The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 326: Renee Jennings, This Is My Son

Nathan Lynch, carrying a black cartoon backpack, stood out in the crowd with his fair skin and handsome features. Perhaps because he was new to the school and still unfamiliar with his surroundings, Nathan Lynch kept his head slightly lowered, not saying a word, a stark contrast to the noisy crowd around him.

"Why doesn’t Nathan Lynch ever talk? My mom says kids who don’t speak are mutes."

"Why did Nathan Lynch transfer to our class? He’s so quiet. I asked him how old he is, and he wouldn’t tell me."

"Everyone, stay away from Nathan Lynch. I heard he likes to hit people."

...

Nathan Lynch ignored the chattering around him and walked over to his teacher to say goodbye. "Goodbye, Teacher."

The teacher stopped him. "Mona, have your parents arrived?"

Nathan Lynch nodded. "My family’s driver is here to pick me up. He’s just up ahead."

The teacher looked over and, sure enough, saw the familiar figure of the driver. Only then did she feel relieved. "Be careful on your way home."

Watching Nathan Lynch gradually approach, Victor Vance’s shoulders trembled slightly. She couldn’t stop herself from turning away.

Naomi Kenway asked, "What’s wrong?"

"I..." Victor Vance’s face was beet red. "I don’t know how to face him..." She shook her head. "I can’t meet him here. It’ll just bring him trouble. Maybe he changed schools just to escape the awful influence I’ve had on his life, to stop his classmates from mocking him..."

Her body was hunched over, the picture of helplessness. "I’ve failed my son. He’s the one I’ve wronged the most. To be honest, just being able to see him for a moment... that’s all I need to be content..."

Naomi Kenway patted her shoulder and offered a few words of comfort. Naomi didn’t want to push Victor Vance too hard, especially after learning that she had been taking antidepressants for years.

Just as Naomi Kenway was helping Victor Vance to leave, they suddenly heard a loud, tearful shout:

"Mom!!"

Naomi Kenway noticed Victor Vance’s entire body freeze solid.

Hearing that voice, both familiar and distant, Victor Vance turned around in disbelief. A small, thin figure threw himself into her arms. "Mom, I was wrong! Please don’t leave again, okay?"

"I really know I was wrong. I didn’t know you were really going to leave me. I’ll never do it again..."

Nathan Lynch’s voice was choked with sobs.

He still remembered that rainy day a year ago, when his mom had gone downstairs all by herself. His dad and grandma told him his mom was a bad person. The kids at kindergarten also said his mom was a bad person and refused to play with him.

He had thrown a tantrum at the time, deciding not to speak to his mom for a whole day. When night fell, his mom, who loved to go shopping, still hadn’t returned. His dad told him she was never coming back, because he had been disobedient, and a mother wouldn’t take a disobedient burden with her. He didn’t believe it, and his dad slapped him for shouting and screaming.

A day passed, then two, but his mom still didn’t return. He hugged the little teddy bear she had left behind, curled up in bed, and cried for a long time. ’Mom is really never coming back,’ he thought. For the first time, he understood the meaning of the word "leave." His dad tried to comfort him, saying he would have a "new mom" someday, but he didn’t want a "new mom." He just wanted his mom...

Watching all of this unfold, Naomi Kenway finally broke into a smile.

She wanted to give the mother and son some space to talk alone, so she took Ian for a short walk nearby.

Victor Vance felt as if she were in a dream; it all seemed so unreal. She reached out to stroke the back of Nathan Lynch’s head, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

Nathan Lynch was sobbing his heart out, and Victor Vance’s own heart ached terribly. "Mona, don’t cry. Did someone bully you? Tell... Mom, okay?"

Nathan Lynch looked up, his eyes swollen like walnuts. "Mom, can you please not leave Mona again? Take me with you, okay?"

Victor Vance’s heart skipped a beat. She smiled through her tears. "As long as Mona is willing, Mom wants to always stay by Mona’s side and watch Mona grow up healthy and strong. But..." Victor Vance wiped away a tear. "Am I really not dreaming?"

She asked cautiously, "Mona, you... you don’t hate Mom anymore?"

"I’ll never do it again..." Nathan Lynch hugged Victor Vance’s legs. "Mom, please forgive me, okay? I shouldn’t have thrown a tantrum. I’ll never do it again. Mona can be very good. Please don’t leave Mona again, okay?"

The once silent and aloof Nathan Lynch was suddenly crying so hard he could barely breathe. "I thought you just went out shopping... I didn’t know you really weren’t coming back..."

The answer was clear in her heart. Tears streamed down Victor Vance’s jaw. She took out a handkerchief to wipe Nathan Lynch’s tears, overjoyed yet simultaneously resenting Christina Lynch’s shamelessness for playing them—a mother and son who cared so deeply for each other—for fools.

"Mona, Mom is so, so happy. It turns out I was being lied to all this time. My Mona doesn’t hate me after all. I feel like I’m in a dream. Only in my dreams have I seen you throw yourself into my arms..."

Victor Vance crouched down and pulled Nathan Lynch into her embrace. The sight of the mother and son weeping in each other’s arms moved many onlookers.

’This money from the Lynch Family... I really don’t feel right taking it,’ the driver thought as he walked over, looking like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself and just sighed.

The teacher responsible for dismissal had naturally noticed the situation. She walked over to ask what was happening. The driver sighed. "This is Mr. Lynch’s ex-wife, Mona’s mother. They haven’t seen each other in a long time..."

Victor Vance dried Nathan Lynch’s tears, a gentle smile gracing her lips. "Mona, Mom missed you so much. There are a lot of people here. Let’s go over to the side and talk, okay?"

Nathan Lynch didn’t dare to blink, terrified that Victor Vance would vanish from his sight in the next instant.

Suddenly, an angry, piercing voice shattered the heartwarming scene. "Victor Vance, who said you could touch my son?!"

Victor Vance looked toward the source of the voice and saw an agitated Renee Jennings running toward them. Behind her, Christina Lynch was also frowning.

Renee Jennings reached out to pull Nathan Lynch away, but Victor Vance naturally wouldn’t allow it. A rare hint of steel entered her gentle voice. "What do you think you’re doing? Mona is my son. Even if you marry Christina Lynch, that won’t change the fact that he’s my son."

"Your son?" Renee Jennings scoffed, her voice cold as she accused, "How dare you say something like that? A woman with a reputation as rotten as yours gets Mona ostracized and bullied by his classmates. If it weren’t for me and Nathaniel arriving in time, you would have caused Mona terrible harm all over again. You better remember this: I’m the one who works hard day in and day out, taking care of Mona’s meals, his daily needs, and helping him with his homework. What kid at his kindergarten doesn’t envy Mona for having such a wonderful mother? As for you..."

Renee Jennings sneered. "To have the gall to strut around here after your affair was exposed... you’re truly shameless! If I were you, I would’ve jumped off a building to atone for my sins long ago!"

Renee Jennings was sharp-tongued, while Victor Vance was mild-mannered, leaving her momentarily speechless with no room for a comeback.

After scolding the driver, Christina Lynch turned his attention to them. He sighed, putting on a pretense of civility. "Victor Vance, your relentless pursuit is really causing us a lot of trouble."