Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
His seemingly soothing tone only made Nicole tremble more violently.
Jarrod had an impeccable demeanor and charm, which could easily mislead others into perceiving him as gentle and easygoing.
Nicole felt disgusted by his touch.
However, Jarrod’s grip tightened, and his chilly lips grazed her forehead as he murmured, “Are you coming down with something?”
A chill coursed through Nicole’s veins. Every cell in her body was resisting Jarrod. She felt sick. He was going too far! “Let go of me!” she ground out through clenched teeth, her voice a mere whisper against his ear.
Jarrod didn’t seem to hear what she said. He curled his lips as he pulled her closer.
To a third person, they seemed to be engrossed in a tender exchange.
Roscoe clenched his fists. His handsome features darkened with fury, and his once-clear eyes were now ablaze with anger.
Spotting Roscoe, Doreen said briskly, “Ah, here you are!”
Drawing closer, Doreen casually linked her arm with Roscoe’s, as though they were already an item. Pouting, she said, “I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”
Roscoe remained unresponsive, seemingly oblivious to Doreen’s presence.
His focus remained fixed on the pair before him.
Having spent a day with Roscoe, Doreen was accustomed to his quiet demeanor, so his lack of reaction didn’t faze her.
Turning to the couple locked in a tight embrace, Doreen flashed a knowing smile and quipped, “Jarrod, spare us the lovey—dovey display, will you? Get a room!”
Shooting a grin at Roscoe, Jarrod said, “Alright, we’ll do that.
Enjoy yourselves.”
With that, he clasped Nicole’s hand and led her away.
This time, Nicole’s attempt to break free was in vain. She sensed a burning gaze trailing her, almost tangible against her skin. However, she knew that there was no hope for her and Roscoe. She didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes. It was time to put everything back to the way it was.
Shaking Roscoe’s arm, Doreen chirped, “Let’s go.”
Roscoe trailed behind numbly, lost in his thoughts.
Nicole got into Jarrod’s car, while Roscoe and Doreen stood nearby.
With a cheerful wave, Doreen bid farewell to Jarrod. “Bye, Jarrod!”
Jarrod nodded goodbye. Then, noticing how absentminded Nicole was next to him, he leaned over to help fasten her seat belt.
Nicole instinctively recoiled and snapped, “Jarrod, now that they’re gone, how much longer must we keep up this charade?”
“Charade?” For the first time that night, Jarrod had dropped all pretense and kissed Nicole hard. “Nicole, I’m fucking in love with you. Do you think I’m just acting like you are?”
Nicole was taken aback by Jarrod’s unexpected revelation. What had he discovered? Or…
Nicole’s turbulent thoughts overshadowed Jarrod’s forceful kisses.
Nicole’s plump, pink lips held an irresistible allure to Jarrod.
Even though Nicole was as unresponsive as a log, Jarrod was still crazy for her. He yearned for her, missed her, having spent endless nights foolishly in the company of a lifeless body that he assumed was her.
Jarrod simply accepted it even when he belatedly realized she had fooled him. Knowing she despised him, he had allowed her to express her anger. Sensing her wish to injure him, he’d willingly hand her the weapon when needed.
However, he would never tolerate her falling for someone else. Since she had spent the first part of her life in love with him, he wouldn’t complain even if she hated him to the core for the rest of her life. He was content as long as she was by his side.
But the thought of Nicole experiencing ordinary, daily life with another man abroad pained him deeply.
Jarrod had traveled to Swynborough, where Nicole once spent her days, and marked her new beginning without him.
Through his investigations, Jarrod learned that Nicole, using the alias Nell, had been leading a simple life there with a young academic. On weekends, they would stroll in the park, feed pigeons in the plaza, and go grocery shopping together. Moreover, they had a child! Nicole had actually started a family with that man!
According to the neighbors, they seldom brought the child outside, having only glimpsed the child from afar once. The child was slender and small, seemingly not yet three years old.
Jarrod scoffed. While he endured sleepless nights filled with agony under the thought of her passing away near the cliff, Nicole was enjoying a mundane existence with another man. They deceived him together.
This realization made Jarrod feel as though the towering buildings in his mind were crumbling swiftly. It drove him to want to shatter everything, on the verge of being insane.
Jarrod’s icy, slim lips forcefully invaded Nicole’s. Finally, Nicole abruptly came to her senses, pushing Jarrod forcefully.
