Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Cap?tulo 826:
His relentless humiliation persisted, each sentence striking Audrey like a slap. She clenched her torn collar, tears streaming down her face as she exclaimed, “What nonsense are you speaking!”
Cornell forcefully grasped her chin, his gaze icy as he stared into her eyes. “You’ve been pursuing me because you want me to sleep with you, right?”
A searing pain jolted through Audrey’s chin, prompting her hand to clench into a fist.
The next moment, Cornell leaned down, his chilling breath encroaching, poised as though on the brink of a kiss.
Audrey’s thoughts dissolved into confusion, leaving her unable to respond. The long-held conjecture was entirely upended, leaving a profound impact on her.
As Cornell’s chilly lips drew nearer, before Audrey could respond, his mouth grazed past and made contact with her ear.
“To be honest, I’ve been intimate with you countless times.” He chuckled, his voice scraping against Audrey’s eardrums. “I’m honestly and completely tired of it.”
After speaking those words, Cornell quickly let Audrey go, as if discarding refuse, even taking a step back as though repulsed.
Deprived of support, Audrey slid down the car’s body, nearly falling to the ground. Through a stroke of luck, she seized the door handle, stabilizing her stance.
Despite her near stumble, Cornell remained composed. “Apologies, I cannot compromise my standards to meet your wishes, however…” He paused, a sneer forming on his face. “If you truly desire it, I can suggest men known for their endurance and diverse skills…”
Audrey couldn’t endure it any longer and delivered a resounding slap to Cornell’s face.
Silence filled the air like a heavy shroud.
Cornell’s countenance darkened as if the end of the world had arrived.
A hint of blood tainted his lips, and he regarded her with a contemptuous smirk. “I never imagined someone like you would lack all sense of shame.”
This was an insult to her character. Audrey’s expression shifted once more, and she lifted her hand to slap him again, only to have it firmly seized by Cornell’s outstretched arm.
“At the very least, we were once husband and wife. Let’s consider that slap a parting gesture between strangers. I won’t hold it against you. However…” Cornell tightened his grip, crushing her hand, and issued a stern warning, “If you wish to avoid your studio’s failure in Ardlens, I suggest you refrain from physical altercations in the future.”
Cornell callously threw Audrey’s hand aside.
Audrey leaned on the car door for support, preventing a fall. Dismay, caution, and intimidation… These were the sole impressions she carried from tonight, memories etched permanently in her mind.
Audrey’s breathing calmed from fast to slow, then almost stopped.
The night air felt cool, under desolate moonlight.
Her icy tears lingered, her heart now numb. She fixed her gaze on Cornell in front of her, her pale lips forming a forced smile as she softly conceded, “Cornell, you’ve succeeded.”
In just two short weeks, Cornell had depleted her reservoir of courage. Her once firm beliefs now cruelly betrayed her. How foolish she had been, playing the clown for the past two weeks.
Cornell observed Audrey’s lifeless demeanor, his throat tight, unable to speak. She appeared so fragile that uttering another word seemed poised to shatter her.
“Cornell…” Audrey’s tender voice reached out to Cornell, as if they were still deeply in love.
Cap?tulo 827:
Silently, Cornell gazed at her, offering no response.
However, Audrey didn’t need his response. She simply let the affectionate term slip from her lips for one final time.
“Mr. Clement.” Reverting to the formality of their initial encounter, Audrey introduced a sense of detachment greater than anything they had known before.
“Mr. Clement, I surrender.” Audrey beheld Cornell standing mere inches away, yet he lingered like an elusive mirage, intangible and distant.
Audrey passed by him with a brush of her presence, and her parting words, though soft as a whisper in the wind, resonated with crystalline clarity. “From now on, I won’t pester you anymore.”
Tears cascaded down Audrey’s cheeks, marking her farewell. She made no effort to mask her breakdown. Instead, she regarded her tears as a farewell both to her former self and to him.
She accepted that Cornell’s love had faded. She also acknowledged that love had its limits. This time, she released without reservation, without needing anyone’s persuasion. At that moment, fantasies, regrets, bonds, and hesitations all found their resting place.
Cornell remained fixed, a statue immobilized by her words. He observed the gradual disappearance of Audrey’s slender silhouette in the car’s reflection, and a sudden pang seized his heart as if it were being torn apart. It wasn’t that he lacked the desire to turn around, but something as simple as that… He found himself unable to.
