Joanna's POV

"Let's get a divorce, Cole," I said.

Tears blurred my vision, and I could only hear my own hoarse voice.

Cole, who had been busy barking orders at the reporters, looked at me and frowned. He was just about to speak when his phone started ringing. He smiled when he saw the flashing name on the screen and answered the call.

"Of course, the celebratory dinner is ready. I'll head back right now and transfer the money to her. You truly have such a kind heart."

He pulled out a check from his pocket after he ended the call.

"Take this. It's the appearance fee that Natalie prepared for you."

I laughed when I got a good look at the number on the check.

Natalie wanted to compensate me for my five years in hell with a measly ten thousand dollars.

I tore the check to shreds and threw the pieces at Cole, shouting, "I said that I want a divorce!"

Cole's expression darkened.

"Natalie's reality show will fall apart if we get a divorce now. Everyone will criticize her, so stop causing a fuss."

At that moment, it felt like my fury had been doused by a bucket of cold water. I barked out a self-deprecating laugh. Although I was demanding a divorce, Cole still prioritized Natalie's needs over mine.

I hurled a pillow in Cole's direction as he slammed the door open and left.

…

I didn't feel any joy over regaining my freedom as I walked out of the mental hospital that had served as my prison for the last five years.

The cabs and passersby avoided me when they noticed that I was wearing a patient's gown.

The massive billboard in the city was broadcasting a snippet of Natalie's reality show.

Natalie was dressed in a professional outfit. There were also countless photos of me in pathetic situations since I was the "guest star" of the show.

I was barefoot as I walked along the street and looked through her social media account.

In the last five years, Natalie had completely taken over my place as Andy's mother and Cole's wife.

They visited amusement parks and the Effervescent Tower. They also rode in hot air balloons and went scuba diving in the ocean. They had visited almost every corner of their country as well as many foreign countries.

In the past, Cole had told me that he hated going on vacations more than anything else. Every time I tried to bring up the idea of us going on a trip, he would immediately shut me down.

"You're not a child anymore, and I don't have the time to loiter around random places with you. Can't you be more understanding of my circumstances?"

However, not only had he accompanied Natalie on her trips, but he had also taken thousands of photos. The photos showed them fooling around, playing coy, and flirting with each other. He didn't even delete the ones that were blurry.

On the other hand, he hadn't been willing to take even a single wedding photo with me.

But what cut me the deepest was Cole's unconditional support for Natalie's career. He had invested millions of dollars to pave the path for her future, providing all the resources that she needed on a silver platter.

He had done all of this while being aware that if I hadn't been sent to the mental hospital, I would be a famous director by now.

I tortured myself by going through Natalie's social media countless times. My tears had dried up by the time I was done.

When I looked up, I realized that I had subconsciously made my way back home using pure muscle memory.

I tried unlocking the door, but I kept getting a notification that the password I entered was wrong.

A bodyguard ruthlessly kicked me aside, snapping, "Mr. Foster has forbidden you from entering the premises. The lady of the house is Ms. Natalie Jackman. You need to leave and find another place to stay."

Right before he turned around, he shot a glare at me and hissed, "What a maniac."

I weakly crumpled to the ground and saw Cole, Natalie, and Andy seated around the table through the glass. They looked like they were having a great time.

I had dreamed of this heartwarming scene in the past.

However, I was no longer the lady of the house.

…

I didn't have a single penny to my name, so I spent the night curled up on the cold ground.

The next day, when I returned to the company, I was chased out by my boss.

"How dare you show your face here! No one in their right mind would let a madwoman like you take charge of a project. Besides, Mr. Foster just gave us his orders. You should leave now if you know what's good for you."

I was teetering on the edge of a breakdown as I thought about Mom, who was still bedridden in the hospital.

"What gives him the right—"

I was interrupted when Cole called me.

"Joanna Lawson, you know that Natalie poured her blood, sweat, and tears into the reality show for the last five years. How dare you ruin it!"

Joanna's POV

I was stunned. "What did you say?" I asked.

Cole's furious voice echoed through the receiver as he roared, "Look at the billboard in the heart of the city! You're the one who leaked those photos and scandals, right? Will you only be satisfied after you've ruined Natalie's life?"

I whipped my head up. Explicit photos of Natalie were being continuously displayed on the billboard, along with intimate images of her and Cole.

The fury in Cole's voice intensified as he shouted, "Apologize to Natalie right now! You won't be able to afford the penalty fees for breaching the contract of the reality show or your mother's medical fees if you don't!"

Natalie posted a list of penalty fees for breaching the contract of the reality show and compensation fees for damages to her reputation online immediately after I ended the call. She accused me of maliciously leaking her intimate photos and slandering her for tearing my family apart.

Natalie's actions ended up starting a chain reaction.

I received a lawyer's letter from the company that just fired me, accusing me of negatively affecting their image and demanding compensation from me.

Someone also leaked photos of my pathetic condition while I was still in the mental hospital, cementing my mentally unstable image.

"Why did they set a madwoman like her free from the mental hospital? She should just die!"

"We can't trust a maniac's words. She must be intentionally slandering Natalie!"

…

I couldn't stand by and do nothing in the face of the astronomical compensation fees and constant slander.

