Chapter 3

The call connected almost instantly.

"Mrs. Miller."

The man on the line was the butler, Arthur Sterling. His respectful voice came clearly through the phone.

I calmly said, "Arthur, I'm at the cafe in the downtown mall. There's a man and a woman here harassing me. Please send the villa's bodyguards to pick me up right away."

Edward's expression darkened completely.

The satisfaction in Lily's eyes disappeared instantly, giving way to jealousy she could not hide.

"Audrey!" Edward roared, staring at me with bloodshot eyes.

"It's only been three years, and you've turned playing pretend into a fine art. You're getting scarily good at it!"

He stepped closer, pressing toward me again. "Forgive me, but wasn't it you who declared you would wed no one but me? After hearing about Lily's pregnancy, you immediately got yourself pregnant with another man's baby?"

He scoffed, feeling absolutely certain of himself. "Do you think spinning these lies and putting on this show is actually going to work? What, you think this will make me regret leaving you?"

He shook his head and sneered. "Let me tell you, it's useless!"

For a moment, the past came rushing back, blurring the edges of my memory.

Back then, I really had loved him desperately. I believed every word he said and treasured every little thing he gave me.

However, that version of me had died three years ago, buried beneath countless nights of crying myself to sleep alone.

Now, I was standing here as Mrs. Miller.

Arthur seemed to catch the commotion through the phone. He anxiously said, "Mrs. Miller! The bodyguards are already on their way! I'll notify Mr. Miller immediately!"

"There's no need to disturb him. It's just a minor issue. Just send someone to pick me up," I interrupted calmly.

The moment I ended the call, a cold look crossed my face.

"Fine. I see you really enjoy putting on an act, pretending like it's all real," Edward hissed.

His expression darkened, growing sharp and menacing.

"Good. I'll play this game with you to the very end. Let's see how long you can keep this act up," he said, fixing his gaze on me as he dialed 911.

"I'm calling to report a crime! A woman here is making false claims. She is even harassing and threatening me. Please send someone here as quickly as you can!"

He stared at me with a chilling smirk. "True or not, the police will get to the bottom of it. I'm curious to see how you'll try to talk your way out of this one."

I didn't even frown. Instead, I gave him the faintest smile.

"False claims? Threaten you?"

Truly, ignorance was bliss.

I could not be bothered wasting another word on him and simply waited calmly.

Perhaps because we were in such a busy commercial district, the police arrived even before the villa's bodyguards.

"Who called the police? What's going on here?"

The officer's cold gaze swept over us.

Edward spoke up first.

"Officer, it was me. I made the call. This woman threatened to have her bodyguards come here and harass us. I have reason to believe she's involved in fraud."

The officer turned toward me, examining me carefully.

Without the slightest trace of panic, I met his gaze steadily.

"I am the legal wife of Scott Miller, the president of Miller Corporation. Edward and Lily have been harassing and insulting me. Even after I clearly rejected them and informed them of my identity, they continued causing trouble and even falsely reporting me to the police in an attempt to slander me."

The two officers were visibly stunned. A flicker of caution appeared on their faces.

After all, the name Scott Miller carried absolute authority and an unfathomably deep background in Roschelton.

Edward froze at the sound of Scott's name. His face went pale with fear.

Lily subconsciously covered her mouth in shock.

Right then, four men in black strode into the cafe.

They stopped in front of me and bowed respectfully in unison.

"Mrs. Miller, Arthur sent us to bring you home."