Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Dinner time rolled around, and she still had not heard from him. Now a little anxious, she tried calling him again.
Still, his phone remained unreachable.
Meanwhile, the tension was rather intense in the CEO’s office at the Clement Group.
It seemed that he was about to crush the report in his hand.
The report clearly stated that the similarities in the samples were strikingly low, which indicated no biological relationship between him and the baby.
Just as Audrey was about to call Cornell for the third time, she hesitated and chose to send a text instead.
“Honey, are you free right now?”
She rarely used that endearment, but Cornell liked it whenever she called him that.
Feeling buoyed by their candid conversation last night, Audrey figured being a little sweet would not hurt.
She imagined Cornell might be tied up with work but would smile when he saw her message.
Nearly half an hour had passed since she sent the text. Still, no response came.
Audrey found herself glancing at her phone more often than she would like to admit. It was like having a rock in her shoe, and her focus kept drifting back to her phone.
At last, her phone buzzed.
She eagerly checked, only to find a message from Nicole, asking if she wanted to hit the town for drinks.
Figuring a night out was better than stewing in her own thoughts, Audrey agreed. Without further ado, she asked the driver to drive her to their agreed-upon destination.
Nicole and Audrey decided to meet up at South River Club, a swanky venue known for its blend of caffeine and nightlife.
Once inside, they opted for a small, private room. While one sipped juice, the other indulged in wine.
Nicole had been having a relatively peaceful time for the past two weeks. Because of the death of the grandfather of Jarrod’s fianc?e, Jarrod’s wedding had to be postponed for three months.
Jarrod was wrapped up in comforting his grief-stricken fianc?e, leaving him with no time to stir the pot with Nicole.
In the last two weeks, Nicole had other reasons to be happy as well.
Her dad was on the mend, and her family business had weathered its roughest patch. Sure, they were still in debt, but things were looking up.
Although her life was getting better, Nicole was concerned about Audrey.
“So, how are you doing with Cornell? I’ve heard you two are lovey-dovey these days. Am I going to be a godmother soon or what?”
Nicole had been keeping an ear to the ground. She hadn’t heard much about Cornell and Cecilia getting together lately, which led her to think that Cecilia was not causing a ruckus anymore.
At the thought of this, Nicole felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Her best friend had loved Cornell for a whole decade, after all. If things were going well for Audrey, Nicole would be over the moon.
After pondering for a moment, Audrey finally broke the news.
“You’re gonna be a godmother soon.”
Nicole’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wait, you’re actually expecting? How far along are you?”
“About three months.”
“And you kept this from me for that long? What, do you have a new BFF or something?” Nicole feigned indignation.
“No, it’s not like that. I wanted to make sure things were stable first,” Audrey explained.
“And what about Cornell? How’s he taking the news?” Nicole curiously asked, keen to gauge his reaction.
“He…” Audrey recalled the scene last night when Cornell had lovingly placed his hand on her stomach and asked why their little one had not started moving yet.
“He’s ecstatic.”
Then, out of nowhere, Nicole burst into tears.
“Oh my…”
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Audrey coaxed Nicole.
Nicole enveloped Audrey in a hug and sobbed.
“I’m just so happy you found your happiness.”
Nicole believed that at least one of them should lead a happy life.
Tears welled up in Audrey’s eyes. She returned Nicole’s tight hug and swore, “You’re going to find your happiness, too. No way you’re missing out on that.”
“Okay…”
Both women let the tears flow for a little while in each other’s arms. Eventually, Nicole stood up and said, “Listen, you’re expecting now. You’re practically more precious than a national treasure. Don’t stay up late. You should go home now.”
Just as Nicole ushered Audrey out of their chamber, they saw a familiar face in the corridor.
Audrey froze. Her eyes landed on Matteo who was standing at the entrance of another chamber. It seemed he was equally stunned when seeing her, but he quickly recovered. He bowed his head and offered a greeting.
Audrey walked over and asked, “Is Cornell in here?”
Matteo paused for a second and nodded.
“Is he busy today?” Audrey pressed.
With Matteo’s forehead glistening with sweat, he answered, “Yes, Mr. Clement is quite occupied.”
Just then, the door to that chamber swung open, and a waiter wheeled out a dining cart.
A woman’s voice floated out. Audrey’s ears pricked up at once. She knew the voice all too well. It was Cecilia’s.
Before Matteo could intervene, Audrey pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The chamber she entered was the most luxurious one in South River Club.
It was awash in opulence, from the floor blooming with rare flowers to the SWAROVSKI crystal chandeliers that graced the ceiling. Even the pillars were sheathed in gold leaf.
A large LCD screen blinked, “Celebrating the Little Princess Cecilia’s Birthday.”
Center stage was the birthday girl herself, bedecked in a diamond- studded gown. Gone was yesterday’s glum face, replaced by a smirk of sheer self-satisfaction.
As Audrey absorbed the scene, her complexion went ashen, as though her strength had been drained.
The chamber was so bustling that nobody noticed her existence.
Audrey’s eyes landed on Cecilia, who was arm-in-arm with Cornell. She watched as Cecilia spooned up a piece of cake and guided it toward Cornell’s lips.
“Come on, just feeding him a cake like that is so boring,” a man beside them suddenly hooted.
“Cornell threw this grand birthday party for you. Show some gratitude! Feed him mouth-to-mouth!”
“Mouth-to-mouth! Mouth-to-mouth!” the guests echoed.
Cecilia cast a coy glance at Cornell. As he was not objecting, she picked up a piece of cake between her teeth, clearly intending to transfer it to Cornell’s mouth.
The air was thick with cheers and whistles.
As that piece of cake inched ever closer to Cornell’s mouth, Nicole uttered in annoyance, “Seriously? She’s the shameless home wrecker, and she’s so proud of it? Ugh. This is disgusting.”
Nicole grabbed Audrey’s hand, urging her to leave. But Audrey had other plans.
“Cornell,” Audrey called.
The room suddenly went eerily silent, and every head swiveled toward the intruder all at once.
Ignoring the sea of puzzled faces, Audrey took a few steps toward Cornell and said, “Come home with me.”
Cornell merely shot Audrey a fleeting glance and looked away as if the woman before him was a complete stranger.
Audrey’s mind went blank. She could not understand how the man who had held her so closely and called her honey could turn so icy overnight.
The room stayed silent. All eyes were on Audrey, but she did not care.
“What’s… What’s wrong?” Audrey whispered in disbelief.
She thought something must have happened, or he wouldn’t be like this.