Chapter 323 Love as Light as Air
Right now, the White family was in chaos.
Ethan barged into the White Mansion, ready to confront Kevin and Esme about Lauren.
Everyone was having dinner when Ethan showed up. Esme greeted him cheerfully, "Ethan, you're back! Perfect timing, Ryan's here too. We can all have dinner together!"
Ethan shot Esme a cold look and sat down. Kevin, noticing Ethan's sour expression, felt his own anger rising.
Esme, oblivious to the tension, continued to enjoy the family reunion.
Ethan finally spoke, his voice icy, "Mom, Dad, Ryan, I need to ask you something, and I want the truth."
Kevin snapped, "Whatever it is, say it after dinner!"
"No, I want to ask now," Ethan said, staring Kevin down.
Seeing the tension between Ethan and Kevin, Esme tried to calm things down. "Alright, let's talk while we eat."
Ethan suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "Did any of you go to Lauren and humiliate her, threatening her to leave me?"
Upon hearing this, Kevin furiously threw his utensils, causing a loud clatter on the table.
Esme's face twisted in anger. "That bitch complained to you? Unbelievable! What a lowly slut! She wants to marry into the White family so badly that she uses such despicable means, and you still believe and support her. I'm your mother, and I scolded her for your happiness. How dare she complain to you?" Esme spat out.
"Mom, what are you talking about? How can you insult the woman I love like that?" Ethan couldn't hold back anymore. So, what Lauren had said was true.
Kevin stood up too, pointing at Ethan. "Are you willing to turn against us for Lauren? We raised you, and now you side with an outsider? You studied abroad, and this is how you talk to your parents?"
"Dad, it was Mom who messed up. She went over to Lauren's place and insulted her. Now Lauren wants to leave me!" Ethan retorted.
Esme was heartbroken. She had invested so much effort for his sake, only to be blamed by Ethan in the end. "Ethan! Do you have any conscience? Everything I did was for you! Lauren is not a good woman, and you blame me for a woman of loose morals. From now on, I'll consider you dead to me!"
Ryan didn't expect things to blow up like this. With Kevin, Esme, and Ethan all furious, he had no idea how to fix this family mess.
Ethan was losing it, "Mom, I've told you many times, Lauren and I grew up together. I know her best. Can't you respect my choice?"
Esme, tears in her eyes, questioned Ethan, "You know her? Do you really think her feelings for you are as deep as yours for her? She's still involved with Quentin. Let me tell you, once a woman has a child, things change. Lauren will never forget that Quentin took her virginity and that they had a child together! And you were never part of any of it!"
Esme's words hit Ethan like a ton of bricks. He collapsed into his chair, all his anger gone, replaced by a deep sense of despair.
"Think about it, is Lauren really worth all this?" Kevin said before storming off.
Esme left too, disappointment written all over her face, leaving just Ryan and Ethan at the table.
Ryan felt a pang of sadness seeing Ethan so broken. He walked over and gave Ethan's shoulder a comforting pat.
Ethan's mind was a mess, swirling with thoughts of Lauren and Quentin. He started to doubt if his love for Lauren was ever real.
Tears dripped onto the table. For the first time, he truly began to question his feelings for Lauren.
Sometimes, habits could be terrifying. Ethan thought he had loved Lauren for so many years, but he had never deeply questioned whether his love for her would remain unchanged until death.
With this thought, Ethan hurried out of the White Mansion. He needed to clear his head.
The next day, neither Lauren nor Ethan went to work. Ethan was passed out in a bar, while Lauren stayed home with Matthew, ready to protect him at any moment, fearing another kidnapping attempt.
Staying home was boring, and Matthew kept insisting on visiting Kimberly. Lauren had no choice but to carefully call a cab and take the quickest route to Kimberly's beauty salon.
In the salon, Lauren didn't expect to see Ulysses, who should have left City A long ago.
Lauren was surprised to see Ulysses playing with his phone in a corner chair. Noticing Lauren, Ulysses smiled and called out to Kimberly.
Kimberly came out from an inner room, and her smile froze when she saw Lauren. "Lauren, why are you here suddenly? I..." Kimberly stammered, glancing at Ulysses.
She found it hard to explain why Ulysses was there.
Lauren wasn't heartless. She had learned from the Obsidian Gang yesterday that Brent had broken his promise and might continue to hunt Ulysses. Ulysses being here was bad for both Kimberly and Ulysses. What angered her more was Kimberly hiding this from her.
"Mom, Dad, I want to talk to you," Lauren finally sighed, speaking weakly to them.
Ulysses looked at Lauren disdainfully, clearly unwilling to cooperate. Given a hard slap on the arm by Kimberly, he reluctantly followed to the adjacent lounge.
In the lounge, no one spoke first. Kimberly looked at Lauren's pale face, feeling both heartache and guilt. "Lauren, your dad had nowhere to go. He blocked my shop entrance and prevented me from doing business. So I let him in to do odd jobs, giving him all the dirty and tiring work."
"Mom, I understand. You don't need to explain. I'm not angry. But there are some things related to the Obsidian Gang that I must tell you. I hope you understand," Lauren looked at Kimberly seriously.
Ulysses impatiently said, "There's nothing to say. If you're afraid the Obsidian Gang will retaliate against you for taking me in, then just kick me out. I told you before, you're grown up now. I can't control you, and I don't expect you to help me or take care of me in my old age."
Hearing this, Lauren's heart ached as if it had been pierced by shrapnel.
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