I posted an "apology" video online.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let Natalie steal my husband and son from me. I'm sorry. I should have reported them to the police the moment I was released from the mental hospital. I shouldn't have allowed them to continue trampling me under their feet."

The people online became suspicious of Cole's and Natalie's relationship after the video went viral online.

I ignored all of Cole's calls.

I thought that things were finally going my way when a video of Andy crying during an interview was released.

"Daddy and Ms. Jackman are just friends. Mom has always been crazy. She even said that she wanted Ms. Jackman to die," he blubbered through tears.

With that, public opinion shifted again.

My phone was bombarded by a constant barrage of notifications and lawyer letters.

My heart plummeted into my gut at the fact that my own son was personally hurling accusations at me. On top of that, I still had to deal with the huge compensation fees.

There was a threatening edge in Cole's voice when he called me and said, "Natalie wants to take her own life because of the constant harassment from the netizens. Will you only be satisfied after she's dead? Clear her name and apologize to her right now!"

I was in utter disbelief and shouted into the receiver, "Never! I didn't do anything wrong!"

I didn't expect Cole to send Mom's medical bills that numbered in the thousands to me.

"Go ahead and test me."

…

Since I had lost my home, I began wandering around, trying to secure a new place for myself. Unfortunately, none of the landlords was willing to entertain me.

"Who knows what a madwoman like you will get up to? No landlord will be willing to take you in."

I tried to explain myself. "Everything's just a misunderstand—"

"I've seen all the videos online. Stop being stubborn. A child wouldn't lie."

When the man slammed the door in my face, I felt as if a heavy blow had been dealt to my heart.

I tried borrowing money, but everyone ruthlessly refused me.

"I'm sorry, Joanna. I can't."

"To be honest with you, Cole forbade us from lending you money. If you're at your wits' end, you should apologize to him."

The hospital began to bombard me with messages, urging me to pay the medical fees.

Fear and fatigue gripped my heart. I couldn't hold out anymore.

…

An expectant smile stretched across Cole's lips when he saw me.

"I knew that you would come to your senses. I'll pay off all your debts once the dust settles."

I shot a hopeless smile at him. I was just about to apologize to Natalie when Cole suddenly interrupted me.

"A simple apology will no longer suffice for all the trouble you've caused."

He pointed at the naked men and dozens of recording equipment around us before continuing, "We'll sweep everything under the rug if you follow Natalie's orders and film an explicit film."

Joanna's POV

My head snapped up in shock as Cole flippantly continued, "There's no class difference when it comes to work. Hurry up and take off your clothes."

My eyes reddened as I glared at him and demanded, "You want me to strip in front of the cameras?"

In the past, Cole had forbidden me from even wearing skirts. But at that moment, he felt like a complete stranger.

Cole didn't answer my question. Instead, he impatiently ordered the staff members to prepare the recording equipment.

I thrashed around wildly until I exhausted all my strength. "I didn't do it! Let me go!"

However, Cole refused to listen to me and ordered his bodyguards to drag me to the film set.

Natalie trailed after us since she was the director. Her face twisted into a wicked expression when the door clicked shut behind her.

"How does it feel to have both your husband and son betray you? You'd better commit this to your memory. It wasn't easy for me to get my hands on Cole and Andy. I won't let you take them away from me that easily."

She then called the bank manager right in front of me, giving me no time to react to her words.

"Freeze the bank card that's paying for the medical bills right now."

A few moments later, I received a death notice from the hospital.

My heart plummeted into my gut as I screamed, "Give Mom back to me!"

I freed myself from the bodyguards' clutches, lunged at Natalie, and clamped my hands around her neck.

"Have you lost your mind, Joanna Lawson?"

Cole barged into the room seconds after I began strangling Natalie. He didn't hold back at all as he shoved me aside.

Tears streamed down Natalie's face as she blubbered, "Thank goodness you came in the nick of time, Cole. Joanna was about to strangle me to death. She said that I didn't deserve to be Andy's mother…"

Cole shot a sharp glare at me, his expression stormy.

"How dare you raise your hand against Natalie in front of so many cameras! Do you even still care about your reputation as Mrs. Foster?"

I barked out a self-deprecating laugh and shouted, "She killed Mom! There's nothing for me to care about anymore!"

Cole was momentarily stunned before he gritted his teeth. "Using your mother as an excuse for your actions, huh? You really are something else. Since you don't care about anything anymore, I'll make sure you become famous after you're done filming this movie!"

He scoffed before leading Natalie away.

The naked men immediately began to approach me, tearing my clothes off in front of the cameras.

I lost all will to fight back at that moment.

Black spots exploded in my vision. I was hurting everywhere and was unceremoniously dropped on the floor as blood began to seep from my lower half.

…

That night, Cole spent a small fortune to buy a trending topic, making the whole process public.

Natalie, who was an up-and-coming director, won an award after editing the film.

Below the stage, Andy looked around as he sat in his seat, asking, "Didn't you say that Mommy's going to be here, Daddy?"

Cole impatiently glanced at his watch. He was just about to call me when his assistant anxiously burst into the hall, waving his phone frantically.

"Bad news, Mr. Foster! Mrs. Foster livestreamed herself overdosing on sleeping pills just now!"