Chapter 275 Thoughts
Lauren had already made up her mind and wasn't about to change it just 'cause of what others thought, but she still glanced over at Ethan.
"So, Ethan, what do you think?" Lauren asked.
Ethan actually agreed with Kimberly, but he could tell from Lauren's tone and look that she wasn't happy. He'd been waiting forever for this day and didn't want some petty argument to mess up his shot with Lauren.
"Lauren, if you wanna bring Matthew, I'm cool with it. We're all family, after all," Ethan said, trying to sound upbeat.
Before Lauren could say anything, Kimberly jumped in, all excited.
"Lauren, look how good Ethan is to you. He's always thinking about you. You can't always be so self-centered. Don't be so stubborn. Ethan's parents can meet Matthew anytime, but not this time," Kimberly said, giving Lauren a serious look.
As long as Lauren married Ethan, these tough days would be over, and Kimberly could finally chill.
Lauren's face was calm, but her words were firm. "Mom, you always push your ideas on me. You said you'd respect my choices, but now you're all up in my business. I'm not a kid anymore; I can make my own decisions."
Kimberly pursed her lips. Everything she did was for Lauren's good. Seeing Lauren's eyes get all teary, Kimberly decided to zip it. She knew she'd been a bit pushy since they got back and hadn't really thought about Lauren and Matthew's feelings.
Seeing the tension between Lauren and Kimberly, Ethan tried to smooth things over by siding with Lauren.
"Aunt Kimberly, please don't be mad. Lauren's always been strong-willed. Let's respect her choice," Ethan said, then turned to Lauren. "Matthew's been at the Robinson Villa for over ten days. How about we pick him up today and take him to my place tomorrow? He needs to get ready for school anyway."
Kimberly felt a bit weird hearing this. She didn't expect Ethan to not know about Matthew's illness. She wisely kept quiet, waiting for Lauren's response.
Lauren nodded slightly and said, "I'll call Quentin and ask him to bring Matthew back."
"No need for that. I'll go with you to pick him up. I wanna tell Matthew the good news myself!" Ethan said, all excited.
Lauren felt a bitterness she couldn't describe. She wondered, 'What does Ethan really want? Why does he always act weird whenever Quentin's mentioned?'
Ethan had made up his mind. 'In this battle for Lauren, I won. Naturally, I wanna rub it in Quentin's face.'
Lauren didn't want to agree. She'd been trying to avoid Quentin to keep things drama-free. She didn't want her currently calm heart to get all stirred up again.
"Ethan, there's no need. A phone call can solve this. Why go through the hassle?" Lauren said.
"Lauren, I respect you in some things, and I hope you can respect me. After all, I'm your boyfriend now. I wanna show up as such in front of certain people. Do you not wanna acknowledge me?" Ethan said, his words pointed at Lauren.
Lauren turned away, feeling guilty. She said, "It's not that. We'll be living together in the future, so there's no need to see Quentin. I notice you're always competing with him. Aren't you tired of that?"
"I only feel tired and heartbroken when my girl doesn't have my back. Lauren, let me go with you. You can finally cut ties with your past," Ethan insisted, dead set on going to the Robinson Villa this time.
Lauren felt like Ethan's grip was suffocating her.
Kimberly watched anxiously from the side, hoping Lauren would just agree already. What harm would it do to upset Quentin? They were enemies, not family!
"Okay," Lauren said, her face pale. If this was what Ethan wanted, she'd give in. But this would be the last time she compromised.
Ethan was over the moon when Lauren agreed. He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her out the door.
He drove with determination, taking Lauren to Quentin's villa. On the way, Lauren debated whether to text Quentin to let him know they were coming. But after thinking it over, she decided it would seem too sentimental. After all, she and Ethan were together, and they were just picking up Matthew.
Paxton opened the door. He was happy to see Lauren but his smile vanished when he saw Ethan standing next to her.
"Please come in," Paxton said, his voice rough.
There was no need to guess why Lauren was there. Everyone in the Robinson Family knew. Paxton lamented how quickly time had passed. Soon, Matthew would be leaving Quentin.
Lauren gave a weak smile to Paxton and walked in with Ethan.
This was the first time in three years she had entered the Robinson Villa, the home that was once meant to be her and Quentin's marital home.
The familiar furniture and decorations gave Lauren a moment of disorientation as if she had been transported back three years to the days when she eagerly awaited Quentin's return.
Her eyes stung, and she lightly sniffed, not wanting to let the tears fall. Being sentimental was not a good thing, especially when the outcome was already decided.
"Please have a seat. I'll go get Mr. Robinson and Matthew," Paxton said, sighing as he headed upstairs.
At that moment, Matthew was in the room playing games with Quentin. In the past few days, under Quentin's influence, Matthew had transformed from a gaming novice to a gaming expert.
They were having a blast, and Paxton couldn't bear to interrupt them. Quentin had finally shown a bit of a smile, but these happy days were about to end.
"Mr. Robinson, Ms. Walker is here, and so is Mr. White," Paxton informed Quentin with his head down.
Quentin froze for two seconds with the game controller in his hand. He replied, "Okay."
Matthew, still immersed in the game, didn't hear Paxton. He excitedly shouted, "Daddy, hurry up! The monster is about to destroy the city!"
However, Quentin didn't respond until the game-over screen appeared.
"Daddy?" Matthew looked at the sad Quentin with wide eyes.
Quentin smiled bitterly and remarked, "Alright, that's it. Your mommy is here to pick you up."
Matthew immediately stood up from the floor and ran towards the door. He ran back in and excitedly said to Quentin, "Daddy, come on! Let's see Mommy together!"
Quentin's eyes were filled with sadness. In a few minutes, his legs and heart had gone numb. He stood up, rubbing his legs, and said, "Okay."
