Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
She had been awake, unable to drift into slumber.
She yearned for sleep, for dreams where her baby was with her.
But she never dreamed of her baby again.
She only pretended to be asleep to give the tired nurse a break.
She sensed Cornell’s entrance, his scent unmistakable.
Choosing to remain silent, she kept up the pretense until his touch broke her resolve.
In a raspy voice, Cornell said her name, “Audrey…”
“Get out,” Audrey replied, her voice devoid of emotion, unwilling to waste another word on him.
Cornell felt a pang in his heart.
“I’m sorry, Audrey. If I’d known, I would’ve never…”
Audrey cut him off, her voice icy, “I guess you must be happy our child is gone.”
These words felt like venomous darts piercing Cornell’s heart, and his insides ached.
He wished she’d yell, even strike him.
That, he thought, would be less tormenting than her indifferent words.
The idea of wasting more time on Cornell had never crossed Audrey’s mind.
With her eyes closed, she declared, “Leave now. We’ll discuss the divorce tomorrow.”
Her voice was steady, but resolute.
Cornell seized her hand, his face ashen and voice gruff.
“Audrey, I promise to trust you going forward. We can have another child someday.
As he mentioned the child, Audrey’s hand flew to his face in a stinging slap.
Consumed by both fury and agony, she retorted, “Cornell, you’re unworthy! You have no right to speak of our child!”
Cornell absorbed the blow, silently wishing she’d hit him again.
That way, there was a glimmer of hope.
With a raspy voice, he pleaded, “Audrey, I’m willing to do anything if it’ll make things right.”
Coldly, Audrey replied, “I’ve already said it. We’re getting a divorce.”
Cornell instinctively resisted, “I won’t allow a divorce.”
Yet Audrey calmly stated, “You’ll come around.”
For she was resolved to do whatever it took to sever their ties.
Sensing Audrey’s unyielding stance, a wave of panic washed over Cornell.
“”Audrey, I can change. I’ll rectify whatever you dislike until you’re content. Can we start over?”
Audrey broke into a bittersweet laugh.
“You wish to start over with me, even after you walked away to be with Cecilia during my pregnancy, and despite disregarding my appeals to protect our baby, and after I lost our baby?”
Was anything more ludicrous?
Her demeanor remained poised, yet Cornell felt her words were laced with a silent scream.
His eyes clouded with regret, his voice quivering.
“What would it take for you to forgive me?”
Her gaze met his, unflinching.
“When you’re gone.”
Cornell’s towering frame suddenly faltered.
The notion that Audrey, ever so docile like a delicate white rabbit, could utter words that crushed his soul was beyond his imagination.
The light in Cornell’s eyes dimmed as he asked, his voice laden with sorrow, “Do you hate me that much?”
Audrey’s face was a mask of apathy.
“During my abduction, I hated you deeply. ALL I could think was that if you hadn’t left me in that hospital parking lot, perhaps I wouldn’t have been kidnapped. But there’s no use in ‘ifs.’ I realize that given another chance, you’d still prioritize saving Cecilia…”
“That’s not true,” Cornell protested.
A sharp pang gripped his heart, and his throat seemed laced with broken glass, leaving a metallic taste in his mouth.
He reached out to caress Audrey’s forehead, but she deftly avoided his touch, She shook her head, her tone laced with self-derision.
“Don’t fool yourself. You can’t let go of her.”
Cornell’s voice, raw and strained, tried to explain, “Audrey, you’ve got it all wrong. I truly intended to send Cecilia away, but I had promised to escort her abroad until her surgery was done, and then we would. .
“Cornell!” Audrey cut him off sharply, pain etched in her voice.
“You made promises to me, too! You had me believe we’d return home together. What became of that promise?”
Feeling as if a massive weight compressed his chest, Cornell tried to speak, but words failed him, his voice lost.
“Have you ever imagined what it feels like to have your skull shattered against a wall, your insides crushed?”
Cornell’s voice quivered, his pale face visibly shaken.
“Stop…
Don’t say any more…”
But Audrey seemed lost in her torment, gesturing toward the bandage on her head, her lips quivering as she relived the terror.
“They bashed my head against the wall, trampled over me. I felt my body breaking apart and felt my unborn child slipping away. At that moment, my hatred for you was all-consuming. It was you who made me believe in you. But yet again, you abandoned me.”
As Audrey recounted the horror, the despair engulfed her again.
Enduring the loss of her child was like enduring ceaseless torment.
The anguish in her heart was akin to salt in an open wound, her body shaking uncontrollably.
Each word from Audrey struck Cornell as if he were experiencing the pain firsthand.
When she spoke of “believe in you”, those words pierced Cornell’s heart like icy daggers, bringing him unbearable agony.
It was his own actions that had shattered her trust…
The torment was evident on Cornell’s face, but to Audrey, it seemed insignificant compared to her own ordeal.
She continued, her gaze fixed on him, “That day, I wanted to trust you once more. But that stupid thought cost me my child and threw me into hell. You taught me that while one may have dreams, delusions are dangerous.”
Her belief in his promise to return home together had exacted a horrific toll.
Cornell’s strength ebbed away, his once erect stance collapsing. His dark eyes brimmed with an agony beyond words.
“I’m sorry, Audrey… I’m so sorry…”
He knew his endless apologies could never mend the hurt he caused Audrey, yet sorry was all he could muster.
Had he foreseen such a tragic outcome, he would have never left her side, regardless of the circumstances.
“It’s not necessary,” Audrey coldly dismissed his late apology, finding it more repulsive than any insincere affection.
“Now, I can’t even muster hatred for you. If you bear any guilt, let’s divorce. From then on, we’re nothing but strangers,” she stated, her voice devoid of any emotional undertone.
Her indifference was so profound, it seemed devoid of love or hate.
A sudden panic gripped Cornell, his heart lurching.
She wouldn’t even harbor hatred toward him? Was she really intent on treating him like a stranger?
No! It shouldn’t be this way.