"Honey, I've brought this little brat to apologize. Come home with me. The Bennett family isn't complete without you."
Colin's face was sullen.
Audrey watched as Nathaniel and Colin exchanged a glance—a secret she couldn't decipher.
Then Colin put on his most pitiful expression. "Sorry, Mommy. I was bad. I wanted you at the birthday party. I didn't want the other kids to laugh at me."
Audrey's heart pounded violently. She was still trapped in the nightmare of losing her daughter.
She needed the truth from Nathaniel, so at least she could recover her daughter's remains.
"Alright." She nodded vacantly.
"Honey, I love you."
Nathaniel moved to embrace her, completely missing her ghostly pallor and unsteady frame.
Audrey sidestepped slightly, avoiding his arms.
She couldn't stand his embrace when it carried another woman's overpowering perfume.
Nathaniel frowned slightly. "What's wrong? Still upset?"
Audrey walked ahead toward the car. "It's nothing. Let's just go home."
In the car, Colin blurted out, "Daddy and Lily—"
At the mention of Lily, Nathaniel made a silencing gesture, shooting a discreet glance at Audrey.
Colin pantomimed understanding with exaggerated flair, covering his mouth before bursting into deliberately loud giggles.
"Daddy just met Lillian overseas. That's all!"
'Such a transparent lie.' It struck Audrey how often Colin had covered for Nathaniel like this.
The two stood united, shutting her out every time.
Normally, this would have stung, but today Audrey simply closed her eyes calmly, her mind at peace.
The rest of the ride passed in silence.
Only when the car stopped did Audrey notice the unusual commotion at the villa. A balloon arch stood on the lawn as guests mingled about.
Lily, draped in an opulent gown, moved through the crowd with a hostess's grace, her smile radiant. When her eyes met Audrey's across the room, a flash of challenge flickered in her gaze.
She hurried over, clasping Audrey's arm with false warmth. "Audrey, how could you storm off over a silly argument, forcing Mr. Bennett to personally retrieve you on Colin's special day? What a disgrace to the family." Her voice carried, drawing stares from nearby guests.
Standing beside Lily in her rumpled pajamas, Audrey looked painfully out of place. She coolly freed her arm. "Who are you to call me Audrey? Are you family or something?"
Lily blanched. "My apologies, Ms. Miller. I overstepped. I only wanted to make Colin's birthday memorable."
"Everyone calls me Mrs. Bennett, yet you insist on 'Ms. Miller.' Are you trying to deny my status? Until I sign those divorce papers, you're just the other woman—just like your homewrecker mother."
Nathaniel cut in sharply. "Enough, Audrey. I've never known you to be so petty."
"Mean Mommy! Stop bullying Lily!" Colin shouted.
Nathaniel and Colin formed a protective wall in front of Lily. The bitter irony? The "outsider" they were shielding against was Audrey herself.
"My apologies for this scene," Nathaniel announced, shielding Lily. "Today, we honor Colin's wish. He's begged endlessly for Ms. White to be his mother. Let all of the city's high society witness this. From today on, Lily is Colin's godmother and a member of the Bennett family."
Audrey was bombarded with countless prying stares as her husband openly gave another woman status right before her eyes. Yet she stood there under the spotlight, stiff and exposed, looking painfully ridiculous.
Lily shot Audrey a taunting look and pulled Colin into a possessive hug right in front of her.
"Colin, maybe you shouldn't get so close to me. I worry what your mother might do if she sees this..."
"I stopped wanting her as my mommy long ago. She's constantly meddling in everything. You're so much better, Lily."
Audrey's heart felt squeezed by an iron fist. With her uterus removed, Colin was the only child she could ever have.
She had invested all her devotion and energy into Colin. She taught him literature, business, horseback riding, and piano, ensuring he would rightfully ascend as heir to both the Bennett and Miller families.
Yet she had never imagined that this very devotion would drive Colin away.
None of it mattered anymore. Whatever became of Colin in the future had nothing to do with her now.
So when she saw Lily taking Colin to get cake, she didn't intervene.
Seated in a quiet corner of the banquet, she waited only for the party to end before making everything clear with Nathaniel.
Suddenly, someone clamped down on her wrist with bone-crushing force, as if trying to crush the bones.
She looked up to see Nathaniel's furious face.
"What have you done to Colin? There are limits to how far you can go to get my attention!"
Aksara