Matteo sensed something awry as Audrey departed and hastened toward Cornell. “Mr. Clement,” he called out, his voice tinged with concern.
Cornell’s face was a mess, drenched in sweat, and he looked distinctly uncomfortable.
Matteo, aware of the watchful eyes behind them, feigned opening the car door while quickly grabbing Cornell’s arm to support him.
Eventually, Cornell managed to lift his stiff legs and climb into the car. However, once inside, he couldn’t even settle back into the seat and just collapsed onto it.
Startled, Matteo quickly shut the car door, hoping no one behind them would spot any issues.
Once back in the driver’s seat, Matteo saw that Cornell struggled to sit up by himself. He was about to help, but Cornell snapped at him, “Drive!”
Matteo’s hand twitched, and he clenched his jaw as he started the engine.
Suddenly, Matteo heard a sound.
“Poof! Cornell, in the backseat, tried to sit up forcefully but failed. He ended up coughing blood.”
“Mr. Clement!” Matteo instinctively hit the brakes, intending to stop the car.
“No… Keep going,” Cornell said, clenching his fist, his voice strained. “Head back to Serenity Villas.”
Cornell had moved back to Serenity Villas again.
Without permission, Matteo didn’t dare stop the car, yet he was anxious. “Mr. Clement, we should get you to a hospital…”
“No need,” Cornell replied, his face as pale as a sheet, coldly dismissing the idea. The hospital couldn’t really help. They would just give him painkillers. He was poisoned, and even the best hospitals couldn’t figure out the poison or offer an antidote.
Soon, Cornell would need a wheelchair to get around. Watching his body weaken day by day, unable to stop it, overwhelmed him. He decided to face it alone. If the person he loved could live out her days in peace, that would be enough.
Upon arriving at Serenity Villas, Matteo assisted Cornell to the front gate, yet Cornell simply waved his hand dismissively and said, “Go back.”
Cap?tulo 828:
Matteo didn’t want to leave. Watching Cornell lean on the doorframe, his heart ached.
For fear of exposing Cornell’s condition, all the staff at Serenity Villas had been sent away.
In the quiet, dark house, not a single light was on. Cornell was alone, a thought that deeply saddened anyone who knew the truth. Who would have guessed that a CEO, flourishing and worth trillions, could be living in such despair?
Matteo couldn’t grasp why Cornell, clearly more capable than Alexis and Henley, remained so guarded.
Yet, from what Matteo knew about Cornell, Cornell was likely gearing up for something big. All Matteo could do was help and follow along.
With tears in his voice, Matteo pleaded, “Mr. Clement, please let me stay here to take care of you.”
Under the moonlight, Cornell’s pale face and eyes seemed to cast a cold glow. “You need to watch those people and find out what they’re plotting!”
After Cornell kicked Alexis and his supporters out of the company, there was no way Alexis would just give up like that.
As things heated up, Alexis became bolder, even daring to have people follow Cornell.
And Henley, even after his demotion, still clung onto the company.
The two of them must be plotting something, waiting for the right moment to act. Cornell knew he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
Apart from the threats posed by Alexis and Henley, someone even more dangerous and terrifying went after Audrey’s Life.
Cornell planned to deal with them by drawing all the attention to himself, a move that would undoubtedly make those around him become susceptible. So, time was critical. He needed to distance himself from Audrey as much as possible to keep her safe.
Looking out into the night, Cornell’s determination was evident in his deep eyes. No matter the strength of the enemies, he was resolved to eliminate anyone who posed a threat to Audrey. Even if it meant facing hell alongside them, he was prepared.
After smoking a cigarette, Cornell went back to the empty bed. He lay down without bothering to cover himself.
Each time he shut his eyes, Audrey’s words of giving up on him echoed in his mind. With each repetition, the crack in his heart widened, causing him excruciating pain.
“Mr. Clement.” These two words seemed to carve a hollow in his heart.
He had no choice but to bear the pain alone.
At West Lake Villa.
Erick stood at the entrance, his suit hung over one arm, ready to leave. He hadn’t seen Audrey come back yet and was starting to worry.
He decided to go out and wait for her.
But just as he reached the entrance, Audrey appeared.
“You’re back?” Erick gave Audrey a casual look. Although Audrey had straightened up after stepping out of the car, Erick couldn’t help but notice the torn corner of her sweater and the slight bruise on her jawline.
In a flash, his calm demeanor crumbled. “Who did this? Tell me!”
Cap?tulo 829: