Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Jarrod promptly pushed Melissa away and turned toward the sofa, massaging his temples with slender fingers.
Melissa was taken aback but refused to let this precious opportunity slip through her fingers. If Jarrod were to engage in intimacy with her, she could escape from the company of those odorous, portly elderly men. Perhaps he would even whisk her away.
Summoning her courage, Melissa began to unbutton her shirt, revealing her tender skin. She gradually sank to her knees before Jarrod.
The moment her slender fingers extended, Jarrod’s voice turned frigid.
“Get lost!”
Melissa was left dumbfounded. The sound of shattering glass resonated in her ears.
A shard of glass whizzed past Melissa’s face, crashing into the lCD screen behind her, fragmenting into pieces.
Jarrod wiped his blurred eyes, his voice akin to that of an ice-cold ogre. “Get out!”
The expression on his face was so horrifying that it sent shivers down Melissa’s spine, rendering her legs weak.
Without even a chance to don her clothes, Melissa hastily scrambled out.
As soon as Melissa managed to escape, Jemma delivered a swift kick to her. “You fool, do you honestly believe that man would whisk you away just because he glanced at you?”
Kneeling on the floor, Melissa trembled and replied, “Jemma, I never entertain that idea.”
“Humph! You’ve tried and now you give up!” Jemma extracted a bundle of bills and flung them onto Melissa’s face. “If you can’t cover tonight’s losses, I won’t let you off the hook!”
Confronted with the staggering amount, Melissa was so terrified that tears streamed down her face. She kept bowing in supplication. “Jemma, I realize my mistake! Please, show some mercy!”
Melissa knew she couldn’t possibly afford such a sum.
“You brought this upon yourself! Don’t overestimate your worth. We only require you to entertain the guests with drinks. Yet you dare to reach for the stars!” Jemma scoffed. “Can someone like you really expect a meteoric rise?”
If Melissa hadn’t made such a colossal blunder and aspired to reach great heights, how could she have incurred such a substantial loss?
In their line of work, they couldn’t afford to cross the high rollers. Even if Jarrod conducted himself in such a manner, they had to maintain a facade of obsequiousness.
Observing Melissa’s innocent countenance, Jemma sneered, “If you follow him, you’ll be even more wretched than you are here.”
Why would a man accustomed to resting beside lifeless bodies every day be swayed by an inconsequential, impoverished extra?
Melissa was forcibly escorted away by the security personnel.
Jemma stared at Jarrod’s handsome visage. He was undeniably attractive, but the unsettling rumors surrounding him sent shivers down her spine. Shaking her head, she hastily walked away as if a ghost was chasing after her.
It was the late hours of the night when Jarrod emerged from the club.
His steps were unsteady, and he swayed, navigating the world in a daze.
Leaning against his car, Jarrod ignited a cigarette and dialed Alec’s number. “Come get me.” He needed to return home and be with Nicole.
After ending the call, he glanced up at the sky. The moon hung round and luminous, much like the night when Nicole had departed.
Then, out of nowhere, something happened.
A slender silhouette appeared and slipped into the blue luxury car parked by the entrance.
Jarrod’s tall, statuesque frame tensed, and the cigarette between his lips plummeted. That face. That face!
Jarrod lunged forward like a cheetah in the obscurity of the night.
The blue luxury car roared to life and sped away, with Jarrod in hot pursuit.
Jarrod was far from sober. If he were, he might have noticed that the car wasn’t racing away, almost as if it were teasing him.
Every time hope seemed within reach, the car would accelerate away.
Finally, Jarrod’s strength ebbed, and he crumpled to the ground, his knees bearing the brunt.
Struggling to place his hand on the pavement, he attempted to rise, but the alcohol-induced deluge of hallucinations clouded his mind with countless phantoms.
The blue car came to a halt.
When the door swung open, a pair of long, slender legs descended, clad in black high heels, and approached Jarrod.
The black heels paused before Jarrod.
Jarrod’s face remained plastered to the ground. He lifted his gaze ever so slightly, tracing from her slender legs to the captivating countenance of the woman.
“Nicole!” Jarrod uttered a single cry, refraining from a second one.
He shook his head vigorously as if trying to ascertain whether this was a mirage or reality. Was the woman he actually seeing now was Nicole?
Jarrod hadn’t dreamt of Nicole in five years. Nicole had been so cruel, refusing to appear in his dreams once.
Jarrod’s posture resembled that of a supplicant kneeling before the woman’s feet.
Her alluring crimson lips parted and closed. “Jarrod.”
The voice sounded familiar. Jarrod’s eyes welled up with instant crimson.
With his palms pressed to the ground, Jarrod struggled to rise and clasp the woman in his arms.
But at that very moment, the woman in black high heels planted her foot on the back of Jarrod’s hand.
Her voice, as frigid as ice, cut through the air. “Look at yourself.”
Then, she paused, twisting her high heel on the back of Jarrod’s hand as if seeking to pierce his palm. “You resemble a stray dog now!”
With those words, she sauntered away in her black high heels.
“Nicole!” In the end, Jarrod managed to cry out her name. “Don’t abandon me!”
His mouth was tinged with blood, his voice raw and ragged.
The blue luxury car’s taillight flickered before him, casting a more pitiful shadow upon him.
“Stay.” His plea was engulfed by the car’s roaring departure. “Please don’t leave me…”
Tears welled up in Jarrod’s eyes and streamed down his cheeks as he screamed into the wind.
Yet, there was no response.
Not until Alec arrived.
For the remainder of the night, Alec drove Jarrod all over Ardlens in a relentless quest for Nicole.
The following morning, the sun graced the horizon with its presence.
Alec hesitated before speaking. “Mr. Schultz, you must be suffering from a hangover after all that drinking. Perhaps some medication will help you feel better.”
In truth, Alec suspected that Jarrod might have had a hallucination during his binge drinking. After all, Nicole had been gone for five long years.
Jarrod sat in the rear seat, his black shirt smudged with mud, his handsome countenance overtaken by an unmistakable disappointment.
Gazing at the bloody stain on the back of his hand, he insisted, “I’m certain she’s returned.”
Hearing those words, Alec continued to harbor doubts about Jarrod’s perception. If Nicole were truly alive, then who was the lifeless body resting in Jarrod’s residence?
Alec didn’t dare to delve any further into that unsettling line of thought. The more he pondered, the more chilling it became.
Audrey was on her way to the studio.
Upon entering the car, Audrey was surprised to find Erick in the driver’s seat. “Erick, what brings you here? Aren’t you swamped with work today?”
“Well, I thought I’d give you a ride to the studio.”
Erick appeared to be in a somber mood, and a small cut marred his lips.
Noticing the injury, Audrey inquired with curiosity, “What happened, Erick? Did Janey accidentally scratch you?”
“No big deal. I just had a little accident,” Erick replied.
Audrey, still concerned, asked, “How could you be so careless?”
Erick gingerly touched his face, still feeling the sting in the corner of his mouth. He regretted indulging in that glass of wine the previous night.
However, Erick swiftly brushed aside that thought and turned his attention to Audrey. “How’s everything been with that man lately? Has he been causing you any trouble?”
Understanding that Erick was referring to Cornell, Audrey nodded and replied, “I’m doing fine. Don’t worry.”
Dealing with Cornell wasn’t much of a challenge for Audrey, aside from the occasional moodiness. In any case, a month would pass by swiftly, and she didn’t think Cornell would take back his promise.