Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Jarrod couldn’t help smiling faintly when he realized she was complaining. “You actually don’t need a job. Just accompany me, and I’ll give you whatever you want.”
Nicole smiled sarcastically and said mockingly, “Mr. Schultz, have you forgotten what happened when I accompanied you before? Do you want it to happen again?”
Nicole’s words reminded Jarrod of some unpleasant memories. His handsome face was immediately filled with embarrassment. He hastily explained, “I didn’t mean it that way.”
Nicole still smiled. “It’s the same to me. It doesn’t make any difference.”
Jarrod’s eyes deepened when he heard this. He pursed his lips tightly.
“It was you who stabbed me. I wouldn’t have been injured if not because of you. Can’t you accompany me for a few more days?”
“Then, just report me to the police.” Nicole didn’t care anymore. She added indifferently, “After all, it was you who tried to harm me first. I only defended myself.”
“Nicole, maybe my injury was accidental. But you really want me to die, right?” When Jarrod said this, his eyes darkened. He couldn’t forget it. At that time, Nicole had looked at him with eyes that wished for his death.
Nicole laughed as if she had heard a joke. “Jarrod, don’t tell me you just realize I’ve wanted you dead for a long time.”
Jarrod raised an eyebrow and smiled self-deprecatingly. “I knew it before. But as long as you are alive, I don’t want to die.”
The corners of Nicole’s mouth twitched. “What? Do you want to die with me?”
Jarrod looked at Nicole without saying anything. His answer was evident.
Nicole fell silent. She thought he was really a madman.
Nicole leaned forward slightly and lifted his chin with her delicate fingers. She looked at him playfully and laughed softly. “Jarrod, you must be dreaming! I’ve never done anything evil in my life. So when I die, I’ll go to heaven. But you? You are definitely going to hell.”
Her gaze swept across his handsome face as if scrutinizing it. Her beautiful eyes were filled with undisguised hatred and disgust. “We are on different paths, you know?”
When Jarrod saw the disgust and hatred in Nicole’s beautiful eyes, his expression darkened. How could he bear the thought that Nicole left him?
At the thought of this, his expression turned cold. He wrapped his arm around her slender waist and said in a cold and deep voice, “Then, stay with me in this world. We will never be apart.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist even tighter, thinking she should always belong to him alone.
Nicole wanted to laugh. She felt Jarrod was sometimes naive and ridiculous. She looked at him and asked, “Do you still expect me to stay with you forever after all the harm you’ve caused to me and my family?”
Jarrod’s brow furrowed tightly. His arm around her waist subconsciously tightened more. “Nicole, why can’t you try to let go of those grievances and accept me in your life again? I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
“Jarrod, no one can hurt me. Only you can do that. You hurt me all the time. Do you expect me to let go of those grievances? Have you forgotten that we are enemies?”
With Nicole in his arms, Jarrod felt every word she said resonated in his heart.
Nicole said word by word in a cold tone, “Jarrod, I will never be in the same world as you. It’s impossible now and never will be in the future.”
Jarrod’s palm stiffened. He fell silent for a while. Then, his slender fingers slowly lifted her stunning face, covered in tears. He looked into her eyes and replied firmly, “It doesn’t matter. As long as you remember that I was the first person who had slept with you and the person holding you in my arms right now, it’s enough for me.”
After saying this, Jarrod lowered his head and kissed her lips fiercely. Before the kiss, he murmured in an almost inaudible voice, “Nicole, I will make you return to my world no matter what.”
Nicole was seething with anger, trying hard to free herself, but her wrist was securely held. She decided not to provoke Jarrod further, knowing that aggravating his wound once was already pushing it. Given his unpredictable nature, he might react even more wildly.
Nicole aimed to vindicate the lawrence family, not to get embroiled in a futile confrontation that wouldn’t hurt Jarrod in the least.
When Nicole stopped her frantic attempts to struggle, Jarrod firmly held the back of her head and drew her close to him.
Their kiss was intense. It seemed Jarrod aimed to quench Nicole’s fury with his warmth. He found pleasure in her eventual submission to him, and silently appreciated her wisdom in not pushing his limits further. After all, he wasn’t sure how he might have reacted otherwise.
The scar above Jarrod’s eyebrow added a fierce look to him, and his muscular arms demonstrated his strength, controlling the situation.
Jarrod only let Nicole go after her face flushed from the prolonged kiss.
Nicole’s eyes held a deep disdain, and each glance she gave Jarrod pierced his heart with a twinge of discomfort.
