C71 Cracks In The Family Wall

Sarah gently exhaled as she noticed Samantha’s breakdown slowly settle into silence. The anger in her chest softened. Whatever truth she had just revealed, it clearly wasn’t only about Ben and Mike anymore, it had reopened something deeper inside the family.

She stood up quietly and moved closer to Samantha. “Sister-in-law,” she said softly, “it’s not your fault. Let me hold Monica for a bit.” Samantha didn’t respond. She simply nodded weakly and handed over the baby.

The moment Monica was in Sarah’s arms, Samantha stood up without another word. She turned away and walked quickly down the hallway toward the bedroom she shared with Ben.

The room fell silent. Kelvin, Tracy, and Sarah all watched her leave. There was no anger in their eyes now, only heaviness. A quiet understanding that something long buried had finally resurfaced. Kelvin exhaled slowly. “So that’s what it was…” Tracy nodded faintly. “We always thought it was just the school year-end function…” Sarah frowned, looking between them. “What are you talking about? Why is she reacting like this? Does she care about Ben that much?”

Both Kelvin and Tracy shook their heads.

Tracy spoke carefully. “It’s not just about caring…” Sarah narrowed her eyes. “Then what is it? You’re still hiding things from me.” This time, it wasn’t Kelvin who answered. It was Tracy. “I think the same thing happened to her… the night she got pregnant with Monica.”

Sarah froze. Her eyes widened instantly. “W-what?” Kelvin closed his eyes briefly, as if unwilling to relive the memory. Tracy continued, her voice lower now. “They went to the school year-end function together. After that night… Samantha kept saying she only had one drink. That she felt dizzy, her vision went blank… and the next thing she knew, she woke up next to Ben.”

Sarah’s grip tightened slightly on Monica. “That’s… not possible,” she whispered. Kelvin finally spoke, voice heavy. “It happened. But back then… things were complicated.” Sarah turned sharply. “Complicated how?” Kelvin sighed. “Her parents didn’t want a scandal. There was no investigation. And by the time anyone could act… she was already pregnant.” Tracy lowered her gaze. “The decision was made for the child. For Monica.” The words hung in the air like a weight none of them could escape.

Sarah stepped back slowly, disbelief still written across her face. “So you’re telling me…” she said quietly, “Ben spiked her drink too?” No one answered immediately. That silence was enough. Sarah’s voice rose. “That’s rape. Why didn’t she press charges?”

Kelvin’s jaw tightened. “It wasn’t that simple back then. Her family… chose silence. And Samantha… she was left to deal with it in her own way.” His voice cracked slightly at the end, not from anger but regret. Sarah looked down at Monica, her expression unreadable. “So Monica… is the result of that night.” No one corrected her. The truth had already answered everything.

Inside the bedroom, Samantha had collapsed onto the edge of the bed. The moment the door closed, her composure broke completely. She buried her face in her hands and cried, not loudly at first, but deep, shaking sobs that came from months of confusion finally gaining clarity. Now it all made sense. The gaps in her memory. The dizziness. The fear she had always refused to name. And Ben… the man she was still supposed to marry. She whispered through tears. “So it wasn’t a mistake…” Her voice cracked. “It was never a mistake…”

For a long time, she just sat there, breathing unevenly, staring at nothing. Then slowly, her expression began to change. The pain was still there but underneath it, something else began to form. Focus. Control. Survival. She wiped her face roughly and stood up. “No,” she muttered to herself. “I can’t break here.” Her eyes sharpened.

If what Sarah said was true… then Ben wasn’t just dangerous to Mike. He was dangerous to anyone who stood in his way. And she had already been caught once. Not again. Samantha walked to the mirror and fixed her hair, forcing her breathing to steady. Her reflection looked calm again but her eyes were different. Calculating now. She turned away from the mirror and picked up her phone. There was one person she still needed to speak to. Mike. Her fingers hovered over the screen. But she stopped. Not yet.

If she told him now, emotions would take over everything. Chaos would follow. And Ben… Ben would respond in ways she couldn’t predict. No. She needed something else first. Power. Protection. Leverage. She placed the phone down slowly. “I’ll wait,” she whispered to herself. “Just a little longer.”

Then she wiped her face one last time and walked back toward the dining room composed again, as if nothing had happened.

But inside her, nothing was the same anymore.

Samantha returned to the dining room with steady steps, though her eyes still carried the weight of everything she had just heard. Everyone at the table immediately noticed the change in her expression. Kelvin leaned forward slightly. “Are you okay?” Tracy looked at her with concern. “You don’t have to force yourself to sit here if you’re not ready.”

Samantha forced a small smile and shook her head. “I’m fine now. Really. Don’t worry about me.” The room remained quiet for a moment, but the tension did not fully disappear. Kelvin took a deep breath, his voice heavy with guilt. “My child… I am sorry for what happened at the year-end function. It’s my fault. I should have allowed the law to take its course.” He paused, looking down. “But Monica was so young… I couldn’t bear the thought of her growing up without a father.”

Tracy added quietly, “And we failed you too. We should have done more when everything happened.” She swallowed hard. “If you don’t want the marriage anymore, we will cancel it. I will make sure Monica is taken care of. You won’t be alone.”