One year, one love by Aurora Miller

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Doris spent an exhausting hour and a half on the subway after work before finally arriving at Tanglewood Oaks.

Ever since Laura married into the Webb family, Doris hadn't visited her very often.

When Doris found Laura’s villa, she rang the doorbell, and to her relief, Laura answered the door.

Laura was wearing an apron and an old outfit Doris remembered seeing her in a couple of years ago, and her

hair was hastily tied up in a messy bun. The Laura standing before Doris now seemed like a completely different

person from the polished, stylish one she used to know.

“Hey, Doris! Cin.” Laura greeted Doris with a warm tone and pointed inside. “Ari's already hfrom

school.”

Doris stepped inside and immediately saw Arianna playing alone with her building blocks in the living room.

“Ari, look who's here,” Laura said to Arianna.

Arianna looked up, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw Doris. She jumped up, ran straight into Doris’s

arms, and squealed, “Oh, Aunt Doris!”

“Good girl.” Doris crouched down to scoop Arianna up. “Guess what | brought you?”

Arianna tilted her head, thinking hard and muttering, “A toy? A book? Or chocolate?”

With a bright grin, Doris held out a small square box and said, “Ta-da! Open it and see if you guessed right.”

Arianna opened the box and gasped, “Wow! My favorite strawberry cake.”

“I made it just for you. It's super healthy,” Doris said, raising her eyebrows playfully.

“Thank you, Aunt Doris. You're the best.” Arianna hugged Doris tightly and planted several kisses on her cheeks.

Doris gently pinched Arianna’s cheek with a smile and teased, “You're such a smooth-talker, Ari.”

While Arianna happily dug into her cake, Doris handed over a few shopping bags to Laura. “I got you some

clothes and skincare stuff.”

Laura looked at the bags, clearly overwhelmed, and she replied, “You didn’t have to do this. I'm not exactly

broke, you know. You should save your money for yourself.”

“Laura, these are beauty supplements. Look how haggard you are now. You don’t want others to call you Ari's

grandmother, don’t you?” Doris’s tone was teasing but concerned.

Laura’s complexion really wasn’t great, and she looked more worn out than ever. Doris couldn't help but worry

about Laura, and she added, “I know you're doing your best to take care of your family, but a woman's gotta

take care of herself, you know?”

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Laura felt a wave of warmth. Doris was probably the only person in the world who truly cared about her like this.

With a faint smile, Laura nodded and replied, “Alright, thanks.”

Seeing it was almost dinner time, Doris stood up to leave.

“Dinner’s almost ready. Why don’t you stay and eat with us?” Laura stopped Doris and suggested.

“Nah, | gotta get going. Maybe next time,” Doris replied.

As they reached the doorway, a furious voice suddenly rang out from outside. “Laura! Get your ass outta here

right now!”

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Chapter 27

Laura’s face instantly turned tense. She stepped out ahead of Doris, her expression stiff. “Sofia, what's wrong?”

“What's wrong?” Sofia barked, her tone laced with venom. “I just got a call from Meghan. She says you borrowed

100 thousand dollars from her. What the hell, Laura? Are we not feeding you or clothing you?

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“Why are you borrowing money behind our backs? You want people to think we can’t afford to take care of you?

Or are you using it to keep sboy toy, huh?”

Meghan was the only housewife who Laura was familiar with in their social circle, and they got quite well with

each other. Laura had only asked for Meghan'’s help because she was desperate. If Laura weren't forced to the

corner, she wouldn't have resorted to borrowing money from an outsider.

Meghan, however, had only called Sofia to suggest she show more care to Laura, but Sofia had completely

twisted the situation.

Hearing Sofia’s rant, Doris couldn't hold back anymore. She gently nudged Laura aside and stepped forward.

“Mrs. Webb, do you have proof Laura's keeping someone else? If not, that’s slander.”

Sofia’s head snapped toward Doris, her eyes narrowing. “Slander? You're hilarious. I'm scolding my son's wife.

What | say to her is none of your business. If she isn’t hiding something, then why does she need so much

money?”

“That's her business,” Doris shot back firmly.

“Her business? She married Matteo, and that makes her part of our family. She has no right to be borrowing

money without telling us!” Sofia’s voice grew colder.

“Sofia, | did borrow the money from Meghan. But it was for something important. It’s not what you're thinking,”

Laura finally spoke, her voice trembling.

