracy continued gently. "Try to fix things with Samantha." Ben shook his head. "How?" "Everything she sees in me is something wrong." "She doesn't even respect me anymore." Tracy sighed. "I don't know how you will fix it." "But I believe she loves you." Ben looked at her skeptically. "Why?"

Tracy smiled. "Because I've never seen her with another man." "You introduced Natalie to us." "Did Samantha ever bring another man into this house?" Ben shook his head. "No." "Did she disappear for days without coming home?" "No." "Then perhaps you should ask yourself why she stayed." Ben remained quiet. Tracy gave him one final look. "Do what is right, my son." Then she left. As she walked away, she felt slightly relieved. At least she had finally said what had been weighing on her heart. Whether Ben would listen was another matter.