The Seventh Year

Chapter 5

Colin rushed over with a pale face, his small fists pounding against Audrey's thighs.

"You're a bad mommy! I hate you!"

None of the mocking stares around her stung as much as Colin's casual "bad mommy."

Even after raising Colin with all her heart for six years, it couldn't compare to biological ties.

The police had examined the surveillance footage from the villa. As Lily had claimed, the cameras were damaged and hadn't been replaced yet.

Following procedure, they asked if there were any witnesses.

An officer knelt before Colin. "Sweetie, did someone give you cake with alcohol in it? Did Ms. White throw your medicine pouch into the lake?"

Colin shrank back behind Lily, his wide eyes nervously scanning the crowd.

He shook his head.

Audrey took a deep breath, keeping her voice gentle.

"Colin, Mommy taught you to be honest, right? If you lie, you'll never see me again."

Nathaniel frowned. "Don't threaten Colin."

With both husband and son protecting another woman, Audrey barely maintained her smile.

Colin picked at his fingers, giving Audrey an apologetic look before saying firmly, "Mommy gave me the cake. Mommy threw the pouch in the lake. She said if I got sick, Daddy would be nicer to her and spend more time with her."

Instantly, everyone's gaze toward Audrey changed, and the hushed whispers coiled around her like venomous snakes.

"She has lost her mind. Using her son's health to win attention? Unbelievable."

"If she really cared about the child, why would Colin rather call another woman 'Mommy' than her?"

"If this gets out, I bet Bennett Group's stock will take a hit..."

Nathaniel escorted the police out, threw a cold glance at Audrey, and then turned to address the guests.

"My apologies for the disturbance. My wife is both a good mother and a good wife."

For a brief moment, Audrey's icy heart softened—only to be plunged back into hell by his next words.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lily, he continued, "She has mental health issues that caused her to harm Colin. I'll be sending her for treatment and will host a dinner to apologize properly."

Audrey stood frozen, unable to believe her ears.

He had publicly declared her mentally ill just to frame her and protect his lover.

Stunned by the absurdity, she slapped him across the face. "How dare you smear me? Just because I love you?"

Her heart tore with pain, yet Audrey stubbornly held back tears. "You exploit my love and hurt me recklessly, Nathaniel! How dare you!"

He licked his lip and nodded to his assistant, Eric, to clear the guests. "Stop it." Two dismissive words that painted her as a raving lunatic.

Now she understood clearly that to him, neither her pain nor the truth mattered.

Staring at the man she'd loved for seven years, she saw her mistake—and it was a colossal one.

With the last trace of love gone, she spoke.

"Nathaniel, I want a divorce."

Nathaniel's face darkened instantly. "You don't. Audrey, I refuse. You will always be my wife!"

Behind the floral wall, Lily clenched her teeth, her face twisted with venom as she glared at Audrey.

'b***h! That b***h! How dare she monopolize Nathaniel! If I could sway him to favor me once, I could do it again. Every obstacle blocking my path to becoming his wife? I'll tear them all down, one by one,' Lily thought.

She clicked her heels into place behind Nathaniel and assumed a businesslike tone.

"Ms. Miller, you must have misunderstood something. I'm merely Mr. Bennett's secretary, nothing more. I really don't want any misunderstanding to tarnish my reputation."

She continued, "Mr. Bennett is concerned about your mental state and has arranged for you to be admitted to a mental institution. We hope you recover soon and stop humiliating him with public outbursts."

A mental hospital ambulance pulled up at the villa, and under the prying eyes of the crowd, Audrey was manhandled into the vehicle.

Lily's lips curled as she silently mouthed to Audrey, "You'll never win against me."

Jammed unceremoniously into the ambulance, Audrey gazed at the scenery whipping past the window and murmured, "That's not true."

Lily was dead wrong. Audrey wouldn't fight her. She didn't even want to.

A love this corrupted meant nothing to her. A man like that wasn't worth keeping.