“Mmm!” Nicole’s fingernails left a deep, bloody scratch on Jarrod’s face, yet she still couldn’t stop him.
Jarrod resembled as wild as a creature possessed, driven by a desire to destroy everything around him.
Nicole bit down hard on his lip, and in response, Jarrod clutched her jaw so tightly it seemed he might dislocate it.
Nicole’s eyelashes quivered, and tears streamed down her face. Her eyes, red and tear-filled, radiated a tragic beauty.
For a moment, Jarrod’s ruthless grip softened, and he rasped, “Nicole, how could you have a child with another man!”
Bang! It felt like an explosion went off in her head. Nicole’s eyes widened in shock, realizing Jarrod had discovered Austin’s existence.
He had found out earlier than she had expected.
Noticing Nicole’s expression, Jarrod experienced a wave of sorrow, his heart wrenching.
“Is that Watts guy the father?” Overwhelmed by pain, Jarrod’s voice was eerily slow and as cold as the ashes of hell.
Exhaling a sigh of relief at his lack of knowledge of him being Austin’s father, Nicole replied with a faint smile, “I wish it were his, but sadly, it isn’t.”
“Then who is the father?” Jarrod demanded, teeth gritted.
Nicole replied with a weak smile, “While overseas, I took too many painkillers and got sick on the street, and then I got pregnant. I don’t know who the father is.”
Jarrod’s gaze turned icy, “You’re lying! It has to be that Watts guy!”
Nicole scoffed. “Dr. Watts has a promising future. Why would he have a child with me? Had you checked, you’d know the hospital records list the father as unknown.”
“Where is the child now?” Jarrod pressed.
Jarrod had long been searching for the child’s whereabouts without success, or he would have already taken the child to confirm the paternity with the suspected father. Once he identified the child’s father, he vowed to eliminate that man!
Nicole replied nonchalantly, “I gave the child away when I returned.”
“Don’t lie. I doubt you would do that.”
“Why wouldn’t I be able to do so? Tell me, Jarrod, why should it matter to me? You should be relieved this child isn’t yours, or I would have killed him myself!” Nicole snapped.
Nicole had prepared for this confrontation and had hidden Austin well in advance. Jarrod would never find him.
Given Austin’s delicate condition, Nicole simply took Austin at the door for fun, allowing her neighbor to glimpse Austin and mislead the neighbor about Austin’s age. She had been planning this for years.
Roscoe discovering her earlier than expected was unforeseen. But that was fine. Jarrod’s care granted her the chance to execute her plan.
This was precisely what she needed for her plan.
Obsessed, Jarrod muttered, “If you could have a child with someone else, why not with me? If you can be with others, why not me?”
Nicole was completely shocked by his declaration as if he had lost his mind. “Jarrod, you’ve lost your mind!”
Jarrod admitted with unsettling calm, “Yes, I’ve lost it. Would any rational man spend five years with a lifeless body believing it was you?”
Seeing Nicole’s look of revulsion, Jarrod felt a deep cut to his ego.
He seized her throat, spitting out venomously, “Nicole, wasn’t it you who tricked me? You fooled me into believing that lifeless body was you!”
“It was a mere coincidence!” Struggling for breath, Nicole clawed at his wrist. “Release me! Maniac! Madman! Pervert! Release me!”
“Yes, I’m a madman! It would be a letdown if I didn’t live up to the monster you think I am!” With a raspy voice, Jarrod declared, “Nicole, let’s have a baby.”
Nicole was left speechless.
With that, Jarrod made a move to rip her blouse, revealing his intent.
Nicole fought back with all her might, yelling, “Jarrod, why on earth would I want a child with you, you monster? Do you think you deserve it?”
Despite her protests, Jarrod proceeded to undo her blouse, brazenly stating, “I’ll treat the child well. My mother always said to win a woman’s heart, you need to share a child with her.”
Jarrod pinned Nicole down on the seat, overpowering her. Then, in a hushed tone, he implored, “Nicole, please…”
Five years of yearning, and five years of agony, all culminated in this moment. He desired her, with a maddening intensity…
“Get off me!” Nicole’s eyes were fierce. Her attempts to drive him away by kicking and biting him were futile.
In her desperation, she wasn’t aware of what she had grabbed. Her vision blurred with rage, she swung blindly, striking at an unknown target.