Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Cornell met her gaze with a determination that was both unsettling and compelling. “To prove myself!”
Cornell took Audrey to a club, leaving Audrey slightly puzzled.
He positioned her in front of a glass panel and handed her headphones, telling her, “Check this out.”
Once inside, Cornell hit the remote control, and suddenly, a porn began to play on the screen in 4D.
The flirtatious scenes and suggestive sounds seemed to happen right before Audrey’s eyes. She was so shocked she covered her mouth.
However, Cornell watched intently, his expression unchanged.
Audrey started to grasp what he was trying to show her.
The porn ran for forty-five minutes, filled with those awkwardly intimate noises enveloping her the entire time. Eventually, Audrey couldn’t take it anymore and removed the headphones.
After it was over, Cornell switched off the screen, drew her close, and asked, “Did you catch that?”
Audrey’s cheeks turned bright red. The situation was completely ridiculous.
Cornell then showed her a report on his phone from a well-known hospital. “After you left, I lost interest in women for five whole years. My mother got so concerned that she took me to the hospital for a check-up, and they gave us this report.”
The medical report suggested Cornell had lost his sexual drive due to psychological trauma.
Luciana was shocked beyond words when she got hold of this report.
This was the very reason Cornell was adamant that he couldn’t be the father of Katie’s child. He was all too familiar with his own body.
For years, not a single woman beyond Audrey had caught Cornell’s interest. Yet, the moment he laid eyes on Audrey after she came back, he felt an undeniable attraction and got arousal as they got intimate.
Cornell gazed deeply into Audrey’s eyes, his voice rough. “Aside from you, no one can arouse me.”
“Please, stop…” Audrey couldn’t bear to hear more.
Cornell hugged her, asking, “Do you believe me now?”
He was at a loss for other ways to clear his name. Discussing such private matters wasn’t something he’d do under normal circumstances, but to prove he was innocent, he was willing to swallow his pride.
Without Audrey, he felt he’d never find sexual happiness in his life again.
“It’s not that I don’t believe you.” Audrey turned away, her voice breaking. “We promised to be open with each other, but you…”
Audrey had her complaints. Had Cornell just been upfront with her earlier, she wouldn’t have jumped to conclusions, nor would she have been as devastated seeing Luciana and Katie stand together against her.
Seeing her eyes fill with tears, Cornell felt his heart rip apart.
He embraced her, his voice rough. “This is on me. I thought I could handle it, but I ended up making everything worse.”
These days, as Katie pointed out, Cornell was facing challenges left and right. Without someone he cherished, he might have actually considered Katie’s offer, marrying Katie to avert the crisis as a quick fix, just like his parents had done.
But Audrey and Janey were Cornell’s world, the two people he couldn’t disappoint or abandon. He kept quiet about Katie using the child in her belly to blackmail him, not wanting to burden Audrey. He had misjudged Katie’s impulsiveness, leading Audrey to suffer unnecessarily.
Cornell’s strained voice made Audrey’s heart tighten. She realized he had been through just as much as she had.
“Audrey, I’ll make sure to settle the matter regarding Katie’s pregnancy for you!” Cornell vowed.
Katie’s confidence won over even his mother. Cornell was determined to get to the bottom about the kid in her belly!
Cornell held Audrey close, his chin on her hair, whispering, “You can be mad at me, but please don’t leave me…”
The moment Audrey refused to see him, Cornell truly panicked. It felt as if he was losing something dear to him. His worry was so intense that he felt helpless.
Feeling his heartbeat, Audrey’s heart had long been softened. They had worked through so many misunderstandings to get to this point.
Their love, not easily won, deserved to be treasured by both. In a gentle voice, she said, “I haven’t given up on us.”
If she had really wanted to give him up, she wouldn’t have come down to convince him to come back. She was always decisive. Her coming down showed that, deep down, she just couldn’t bear to let him suffer.
Hearing her words, Cornell’s happiness knew no bounds, and he hugged her even tighter. He promised, “From now on, I’ll share everything with you, no matter how small it might seem.”
Audrey, with a soft voice, replied, “I know there’s been a lot of happening with your company. I wish I knew how to help…”
Cornell’s heart swelled with love at her concern. He bent down and gently kissed her cheek, saying, “Staying by my side is what I need from you.” This allowed him to fully concentrate on those who had hidden agendas.