“Oh yeah? So tellwhat's so important that you needed 100 thousand dollars? I'm listening.” Sofia crossed

her arms and stared down at Laura.

Laura swallowed hard, cornered by Sofia’s relentless interrogation. She bit her lip, unable to bring herself to

admit she was scrambling to raise money for Rupert's wedding.

Laura knew full well that telling Sofia the truth would only fuel her attacks, and worse, Sofia would find an excuse

to drag her family into it.

With Doris standing right there, Laura didn’t dare let the truth slip. Laura knew Doris would undoubtedly confront

their father, and that would cause even more trouble.

“Sofia, I'll pay Meghan back. I'm not asking Matteo for a single cent,” Laura finally said, her voice steady but

strained.

Sofia’s face darkened even more, and she retorted, “Oh, so you were saying Matteo should pay it back for you?

Keep dreaming!

“Letmake one thing clear, Laura. If you ever do anything to betray Matteo, I'll make sure your parents take

you back. You're lucky enough to marry my son, you know?”

Doris felt her blood boil as she listened. She couldn’t hold back anymore and shot back in an icy tone, “Mrs.

Webb, let's not forget how Matteo chased after Laura back then. She only married him because of his

perseverance.

“The marriage was never something she asked for. If you were so against her, maybe you should've broken

Matteo’s legs back then and saved Laura from this misery.”

“You-" Sofia sputtered, stunned by Doris’s audacity to talk back to her.

“And for your information,” Doris continued, not giving Sofia a chance to recover, “the money was for me. Laura

lent it to helpwith something. I'll pay her back tomorrow. So if you've got a problem, take it up with me.”

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Chapter 27

Sofia let out a cold laugh, trying to regain the upper hand. “Doris, with such a hot temper, no man in his right

mind would marry you.

Doris smirked, her lips curling into a sharp grin. “You don’t have to worry about that, Mrs. Webb. I'm already

married.”

Sofia’s face twisted in frustration. With a huff, she spun on her heel and stormed back into the house.

Once Sofia was gone. Doris pulled Laura aside, guiding her to the edge of a small fish pond in the garden. Her

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voice softened as she asked, “Laura, what's going on? Why did you need to borrow so much money?”

Laura avoided Doris’s eyes and stammered. “Can we... not talk about this?”

“Laura,” Doris said, her brows furrowing in concern, ‘you're my sister. How can | not ask? Matteo swore in front of

everyone at your wedding that he’d take care of you forever. It’s only been four years, and Sofia starts to

humiliate you like this. | really feel sad for you.”

Laura’s heart ached at Doris’s words, but she still chose to keep the truth to herself. “Doris, you're married now.

You should know that tension between in-laws has always been a thing. It’s just how it is.”

“That's not an answer, Laura, Doris said, cutting through the excuse. “I’m your sister. Can't you just be honest

with me? If you tellwhat's going on, | can help.

The two of them had always leaned on each other during their growth. Their parents had never given them much

love or attention, and in times of trouble, they only had each other.

Laura couldn't bear to see Doris worry like this and shut her out. Laura sighed, her voice tinged with frustration.

“Doris, just let it go, alright? Please go home.”

But Doris wasn’t about to give up. Thinking of the incident that happened last night, she sensed something off

through Laura’s tone and asked, “Laura, does this have something to do with Dad? You borrowed the 100

thousand dollars for Rupert's wedding, didn’t you?”

Laura stiffened at the mention of their father and quickly shook her head. “No. | already gave Dad that money.

This is for something else entirely.” She tried to usher Doris away and added, “It’s late, Doris. Your husband is

waiting for you at home. Don’t make him worry.”

Doris stayed rooted in place, her eyes fixed on Laura’s hunched shoulders. The evening light cast long shadows

over Laura’s figure, making her look even more fragile.

Clenching her fists, Doris fought back the wave of emotion rising in her chest and said, her voice trembling but

resolute, “Laura, I'm not trying to pressure you. | just want to help. If you don’t tellthe truth, I'll go ask Dad

myself.”

Laura paused her steps, her hands curling into fists at her sides. A battle waged inside her as she weighed her

options.

Doris stepped closer, her voice softening. She was teary-eyed, but there was a faint smile on her face. “Laura,

don’t be scared. I'm not a little girl anymore. | can protect you now. You don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”

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