Avery was shocked. Laura and Jack got divorced when Avery was still young, and she was so busy with her own affairs that she had no time to care about how her mother's life was going. Hence, Avery was completely unaware of how Laura had saved money.

"It's okay if you don't want to go abroad... I'm thinking, why don't we buy a smaller house? It's okay for us both to suffer a little, but we can't let the children feel sad!" Laura continued.

Avery asked, "Mom, do we really have that much money?"

Laura replied, "We can still afford a down payment."

Avery said, "Oh… Then there's no rush. The babies are still months away!"

"Time flies, and you better give it a careful consideration."

Avery nodded. "Mom, I'm going out later. My friend's dad is celebrating his birthday next week, and I have to buy a present."

Laura was worried. "Can't you get it in the morning? It's getting dark, and I'm uneasy about you going out alone."

Avery said, "There are street lights outside. I'll be fine."

L