Audrey felt Cornell was quite easy to please, and her heart felt immediately warmer. After a moment, she added, “About telling Janey you’re her biological father, I’d like us to keep it between ourselves for a bit.”
With all the current complications, Audrey wanted to protect Janey from any harm.
Cornell understood her concerns and responded, “Alright, let’s hold off until we’ve sorted everything out.”
Then, Audrey brought up another concern. “Cornell, have you noticed your mother seems a bit off lately?”
Cornell knitted his brows, admitting, “Yeah, she’s been unusually clingy to Katie these past few years. I’ve tried discussing it with her, but she doesn’t want to hear it.”
Recalling her few encounters with Luciana, Audrey remembered Luciana’s unhealthy appearance, the type that hinted at mental fatigue. To be frank, Luciana looked as though her soul had left her, utterly devoid of Life.
Considering Luciana was only in her fifties this year, Audrey wondered why Luciana appeared so much older than her peers. She then inquired, “Has Luciana been dealing with any health problems?”
Cornell shook his head. “All her tests came back normal.”
“Take a look at this,” Audrey said. She took a square-shaped medicine box out of her bag and handed it to Cornell. “I found this in the mall today, and I’m not sure if it’s Luciana’s.”
Katie and Luciana were the first to leave today. The medicine box was found on the ground where they had been, and it was gold-plated, which ruled out it being an assistant’s.
Upon closer inspection, Audrey noticed a faint initial on it.
This made it unclear whether the box was Katie’s or Luciana’s.
But the gold-plated design, not typically favored by the younger crowd, suggested it might belong to Luciana.
Cornell frowned and said, “This is my mom’s.”
Cornell had seen it before and had once asked Luciana about its contents. Luciana simply said it was for health purposes. The investigation into Luciana’s schedule hadn’t revealed much. Besides shopping and hanging out with Katie, Luciana seemed to keep to herself.
Upon reflecting, Cornell realized there was something amiss about Luciana’s condition. He picked up the medicine box and announced, “I’ll get this tested.”
“That’s for the best. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious.” Audrey couldn’t help worrying but hoped for the best.
On their way back, Cornell wrapped his arms around Audrey, never letting go. He whispered, “I haven’t been able to sleep well these past few days. You’re all I think about, whether my eyes are open or closed.”
Audrey softly hummed. “I didn’t feel anything.”
If she hadn’t reached out to him today, he likely wouldn’t have made time for her at all. Even though they had resolved the misunderstanding, she still felt a little upset about how cold he had been toward her recently. She couldn’t help but sound a bit flirty.
Cornell chuckled and gently held the back of her head to kiss her.
“Mm…” Audrey caught her breath, suddenly pressed against the seat by him.
Cornell kissed her passionately, as if claiming her.
Caught up in the moment, Audrey moaned softly.
Cornell, slightly out of breath but smiling, asked, “How about now?”
Audrey’s cheeks turned a bright red. She whispered, “That’s not what I meant!”
Laughing heartily, Cornell teasingly squeezed her, his voice growing deep. “I can make you feel in other ways, too.”
Audrey, her cheeks still warm, nudged him away a bit. “We haven’t sorted out the thing with Katie yet…”
The thought of Katie falsely claiming to be pregnant with Cornell’s child troubled Audrey. Being fond of someone involved paying attention to their interactions with the opposite gender.
Cornell’s detest for Katie reached its climax.
He moved closer, holding Audrey’s waist tightly, his voice rough.
“You’re aroused. Sure you don’t want this?”
Audrey was left without words. She turned red and felt completely overwhelmed.
Cornell looked at her intensely and kissed her with deep passion.
The following day, at a senior meeting within the Clement Group, Cornell was speaking when the conference room door swung open.
Henley came in, a man who wasn’t qualified to attend this meeting, making his entrance quite shocking.
Cornell shot Henley a frosty look.
Henley slammed a financial report on the table, outlining the losses the Clement Group faced due to Cornell’s solo decision to back out of the deal with the Glyn Group on the Eastern Garden project.
“Care to explain this, Mr. Clement?” Henley smirked.