Before Nicole could voice any more of her grievances, Jarrod said, “Weren’t you planning on returning to work? Before you go, I need to claim some sugar from you.”
Nicole was caught off guard. She had braced herself for him making her exit difficult, not anticipating this turn.
But then she quickly reacted. What did he mean by those words? Was he intending to endlessly take advantage of her? Impossible!
Fiercely, Nicole rubbed her lips, as though erasing an unsavory residue, and snapped, “Don’t expect any courtesy from me next time you try anything.”
Jarrod smiled and said, “I hope you don’t show me any.” That would make things more intriguing. He wasn’t a decent person from the start, so why should he bother playing the role of a gentleman? That was quite a challenge for him.
Rendered utterly speechless by his audacity, Nicole decided further debate was pointless. As she got up to leave, he caught her wrist again. Her face flushed with fury, she asked angrily, “What more do you want?”
Jarrod’s reminder was almost casual, saying, “Just remember not to cross my lines, alright?”
This was his second warning.
Bottom line? Absurd. Nicole scrutinized Jarrod’s expression but didn’t detect any signs of him realizing anything.
Masking her true feelings, Nicole retorted sarcastically, “Jarrod, do you even know what a line is?”
Jarrod released her, offering a slight smile, and said, “I don’t intend to harm you.”
This was the essence of Jarrod, stripped of any guise. A madman who would go to any length to fulfill his desires.
Tears welled up in Nicole’s eyes as she silently regarded him, and said, “Jarrod, spare me your justifications. Whenever you say that, it’s just an excuse to manipulate me through hurting me. I won’t let you have that satisfaction!”
Jarrod arched an eyebrow, seemingly unaffected by Nicole’s insight into his true intentions. “Just keep in mind, we’re in this together, for better or worse.”
Nicole felt disgust wash over her, her entire body breaking out in goosebumps. She couldn’t wait to get away from him, wanting to leave that very instant!
“Be back tonight,” Jarrod declared in an even tone.
“What do you mean by that?” Nicole asked, confused.
“You’ll need to look after me during the nights until I’m fully recovered,” Jarrod explained, offering a slight smile. “I apologize for not making it clear earlier. That kiss was merely a down payment for your daytime absence.”
“How dare you!” Nicole clenched her teeth in fury.
Jarrod’s face remained stoic as he mockingly retorted, “You pride yourself on being morally superior, so according to the morals of the righteous, isn’t it expected to care for someone you’ve injured?”
Nicole responded with a cold laugh, “That depends on whether the injured party is a human or a monster!”
Jarrod’s patience started to fray, his tone becoming menacing, saying, “You seem reluctant to leave.”
“I’m eager to leave!” Nicole was aware he wouldn’t release her without a fuss, but any time away from him felt like a reprieve.
She eyed him cautiously, worried he might retract his statement, and said, “Reneging on your promise isn’t the mark of a true man.”
Jarrod appeared amused by her comment, and his mood seemed to lighten.
He chuckled softly and said, “You’re quite familiar with what kind of man I am.”
Nicole’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she said, “You… You degenerate!”
With that, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Behind her, Jarrod’s previously amused gaze darkened once more.
As Nicole crossed the villa’s front yard, she noticed Alec kneeling on the ground.
Nicole paused, leaned over, and gently tapped Alec’s shoulder as though dusting him off. Then, with a twist of irony, she said, “Alec, it looks like Jarrod doesn’t hold you in high regard!”
Alec’s expression soured dramatically.
Nicole smirked and walked away. She aimed to worsen Alec’s perception of her, intensifying his disdain. Her goal was to highlight and widen the disconnect between Alec’s and Jarrod’s perspectives, potentially to her advantage. After all, Alec was far from blameless!
Stepping outside, Nicole inhaled the fresh air deeply. She entered the car arranged by Jarrod and set off to the company with his men.
Before departing, Nicole cast a glance back at the austere villa, a smile playing on her lips.
Alec struggled to stand up. Then, a key slipped from his pocket. It was deliberately dropped, a key he’d always kept close.
Alec made his way back to Jarrod’s room, finding Jarrod reclined on the bed, with a notebook laid out before him.
Upon Alec’s entry, Jarrod asked softly, “Did she take the bait?”
Alec nodded.
Jarrod nodded calmly. “Good.”
The room fell into silence.
Jarrod’s gaze shifted to the off-white wall. He silently curled his lips downward and prayed deeply within. Nicole, please prove my trust in you wasn’t misplaced!
After departing from Jarrod’s villa, Audrey felt a bit sad.
Cornell, driving, broke the silence. “You seem troubled. Anything you want to share?”