Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
After concluding the call, Jarrod rose abruptly and exited.
Luis gazed at Jarrod’s departing figure and released a heavy sigh.
Since Nicole’s passing, Jarrod seemed trapped in perpetual torment.
Luis had made futile attempts to persuade him.
Eventually, Cornell spiraled into a similar abyss.
Observing his two closest friends grappling with profound melancholy, Luis couldn’t help but feel helpless.
Fortunately, Cornell had summoned the strength to lift his spirits, driven by his mother’s presence. Finally, a glimmer of hope appeared on the horizon.
The only way to assuage Jarrod’s guilt was to attend to Nicole’s mother during the latter’s final moments.
Meanwhile, there were busting sounds in the area. Jarrod arrived at the club. He began kicking open the doors, one by one.
Initially, the revelers inside were startled by his aggressive entrance, but their astonishment quickly gave way to enraged curses.
Jarrod paid no heed to the verbal barrage and continued his search, moving on to the next room.
Observing Jarrod’s violent outburst, the club’s manager, Jemma Acosta, grew fearful. She hurried over, lit a cigarette, and attempted to pacify Jarrod.
“Mr. Schultz, what brings you here today?” Jemma inquired.
Jarrod’s handsome features darkened as he regarded Jemma.
With a half-lit cigarette dangling from his lips, Jarrod asked icily, “Where can I find Melissa?”
Upon hearing his question, beads of cold sweat formed on Jemma’s forehead. Damn it! How could that conniving woman secretly inform Jarrod?
“Melissa, she’s…” Jemma began, stammering.
After a moment’s hesitation, Jemma continued, “Melissa requested a leave for tonight. She mentioned attending a friend’s birthday party.”
“A birthday party?” Jarrod inquired, his tone devoid of emotion.
Jemma responded resolutely, “Yes, she’s most likely at the birthday party right now.”
Behind Jarrod, waiters were busy delivering drinks to the various rooms, attempting to soothe other patrons. This sight infuriated Jemma.
Jemma silently cursed. What a conniving woman Melissa was! Melissa was simply asked to keep Korbin company. How dare she inform Jarrod?
Though she dared not provoke Jarrod, who was known for his ruthlessness, Jemma vowed to teach Melissa a lesson today. She harbored no intentions of showing any mercy to Melissa.
Jarrod sneered, “Are you absolutely certain?”
“Yes, Mr. Schultz! It’s undeniable that she. she said but was cut off.
Before she could complete her sentence, Jemma’s feigned smile twisted into sheer terror.
“Ah! Stop!” Jemma screamed in a state of panic. The next instant, she watched Jarrod enter a chamber with an expression as cold as ice.
Without a word, Jarrod seized an ashtray from the table and ruthlessly smashed it onto the head of a portly man.
A resounding crash filled the room.
Blood covered that portly man’s head. His cries of agony reverberated within the chamber.
Jarrod casually took a drag from his cigarette, casting his face in an eerie, demon-Like shadow beneath the dim light. Arching an eyebrow, he questioned with malevolence, “Are you absolutely certain that Melissa is at a birthday party?”
Jemma’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly said, “No, no! It’s entirely my fault! Melissa is in Chamber Eight. She’s right there. Oh my God, Mr. Schultz! I beg for your forgiveness!”
Jemma was in a state of panic. She screamed and pleaded, tears streaming down her face, “Please show me some leniency. I promise never to do it again, please!”
In response, Jarrod paid no heed to Jemma and strode away.
Something was happening in Chamber Eight.
An overweight elderly man attempted to take advantage of a young woman. Before he could make any progress, a loud disturbance at the door disrupted his vile intentions.
The next thing he knew, he was forcefully ejected from the room.
On the couch, the young woman trembled like a frightened bird. When she laid eyes on Jarrod, a spark of hope ignited within her. “Jarrod, thank God you’re finally here!” she exclaimed.
“Yes, I apologize for being late,” Jarrod responded.
Gazing at Melissa’s face with deep affection, Jarrod treated her with a tenderness that resembled his interactions with Nicole.
Consequently, tears welled up in Melissa’s eyes.
