At that moment, Elaine let out a deep sigh of relief, patting her chest as she exclaimed, “It’s a blessing! Truly a blessing today! I nearly faced disaster because of Justin…”

Claire looked at her, exasperated, and replied, “Mom, can you please show some common sense in the future? Can you try not to be so materialistic and naive? I can’t even imagine what could have happened earlier. If it weren’t for Charlie, we might not be here right now!”

Elaine, though aware of her fault, responded begrudgingly, “What’s the issue? I’m a victim in this too! This whole incident started because of Charlie! If he hadn’t provoked Jason, we wouldn’t have been in this situation. So, really, this is all Charlie’s doing!”

Claire was infuriated at this point and shouted, “You are unbelievable!”

With that, Claire pushed the car door open and rushed into the house, not looking back.

Seeing her daughter dash inside, Elaine quickly opened her car door and followed after her.

Charlie trailed closely behind, silent but concerned.

Once inside the house, Charlie noticed that his father-in-law was absent. Elaine turned to Claire and said, “Claire, please promise me you won’t tell your father about today, alright? Do you understand?”

Claire shot back, “Why not? Didn’t you say you did nothing wrong? Are you feeling guilty?”

Elaine quickly rebutted, “Guilty? No! I just don’t want your dad to worry! We’re both fine now, so why stir up trouble by telling him and making him upset for no reason?”

Claire countered, “If you refuse to acknowledge your mistake, I will definitely tell Dad so he can decide who’s right and who’s wrong!”

Elaine, sensing the impending conflict, exclaimed, “Alright, fine! I admit I made a mistake! But it’s all Jason’s fault! Who could have guessed he’d have such inappropriate thoughts about someone like me? He even offered me a Mercedes-Benz S500! I didn’t even get the chance to drive it!”

Claire, intrigued by the mention of the car, asked, “What do you mean, a Mercedes-Benz S500, Mom? What’s going on?”

Realizing her slip, Elaine quickly clarified, “Oh, Jason just called to apologize and said he wanted to give me a Mercedes-Benz so I could have my own car to drive around. I thought about it, and since you and your dad both have cars, I figured it would be nice for me to have one too. Plus, I thought you might benefit financially from the renovation job. That’s why I agreed to meet him!”

Elaine added, “But my only reason for doing this was for you and our family!”

Claire, still furious, retorted, “Can you please stop claiming this is for me or our family? Stop making excuses for your actions! If it weren’t for Charlie, we could have both lost our lives today! We would have died without anyone knowing. If we were gone, how would Dad manage alone? Charlie risked everything to save us, and you didn’t even thank him! Mom, I’m so disappointed in you!”

Overwhelmed by Claire’s words, Elaine sank to the floor, crying and wailing, “Oh my god! Why is my life so wretched? I have only one child, and she’s blaming me! What’s the purpose of my existence? Maybe I shouldn’t even be alive anymore!”

Elaine believed that her tears would compel Claire to relent, but Claire had no intention of backing down today.

Disappointed, Claire said, “Mom, why do you always react this way when you make a mistake? Why can’t you own up to your actions? You always hope others will overlook your faults, and when they don’t, you throw a pity party instead of taking responsibility. Do you really think people will always overlook your mistakes?”

Elaine continued her theatrics, sobbing, “I feel so wronged! My own daughter is speaking to me like this! Doesn’t she realize that parents mean the world? No matter what a parent does wrong, a child should never blame them! How can I live in this house now? What’s the point of going on?”

Claire, teary-eyed, responded, “Mom, if this is how you’re going to behave, then I’ll have no choice but to move out with Charlie. I have some savings, and I could easily rent a small apartment…”