Her voice was very soft, almost disappearing into the wind, constantly repeating the same words. "But... I'm not wrong... This time, I won't soften."

Brenda, standing nearby, didn't know what to say and could only sigh. She held the umbrella, quietly leaning it toward Laura's side.

Time passed minute by minute.

From day to night, Laura had lost track of time. She didn't know how long she had been kneeling.

She kept her head bowed, everything before her blurry. She could feel heat rising from her body, a fever slowly taking over.

Even Brenda couldn't bear to watch anymore. She slapped her thigh and sighed. "Miss Marsh, please listen to me. Just apologize for now and once everything calms down, we'll talk. Mr. Bill definitely loves you. I remember how he secretly went to check on you when you were asleep..."

Laura finally couldn't hold on any longer. One hand braced on the ground, swaying unsteadily and everything in front of her became a blur.

Seeing this, Brenda immediately dialed Darren's number. It rang a few times before being hung up.

The third call was finally answered.

Darren's tone was sharp. "What happened?"

"Mr. Bill, Miss Marsh has a high fever now. Please let her go back. As for what happened today..." Brenda hesitated, unsure how to continue.

Darren was silent for a few seconds before asking, his voice harsh. "Has she apologized? Melanie needs three stitches, while she only has to kneel. What else does she want? Tell her to apologize! If she doesn't, don't bother notifying me if she dies out here!"

Brenda's expression changed and she hurriedly turned off the speaker on her phone.

But Laura had already heard. She braced herself and stood up unsteadily, reaching for the phone.

"Darren... I'm not at fault. Who's really to blame in this matter? She deserves it, doesn't she?"

On the other end, there was a sharp intake of breath and even through the phone, one could feel Darren's anger.

"Laura, if you still don't understand your mistake, then get out of the Bill Family!"

Normally, this threat was the most effective. Laura had long since lost her home, so he knew she had nowhere else to go.

In the past, every time he said this, Laura would admit her mistake. Even if she ran away, she would sneak back the next day as if nothing had happened.

But this time was different.

Laura remained silent, her hand gradually loosening. She spoke softly. "Then I won't come back. You don't want me to come back, do you?"

The breathing on the other end grew heavier and Darren was panting deeply. "Fine... you’ve even learned to threaten people. Laura, if you have the guts, then never come back!"

This time, the expected softening didn’t come.

Laura looked up at the gray, overcast sky, unable to see even a trace of sunlight.

It was just like her mood. After too long under the clouds, she had forgotten the existence of the sun.

Her voice was light and airy as she gazed at the sky. "Darren, do you remember the weather when we first met? It was just like this. It's so nice. Now, as I leave, it's the same weather. I won't come back."

Darren's heart sank, a panic he had never felt before overwhelming him.

In his mind, the thought of how Laura could leave flashed quickly and he even started to believe that this time, she wasn't just speaking out of anger.

For the first time, Darren felt afraid. His mood sank along with it.

He instinctively turned around, intending to go back, but the rain outside had grown heavier.

Melanie lay in the hospital bed, holding onto the edge of the bed to prop herself up. Her arm was stitched up with three stitches. She wiped away her tears, quietly sobbing. "Darren, go back. Laura really seems to be in a bad mood. I don't know why that thing was so important to her. How could it be left out in the open like that..."

In an instant, Darren understood. If Laura were really leaving, she wouldn’t have left that clay doll out like that.

He felt even more frustrated with Laura's behavior.

"What's this? Is this the third trick your mother taught you? The art of trapping by pretending to let go?"

Laura let out a long sigh. "Think what you want."

This time, she didn't want to explain anymore. There had been too many explanations about the past over the years.

So many that every time she showed her true feelings, Darren just thought she was being manipulative, putting on a performance for him.

Now, she was tired. It was enough.

If he didn't believe her, so be it. Those who were willing to believe had already done so, but she had already said it ninety-nine times.

The call was abruptly ended.

For the first time, Darren was the one on the receiving end of a call being hung up by Laura. His irritation grew as he paced back and forth in the hospital room.

Outside, the storm raged with flashes of lightning and thunder. Darren closed his eyes, his thoughts heavy.

He couldn't stop thinking about the wound on Laura's wrist, which hadn't healed yet. She was still kneeling. His frustration grew even more.

Melanie, perceptive as always, spoke gently. "It's okay, Darren. You can go to her. Laura is really impatient today. She probably wants you to go be with her. Go ahead."

Darren let out a cold snort and stopped in his tracks.

"It’s just a tactic. She doesn’t have a heart," he said.

A flash of smugness flickered in Melanie's eyes before she quickly replaced it with a gentle smile. "Don’t be stubborn."

"She should be taught a lesson," Darren said, standing by the window. On the surface, he appeared calm, but the clenched fist betrayed the turbulent emotions inside.

Darren thought for a moment, then decided to call again. If she called back once more, he would let her come back.

He had to protect Melanie this time, but why wasn’t Laura angry anymore? She wasn’t jealous like she used to be?

The torrential rain poured down outside.

Laura felt a rush of warmth throughout her body, as if she no longer felt cold.

She wrapped her arms around herself, her mind clearer than ever before.

"Miss Marsh, you're being foolish... Why not call again? This time, let me do the talking."

Brenda still couldn’t bear to watch. She had heard it clearly just now that Mr. Bill had given her an out. As long as Miss Marsh admitted her mistake, this matter could be put to rest. But she never expected that Miss Marsh would be so stubborn.

Laura, however, let out a soft laugh. The beautiful memories of the past now seemed so few and far between.

She wiped the rain off her face, unable to tell whether it was rain or tears.

"Brenda, may I borrow your phone?”

She lifted her head and tears once again fell uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes. But her smile was even more bitter than her tears.

Laura had made up her mind. She wouldn’t go back.

Brenda nodded with a sense of relief. "Ah, this is the right thing to do, Miss Marsh. It's always better to admit when you're wrong."