"Can you stop looking at me?"

Damon shifted uncomfortably in the driver's seat when he heard Bonnie speak for the first time since they got into the car.

He looked at her more than he should have and she had caught him red-handed, idiot.

Once or twice Damon tried to start a conversation, but Bonnie was very blunt in expressing with her nonchalance that she didn't want to have any kind of conversation with him, and all the way she was silent looking out the car window.

For a second he glanced at her and made no other attempt to make her speak. Damon didn't want to pressure her and just focused on the road once more.

He didn't have to worry about her. It was not his responsibility to worry about her. Therefore what had happened to her should not worry him because it was not his problem.

Damon tried to convince himself. It was easier for him to think that way, so he would avoid getting more involved than necessary.

But it was not so easy for him to put it into practice.

With a frown, Damon kept rambling and sped up a bit more.

For him it was the longest three hours of his life. When the entrance to the great house was in sight, Damon was infinitely grateful. At last he had done his job, they had finally arrived.

"We arrived." Damon smiled at her, but Bonnie didn't smile back, she just took a quick glance at the place, and she couldn't deny it, it all seemed very expensive, just like her mother liked it. Truth be told, this was nothing compared to the sty where they had lived for the last year.

Bonnie took a deep breath before getting out of the car. Dammit here we go again. When she closed the door, the first thing she heard was a shrill scream coming from the entrance of the huge house.

A girl, possibly her own age, ran straight into Damon's arms.

"Damon, what took you so long? I thought you two would never make it."

Suddenly, Elena's displays of affection made him feel embarrassed by the serious expression on Bonnie's face, who rolled her eyes and looked away.

Taking some space, Damon walked away from Elena with an awkward smile on his lips. "Don't be so dramatic Elena... we're already here."

Elena wasted no time and lunged towards Bonnie in a brotherly hug. What the hell? Bonnie did not react to the gesture, she did not expect this.

"I am so happy that you are here, my name is Elena"

Elena separated, but not enough, Did she not know personal space? Bonnie thought with a look devoid of kindness.

To Elena, Bonnie's attitude was irrelevant, and Damon knew that Elena was incapable of realizing that she was harassing Bonnie with her cloying self.

"Mom was so worried about you."

Bonnie widened her eyes in shock. What? Did she hear well? Did this girl just say mom...?

"Mom?"

"Yes!" Elena nodded emphatically and the confusion on Bonnie's face was indisputable.

"Look at you, there you are..."

Bonnie looked up and there she was coming down the steps, Abigail Bennett, her mother. And Bonnie turned to Elena with a frown, but… why did this girl call Abby, mom?

Abigail let a few tears flow and hugged Bonnie tenderly.

Damon and Elena were silent watching the touching encounter.

Unlike Abby who cried, Bonnie did not have the slightest reaction of love. Her total lack of enthusiasm seemed to be from the happy surprise of meeting her mother again, but it wasn't, because Bonnie knew very well how this woman acted.

Bonnie, still in Abby's arms, glanced at a man addressing Damon as he gave his hand in a gentle squeeze

"Damon... it's good that you finally arrived, why did you take so long?"

"I'm sorry sir... I had some trouble finding the address." It was the only thing Damon shared with John, as his gaze connected for a few seconds with Bonnie's.

At the same time, and in front of everyone, Abigail Bennett played her role as a concerned mother very well.

Still hugging her daughter, Abby changed her tone of voice into a threatening whisper and Bonnie was the only one to hear the message very well.

"If you know what is good for you, then you will behave in the best way." _And there she was, the real Abigail Bennett showing her true self._

The confusion that Bonnie had had before was completely vanished thanks to her mother's words.

Abby broke away from her daughter and faked the sweetest smile as she cradled her face in her hands. "I'm so happy you're here."

The two looked at each other aware of their only truth.

"Are you really happy Abby?" Bonnie tried to be defiant and Abby's gaze was threatening.

But the moment was interrupted.

Elena approached them to answer, "We are all happy, now we will be family."

"That's right, my girl."

Bonnie blinked a few times. No, she can't go through this again.

Damon had pulled away to give the new family some space. However, he noticed the look of pain in Bonnie's eyes, and apparently he was the only one who noticed.

In all this time, that was what Damon was doing, looking at her with discretion.

He knew she was trying to be stronger than she looked, but come on, she was just a girl who was pretending not to be afraid.

And that for some reason worried him.

John Gilbert, the same man who was with Damon, walked slowly toward them, and Abby and Elena gave way to him.

"Darling, she is Bonnie, my daughter. Bonnie he is my husband, John, your stepfather."

Clearing his throat, "It's a pleasure Bonnie, we're glad you're finally here with us, my name is John, your mother's husband and Elena's father." John hastily raised his hand in greeting, but the expression on Bonnie's face was not friendly.

Bonnie wasn't going to trust Abby's new husband and why should she? With the last man, she learned her lesson well.

She had learned the hard way not to trust anyone, therefore she would never trust these people. So Bonnie didn't agree to shake his hand.

Abby squeezed her fingers tightly and Bonnie released her grip immediately. She was fed up with her mother's games and she was no longer going to tolerate her hypocrisy.

Bonnie prepared to say everything she had kept on her chest all these years, but she didn't have time to expose her mother. Before sharing her thoughts in front of everyone, John spoke kindly, to avoid any conflict between the two of them.

"Surely you must be tired," John looked at his daughter before continuing to speak "Elena why don't you show Bonnie her room?"

Elena did not wait for them to tell her twice and she pulled Bonnie by the arm to take her inside the huge house.

Before continuing, Bonnie looked back only to meet Damon's gaze and his smile.

She was physically and mentally exhausted. Looking into his eyes, Bonnie was looking for something that would make her feel safe.

But she was surrounded by strangers, including her own mother. What could she do? She just wanted to run away, tell the same man who brought her to take her away from here, but he was also a stranger and she didn't know if she could really trust him, and so why did she turn to look at him?

Feeling helpless, Bonnie did nothing, she turned around again and just tried to walk behind the same girl who called her mother, Mom.

John turned around and looked at Damon again. "Thanks, surely you must be tired too, have a good night Damon, we'll see you tomorrow early."

"Sir, I had some problems with the car" remembering the incidents he had on the trip.

John nodded "don't worry, tomorrow we'll figure it out. Abby?"

"Let me talk to Damon, it won't take me long, in a moment I walk into the house." Abby gave him a kiss, and with a smile John entered the house.

Abby whirled around to face Damon.

"Thanks for bringing my daughter, I'm sure it wasn't easy."

Although Bonnie did her best to walk well, the bandage and her limp did not go unnoticed by Abby.

"No... it wasn't, but she's here and that's the only thing that matters, isn't it, Mrs?"

Damon gave her no reason to be suspicious, but she wasn't entirely sure in his words.

Abby nodded and blinked a few times, with a smile she looked at him again. "That's right, Damon. Good night."

Damon watched her walk away, and although the whole situation was a bit strange to him, Damon knew very well that he must not interfere in family matters.

But deep down he felt a bit of concern for the girl who pretended to be strong.

Anyway, Who was he to give his opinion? He was just the driver of this family, and he did not have the right to say what he thought.

And if he did, his opinion was still irrelevant.

So Damon just walked with his hands inside his pants pockets towards his modest room away from the great mansion while still thinking about her, about Bonnie.