Chapter 7 - The Face of Truth
The crowd fell dead silent, the soft hum of the city traffic providing the only background noise as the security guards released Dominic’s arms.
Dominic took a shaky step forward, his eyes locked onto Audrey’s face. He felt exposed, completely naked under the relentless scrutiny of the flashing cameras and the judgemental gazes of his former business peers.
"Audrey..." Dominic stammered, his voice trembling so violently he could barely form the words. "Please... I just... I need five minutes. Just five minutes to explain."
Audrey stepped down from the podium, walking gracefully down the small flight of stairs until she was standing a mere six feet away from him. Dr. Alexander Reed followed closely, standing just half a step behind her, a watchful guardian.
"You have two minutes, Dominic," Audrey said, her tone devoid of anger, devoid of passion, carrying only the terrifying weight of absolute indifference. "Say what you came to say."
Dominic looked at her face, searching for any lingering trace of the devoted wife who used to wait up until midnight to warm his dinner, who used to gently massage his shoulders after a long day at work, who used to endure his mother’s sharp insults with a quiet, patient smile.
There was nothing left of that woman. Standing before him was an heiress, a titan, a survivor.
"I... I didn't know, Audrey," Dominic sobbed, tears spilling down his hollow cheeks without restraint. "I swear on my life, I didn't know about the baby! If I had known, I would have been at the hospital! I would have protected you!"
"You didn't know I was pregnant," Audrey agreed softly. "But you knew I was your wife. You knew I was a human being who had fallen down a flight of heavy marble stairs in your home."
"My mother lied to me!" Dominic cried frantically, gesturing wildly with his hands. "She told me you walked away! She told me you were trying to make a scene! I believed her because... because I was a fool! I was an arrogant, blind fool!"
"You believed her because it was convenient for you, Dominic," Audrey corrected gently, her dark eyes looking straight into his soul. "It was easier to believe I was weak and dramatic than to admit that your mother was a tyrant. It was easier to bring Paige into our bedroom than to ask why your wife’s chair was empty."
The crowd whispered loudly at the mention of the mistress. Dominic flinched as if he had been struck with a whip.
"I lost Paige!" Dominic wept, dropping to his knees right there on the dusty gravel of the construction site. He didn't care about his dignity anymore. He didn't care about the cameras recording his humiliation. "I lost my company! I lost my house! My mother is going to prison! I have nothing left, Audrey! I am completely destroyed!"
Audrey looked down at him kneeling in the dirt.
"You think you lost everything because of me," Audrey said, her voice carrying clearly across the silent crowd. "But you didn't lose anything today, Dominic. You simply had the illusions stripped away. You never had a real company—it was funded by my father’s trust. You never had a real home—it was leased by my holding firm. And you never had a real marriage... because you never loved me."
"I did love you!" Dominic screamed, clutching at the hem of her dress. "I do love you!"
Alexander immediately stepped forward, placing a firm, heavy hand on Dominic’s shoulder, forcing him to let go of Audrey’s hem. "Do not touch her," Alexander warned, his voice low, deep, and dangerous.
Audrey stepped back, taking a deep breath of the fresh afternoon air.
"If you loved me, Dominic," Audrey said softly, "you would have loved me when you thought I was poor. You would have defended me when your mother insulted my late parents. You would have come to the hospital room to check if my heart was still beating."
She turned her back on him, stepping back toward the wooden stairs of the stage.
"Audrey! Please!" Dominic wailed, reaching out his hands toward her retreating figure. "What am I supposed to do now? How am I supposed to live?"
Audrey paused at the top of the steps, looking back over her shoulder one last time.
May you like
"Live the life you created," Audrey said calmly. "Enjoy the family you chose."
She turned away, returning to the podium as the security guards moved in, lifting the weeping, broken man off his knees and dragging him away from the site as the applause began again, louder and grander than before.
