The Moment I Realized I Can't Lose You novel Chapter 130

Standing behind her, Joaquin watched the wind play with her hair. His eyes darkened. "So you knew it was her, and you went to the police anyway."

Audrey laughed, a cold, hollow sound. "Who else could stroll into our bedroom with absolute immunity?" She paused, correcting herself with lethal precision. "My mistake. Not our bedroom. Yours and Rainey's."

Joaquin stared at her, a muscle feathering in his jaw. "You could have come to me. You didn't need to involve the police." Fiona held no actual power in the Judd Group, but her entire life revolved around high society galas and preserving her aristocratic image. If word got out that her own daughter-in-law had her investigated for theft, she would be a laughingstock. She'd never be able to show her face at the country club again.

"And if I didn't go to the police, what exactly would have happened?" Audrey turned to face him, a mocking smile on her lips. "You would do what you always do. You'd apologize on her behalf, buy me a piece of incredibly expensive jewelry, and sweep it under the rug. She would never learn her lesson. She would never understand the consequences of treating me like dirt. Next time, she'd just escalate to something more vile and humiliating. Because why wouldn't she? Her son always shields her. She doesn't even have to say the word 'sorry'."

Audrey looked out at the city skyline, her voice dripping with venomous clarity. "In the beginning, it was just verbal abuse. Calling me names. Sneering at me. Then she started throwing hot tea and coffee at me. And then? She actively orchestrated an 'accident' that shattered my leg and put me in the hospital." She stepped closer, locking eyes with his dark, fathomless gaze. "And now, she broke into my home, stole my marriage license, and hired internet trolls to launch a massive smear campaign against me. She's got the entire city calling me a whore, a tramp, a cheating slut. Every time, she crosses a new line. And you expect me to just sit there and take it?"

With every word, Joaquin's face drained of color until he was deathly pale. Over the past year, whenever his mother attacked Audrey, this was exactly how he handled it. He would play the peacemaker, apologize, and buy her extravagant gifts. She always accepted his apologies. She always smiled when she received the gifts. He truly, genuinely believed the issues were resolved. He had no idea that every single incident had carved a bleeding, festering wound into her soul.

A long, suffocating silence stretched between them. Finally, his voice broke, harsh and raspy. "This time, I promise I will—"

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