All at once, Jarrod’s hand hung suspended in the air, and the atmosphere shifted abruptly.
Perplexed, Melissa experienced a sharp pain in her chin.
Jarrod fixed Melissa with an icy stare and grasped her chin, compelling her to meet his gaze. “Save your tears.”
Melissa’s tears failed to mirror Nicole’s when she wept.
Melissa’s chin throbbed from Jarrod’s tight grip as if it teetered on the verge of being crushed.
Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, and Melissa shivered under the weight of his cold demeanor. Tears welled up in her eyes, yet she dared not let them fall.
Jarrod scrutinized Melissa’s face with care. It was her eyes that bore a striking resemblance to Nicole’s. Both of them possessed captivating eyes. Nicole’s eyes exuded confidence and a hint of fearlessness, even in humility.
In contrast, Melissa, who had spent her youth in the brothel, had developed a persona of submission and flattery. Despite their seemingly similar eyes, Melissa’s were steeped in sycophancy and compliance.
Melissa’s eyes mirrored Nicole’s to an uncanny degree, yet their personalities stood worlds apart.
After enduring the pain for an extended period, Melissa felt she had reached her limit. If Jarrod persisted, his bare hand would undoubtedly crush her chin.
Just before she could utter a sound, Jarrod lowered his eyelids and released his grip.
Melissa crumbled weakly to the floor, her heart racing with a frantic tempo. She considered herself fortunate that her chin wasn’t made of plastic. Otherwise, it might have been contorted beyond recognition.
Jarrod sat upright, his long legs casually crossed, and issued a cold command, “Fetch the wine.”
Trembling, Melissa poured the wine. Jarrod downed glass after glass with effortless ease, quickly finishing two bottles.
The wine packed quite a punch. As the alcohol began to take its toll, Jarrod’s vision blurred, and Melissa before him increasingly resembled Nicole, who once spent days and nights by his side.
Jarrod muttered, “Nicole… Nicole…”
It wasn’t the first time Melissa had heard that name. From the very first time Jarrod had ordered her to spend the entire night with him, she was forbidden to utter a word. He simply gazed at her face. He forbade her from displaying any emotion. No laughter, no tears, and certainly no sound was allowed. Back then, she had understood that she must remain silent. Making a sound would shatter the illusion that she resembled that woman.
Jarrod’s lids drooped, and he possessed deep-set eyes. His lashes weren’t particularly thick, but they were long, and his neatly trimmed hair gave him a suave, icy charm.
There was no denying that men like Jarrod exuded undeniable masculinity.
For individuals like Melissa, getting close to Jarrod was an impossibility. Yet, every woman had, at some point, envisioned herself as Cinderella, always hoping for a prince to come to their rescue.
Melissa poured another glass of wine and extended it to Jarrod.
That time, Jarrod didn’t take the glass but raised his gaze.
Jarrod locked his eyes onto Melissa’s face. As if enchanted, he lowered his head and downed the wine directly from the glass held in her hand.
Melissa turned away, preparing to refill the wine.
A sharp shatter of broken glass broke the silence.
Jarrod forcefully wrested the glass from her grasp. Then, he swiftly reached out, gripping her throat, and pressed her down onto the sofa.
The abruptness of the action left Melissa somewhat frightened as she stared at Jarrod with wide-open eyes.
Jarrod’s cold countenance seemed to undergo a sudden transformation.
In a husky whisper, he murmured into Melissa’s ear, “Nicole… Nicole…”
He uttered nothing else, merely calling Nicole’s name. He continued to repeat Nicole’s name, his voice rough and seductive.
Jarrod was slightly inebriated at that moment, and the deep affection in his eyes proved nearly irresistible.
Even though Jarrod called out another woman’s name, the affection enveloped Melissa like a net descending from the heavens, trapping her. She was willing to be taken as another woman.
Unmindful of the peril that loomed within Jarrod, Melissa boldly extended her hand, encircling her arms around his neck, and slowly leaned in, her scarlet lips approaching.
The gap between their lips narrowed to a mere finger’s width. Close enough to feel each other’s breath.
Melissa’s fragrance caused Jarrod to furrow his brow. The scent was strange and vulgar, unlike Nicole’s.