Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Jarrod’s scoff was bitter.
“Then moan. If it pleases me, I might just release you.”
Suddenly, Nicole’s gaze lifted to the white hospital walls, her realization dawning.
Jarrod wanted Roscoe to overhear her moan. He wanted to degrade her and test their bond.
In a different time, Nicole would willingly share intimacy with Jarrod and avoided the sting of disgrace.
Yet, having been subjected to such degradation, her sense of dignity seemed worthless now.
A sharp ache in her abdomen served as a grim reminder of her possibly fleeting life, casting doubt on the necessity of maintaining her pride while enduring such agony.
With a deft movement, she caressed the coarse tips of Jarrod’s fingers with her tongue. Her lips parted ever so slightly, releasing a sound that was both alluring and pitiful.
“Mmm… Mmm…”
After a minute of her charade, Jarrod commanded, “Enough.”
Jarrod’s lips were a firm line, his gaze icy with unfulfilled yearning.
He realized he didn’t want anyone else to hear her voice.
More than that, he yearned to silence her completely, to possess her in a way that left her soundless.
This overwhelming urge agitated him.
Nicole scoffed.
“Finished so soon, Mr. Schultz? Others might question your prowess.
Jarrod’s eyes grew darker and his smothered desire rekindled. With a sardonic laugh, he shot back, “Damn it! Nicole, don’t provoke me.”
His mock was sharp.
“If I were incompetent, you wouldn’t be hospitalized now.”
At his words, Nicole’s defiance seemed to crumble.
Pain still racked her body. She knew better than to rile up this madman.
Jarrod’s phone pierced the tension with its ring.
Without hesitation, he answered, “Honey.”
Amidst her haze of discomfort, Nicole discerned the caller’s identity.
It was Jamie.
Then, Jarrod’s voice took on an unusual softness as he said, “I’1L be there in no time. Just stay put.”
Once the call ended, Jarrod addressed Nicole, who was still hooked to her IV, “Alec will take you back.”
Nicole turned away, too entangled in her emotions to reply.
Jarrod’s eyes remained cool, unaffected by her silence.
“Don’t pretend to be jealous. Your acting disgusts me, he sneered, then strode out without a second glance.
Alone, Nicole exhaled in relief.
She reveled in the thought that Jamie’s needs might keep Jarrod away tonight, granting her a rare peace.
She drifted into a light doze only to be startled awake by a cold sensation on her legs.
“Who’s there?”
Her ankle was suddenly seized, and she locked eyes with Roscoe’s attractive face, his actions clear.
A wave of shyness washed over her flushed features.
In his usual deep tone, Roscoe murmured, “Let me tend to your wounds, Nicole.”
Roscoe grasped Nicole’s ankle gently, yet his touch was steady and did not interfere with his task.
Clad in disposable plastic gloves, Roscoe applied an ointment that brought a cooling relief and numbed the pain.
The sensation was so comforting that Nicole found her toes involuntarily curling, her pulse thudding audibly in her ears.
Roscoe’s expression remained detached throughout the procedure.
Once he finished with the ointment, he discarded his gloves in the trash bin, along with the porridge Jarrod had brought, without a second glance.
He exited briefly, returning with a thermos in hand, and proceeded to elevate the bed.
“Nicole, would you prefer to feed yourself, or shall I assist?” he inquired, his politeness unwavering.
Nicole, still somewhat dazed from the treatment, only registered his question when he repeated it. She reached out slowly.
“I can manage on my own.”
As her fingers brushed against his, Roscoe insisted, “Stay still.
I’ll handle this.”
Roscoe set up a small table, expertly transferred the porridge into a bowl, and fetched a spoon.
Nicole couldn’t help but notice the pristine beauty of his hands, his nails short and clean, his veins subtly pronounced against his clenched fists, signaling strength.
Her cheeks flushed with heat.
This wasn’t the first time he had tended to her wounds.
As Roscoe handed her the spoon, Nicole’s hunger surged, especially for the shrimp-corn porridge, her favored dish. She began to eat with an earnest appetite.
After the meal, Roscoe cleaned up the table and returned the bed to its original position.
“You should rest now, Nicole. I’ll be here to look after you,” he offered.
But Nicole’s head shook in denial.
“No, Roscoe.”
Roscoe’s gaze was intense as he watched her silently.
Nicole turned her face away, not daring to look at him. She said, “My father’s support for your education was one thing. You don’t owe me for the help you’ve given. You see, anyone entangled with me lately seems to suffer.”
Roscoe listened without a flicker of emotion across his face.
When Nicole paused, he voiced his thoughts, “Nicole, I was disheartened when you didn’t recognize me before.”
Nicole recalled their encounter at the hospital’s safe corridor, but her mind was a haze back then, thanks to Jarrod, leaving no space for Roscoe’s image.
The last she’d seen Roscoe, he was a young teen of fifteen, one of many in a crowd where her father had taken her to aid the underprivileged, and Roscoe hardly stood out.
She didn’t remember him.
Six years had passed by. Now, Roscoe was an intern at the hospital.
Gazing down at her, Roscoe probed, “Nicole, do you love that man?”
Her response came swift and sure.
“No.”
It was only at this moment that Nicole grasped the truth. Her affections had clung to an untainted Jarrod, not the monster who refused to let her parents go without a second thought.
Caught in a reverie, Nicole felt Roscoe’s touch steering her gaze back to him.
“Nicole, I dressed your wounds, hoping you’d understand my intentions,” he murmured.
Roscoe’s eyes were clear and compelling, making Nicole find it hard to stand his gaze.
Sensing his next words, Nicole averted her eyes.
She didn’t want to drag anyone else into her turmoil.
Thus, before Roscoe could voice his thoughts, Nicole interjected, “Roscoe, to me, you’re Like a little brother. Though I hold no love for him, my bond with him is complex. You’ve turned out well, and that would please my father. Let’s leave it at that…”
With that, Nicole suggested they keep things as they were, effectively rejecting him.