As tears threatened to fall, she composed herself and acknowledged, "I understand, Gerard."

Jerrold, puzzled, turned to Lilah. "Mommy, is she the kind of hypocritical people you told me about? Shouldn't she stay away from Dad if she knows he's taken? Why does she always stick around him."

Laura's face flushed with humiliation as Jerrold addressed her, pleading, "Please don't break up my parents. I need my home."

Laura, flustered, replied, "No, Jerrold, it's not like that. Your parents and I are just friends."

Gerard, holding Jerrold, reassured him gently, “Your mom and I won't be separated so easily.”

"Yeah, Jerrold, there's nothing to worry about," Lilah said soothingly.

In that moment, Laura felt utterly excluded. A fleeting glance at Lilah's rumpled clothes sparked a thought in her mind. Could Lilah have been-? She wondered silently, her mood shifting.

Lilah had come out of that room safe and sound; it only meant she had already submitted to that man's demands.

Laura was left wondering how Gerard would react if he believed Lilah had been in an unpleasant situation. She doubted Gerard's commitment to Lilah under such circumstances.

However, Laura chose to keep her suspicions to herself, feeling it wasn't the right moment to voice them.

As they rejoined Walter and the others and left the haunted house, they noticed bruises on Marlene's body.

“Marlene, what happened to you?" Laura asked in concern.

Marlene, feeling humiliated and unable to admit she had tried to scare Lilah and gotten hurt in the process, muttered, “I just fell down."

But her angry glare toward Lilah spoke volumes.

Suddenly, Marlene gasped, covering her mouth in shock, “Lilah, your clothes—"

Everyone's attention turned to Lilah, noticing her slightly torn attire.

Laura, looking concerned, found the right moment to chime in, “Gerard and I had to pretend to be a couple. Lilah, was your task more extreme than ours?"

Her question led everyone to draw their own worrying conclusions.

Marlene, sensing an opportunity, called out eagerly, "This is unacceptable. Let's check the security footage. I want to see who dared to do this to Lilah."

Lilah remained calm and silent, while Gerard's initial cold expression softened as he observed Lilah's demeanor. He trusted in her strength and knew she wasn't one to be easily intimidated.

Given their status, accessing the surveillance video was a straightforward task. The group gathered to watch the footage, with Laura and Marlene intently scrutinizing the screen. They watched as someone suddenly lunged at Lilah.

Marlene's fists clenched in fury. "This is outrageous, bullying Lilah like that!"

But what happened next on the video left everyone speechless.

Lilah expertly kicked the man, sending him crashing into the wall. He made several attempts to harass her, but each time, Lilah countered with decisive force. Eventually, he was left cowering in fear.