Chapter 117 A Bitter Realization Finished Elliots mind was consumed by the image of Lauren , each memory of her kindness turning into sharp needles that pierced his heart one after another .
Regret clawed at him .
Why hadnt he trusted her more deeply ? Why hadnt he stood by her side when she needed him the most ? IfI had been kinder to Laurie after she was released , would she have stayed ? The mere thought of Laurie spending five years in prison for no reason , coming out battered and broken , and never being able to recover as good as new in here made it almost impossible to breathe .
He curled up on the couch , he clutched a pillow tightly burying his face deeply into it .
His shoulders shrugging slightly , mutlled sobs escaping from his throat despite his efforts to hold them in .
Alices heart ached at the sight of her son in such despair .
Alices resentment towards Lauren grew a few degrees stronger in his heart .
Was running away really necessary just because she suffered a little ? To her .
Lauren had deliberately made things difficult for their family .
She regretted bringing her into the house eight years ago .
Ever since then , the girl had done nothing but create trouble fighting with Willow , stirring up drama , Even five years in prison hadnt changed her .
What did she even do in there ? Perhaps the prison guards had treated her well because of her status as the Bennett familys daughter .
No wonder she had gotten even more defiant .
The more Alice thought about it , the more frustrated she became .
Now , even Elliot was suffering because of her .
If Elliot was devastated by this , his health took a turn for the worse , I would never forgive Lauren .
Despite the irritation in her heart , she gently patted Elliots back to comfort him , Dont worry , your father has already sent people to search for her , I believe they find her soon .
Ill have the kitchen prepare some porridge for you .
You need to eat something and rest .
After comforting him , she pulled David aside and left the room .
About half an hour later , a maid entered with a bowl of pumpkin millet porridge , setting it down carefully .
Mr.
Elliot , have some porridge to warm your stomach He caught a whiff of a familiar smell .
He forced himself to sit up , despite his fatigue , and weakly took the 1/3 Chapter 117 A Bitter Realization This tastes wrong .
The maid blinked in confusion .
Its just porridge , they all taste the same , dont they ? Elliots voice was weak , but firm .
Its not the same as before .
A brief silence followed .
Finished Then , as if realizing something , the maid hesitated before explaining , Mr.
Elliot , the porridge you used to have was made by Marilyn .
She simmered it for over to hours every time .
She said that for porridge to taste good , it has to be cocked slowly , letting the starch break down until it turns thick and smooth .
Thats the best way to soothe the stomach .
She also mentioned that Ms.
Bennett was the one who taught her .
Lauren had grew up in an orphanage and wasnt supposed to know much about cooking .
But the orphanage director was a kind hearted woman , and in order to raise the children in the orphanage in good health .
One of her methods was making nourishing porridge every day , The children in the orphanage rarely had access to nutritious meals , but porridge was cheap .
The only downside was that it took time and patience to make properly .
Still , it kept their stomachs warm , preventing illnesses .
Lauren had lived in that orphanage for fifteen years without ever developing a stomach problem .
Though she didnt have much , she had always been in good health .
That changed after she came to the Bennett family .
Years of inconsistent meals sometimes starving , sometimes overstuffed , sometimes eating cold leftovers -had damaged her stomach .
Winters were the worst .
If Marilyn hadnt noticed her vomiting from stomach pain at night and taken the time to make digestible .
foods like noodles and dumplings , Lauren might not have made it through .
Yet even then , she had been foolishly concerned about Elliots health .
She had told Marilyn all about the orphanages porridge recipe , hoping she could make it for him whenever she was too busy to do it herself .
After Lauren was sent to prison , Marilyn continued cooking porridge for Elliot .
But without her reminders , he only got to eat it once every ten days or so .
Over time , his stomach problems returned .
The realization sank in .
Elliots face darkened .
Then make it the same way .
His voice , though weak , carried undeniable authority .
2/3 20.17 Fri , Mar 28 BU .
Chapter 117 A Bitter Realization Finished The maid besitated , Mr.
Elliot , its not that I dont want to , but it takes over two hours to cook properly .
Someone has to stir it from time to time to avoid the porridge sticking to the pot .
And … I really dont know the exact way Marilyn used to do it .
No one ever bothered to pay attention to how she made it .
Marilyn had given up her own rest just to do this .
Would any of the staff go that far ? Of course not .
Not unless they were getting paid extra .
260 C