Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Cornelll had called 911 and help was on the way. Knowing it was risky to move the injured, he cautiously checked Henley’s breathing.
Henley suddenly laughed faintly. “See, Audrey… She cried for me…
She cares about me…”
Although he spoke in choppy sentences, Henley found it extremely difficult to articulate his words.
After saying that, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Henley looked at Cornell, a faint smile on his lips, whispering something inaudible to the others.
Then, Cornell’s expression turned cold, his aura intimidating.
Cornell glared at Henley and hissed, “You asked for it.”
Cornell turned and his intense gaze locked on Audrey.
Startled by his stare, Audrey was pinned in place.
Cornell walked over to Audrey, grabbed her shoulder firmly and quickly led her to his car.
“Ow…” Audrey winced. “Cornell, where are we going?
Cornell’s grip softened, but he gripped her hand firmly, his voice stern, “Get in the car.”
His expression was stern and uncompromising as he addressed her.
Audrey, worried about Henley, resisted, “We can’t leave Henley like this.
Please, Cornell, help him…”.
He looked at Cornell’s unyielding face, pleading for Henley’s life. “Please…
I beg you… We have to save him.”
Although Henley had brought this on himself, Audrey couldn’t help but think that, if he abandoned him on the road, how would he be any different from Henley? 2
“By roaming me?” Cornell, lighting a cigarette, inhaled deeply, his features obscured by the smoke.
After a pause, he sneered, “Audrey, do you think I’m an idiot? You expect me to save him after all?”
Audrey froze at Cornell’s icy attitude.
Hesitating for a moment, Audrey approached the door with the intention of leaving. But Cornell stopped his flight.
Cornell’s gaze, icy and penetrating, unsettled her. “Is it really that hard for you to leave?” he asked her with a sharp edge in his voice.
“No, it’s not that,” Audrey replied, shaking his head. “It’s just that I can’t leave him like this.”
“People die all the time,” Cornell’s voice was grave, questioning. “Would you care so much if it was a stranger?”. Then he questioned her, “Isn’t it because it’s…?”.
Cornell paused, the words hung in the air, unfinished.
The tension between them was palpable, both seemed distant despite sitting across from each other. Their expressions were worried.
When Audrey opened the door again, determined to leave, Cornell acted impulsively. He reached out, starting to remove her coat, then her sweater….
“Stop it!” Audrey’s cry was sharp, his grip on her clothes desperate. But Cornell was stronger.
Her sweater was gone, leaving her in thin underwear.
Audrey, now covered, looked at Cornell, fear evident in her eyes.
“Have you lost your mind, Cornell?”
Despite her objections, Cornell continued, ripping off her underwear.
Audrey was left uncovered, his upper body naked.
Tears filled her eyes as Audrey covered herself with trembling arms.
“Cornell… Please give me back my clothes…”.
Cornell’s gaze, cold and calculating, swept over her, pausing on her slightly swollen belly.
His gaze was unnerving, almost cruel.
Audrey felt vulnerable, exposed under his intense scrutiny, as if every part of her was laid bare. She was at a loss, unsure how to protect herself from his penetrating gaze.
In a voice choked with tears, Audrey pleaded, “Please give me back my clothes…”.
Instead of obeying, Cornell abruptly rolled down the car window and threw his clothes outside.
The lingering smell of Henley’s blood on his clothes seemed to unhinge Cornell even more.
“Aren’t you planning to get out of the car?” His voice was deliberately low and strained as he fought the grief in his heart.
“Go get your clothes yourself!” burst out Cornell, unable to contain his frustration any longer.
Audrey stared at him, disbelief etched on his face.
Cornell now seemed like a stranger to Audrey, his actions mirroring the madness she had seen in Henley.
Emotions swirled inside her. Despair, grief, and acute humiliation.
Suddenly, Audrey’s resolve wavered and he found himself vulnerable under Cornell’s gaze.
With tears streaming down his face, he approached the door with the intention of leaving.
Cornell’s heart twisted at the sight of her pale skin, but his inner turmoil was eclipsed by a deep-seated hatred.
Click! Then, he closed the door.
Audrey, trapped, preferred not to face him, sitting with her back to him, blood and tears marring her once serene face.
Yet she clung to the remnants of her dignity.
Then Audrey heard Cornell’s voice, strained with frustration, from behind her, “Why are you so determined to save Henley? Don’t you remember who you are?
You’re a married woman now.”
At his words, Audrey trembled and burst into tears.
In that moment, she felt reduced to nothing more than an object at Cornell’s disposal, valued only for her usefulness.
Cornell, relenting, turned her around and dressed her in a black shirt, meticulously buttoning each button.
As Cornell fastened the last few buttons, his grip suddenly tightened. He spoke coldly. “Have I been too lenient with you, or would you prefer to be treated like this?”
Audrey’s face was a mask of indifference at his words.
The man before him seemed a stranger, and his heart sank with disappointment.
In the distance, the sound of sirens filled the air as fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the scene.
Audrey felt a surge of relief at the sight.
He replied in a distant tone, “If that’s how you see me, maybe it’s time to end our arrangement early.”
Their mutual disdain seemed reason enough to cut ties.
“End our agreement?” Cornell’s voice had a dark tone.
The scene of Henley and Audrey together in the car moments before flashed through Cornell’s mind. Gripping his chin tightly, he snapped, “Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?”
His face and tone exuded arrogance and disdain.
Audrey, struggling for breath, clutched at the hem of her shirt.
Pain overwhelmed her, a deep, piercing pain that seemed unbearable.
The pain was so intense she could barely breathe.
Luciana’s earlier comments about their incompatibility hadn’t hurt this much.
Audrey stood mute, suppressing the urge to cry.
She refused to let the tears fall in front of Cornell.
Meanwhile, Cornell glanced outside, watching Henley being loaded into an ambulance.