Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Cornell declined Erick’s hand, opting to hoist himself up from the ground, albeit with difficulty. He merely needed a moment to regain his composure before rising to his feet. In Audrey’s presence, he refrained from using coercion to sway her decision. His voice hoarse, he addressed Erick, “Erick.”
This tone gave Erick a pause before he responded, “It’s best for you to return.”
Cornell stayed silent.
Erick reasoned, “What can you achieve by staying here? Audrey was caught off guard and taken away by you within the mansion. Do you truly believe you can get out?”
He reminded Cornell of the unforgiving nature of this place, cautioning, “In Aurora, you can’t outmatch the Clifford family in a kidnapping.”
Cornell retorted, “It’s not that I can’t outmatch them.”
It was Audrey’s feelings Cornell was uncertain of. If her heart truly belonged to him, he believed he could safely navigate any peril to bring her back.
Erick’s expression soured slightly. “If you behave recklessly, I won’t be polite.”
To Erick, Cornell posed a greater threat than the individual responsible for Casey’s disappearance.
Fearing Cornell’s potential to lose control and whisk Audrey away, Erick issued a stern warning, “I’ll arrange for someone to take you out, but if you come back here, I’ll leave it to the Clifford family to deal with, and I won’t be part of it.”
Cornell lowered his gaze. “Erick, there’s no need for you to worry about me.”
Erick fell silent.
Fearing Cornell might exacerbate the situation, Erick felt compelled to be stern. “I’m not sure what’s on your mind right now, but if it’s because you love Audrey, then you should respect her choices, whether she decides to marry Stefan or be with you. We’ve never meddled in her decisions. It’s always been Audrey’s choice. I hope you won’t do anything that goes against her wishes. You can’t break up and then reconcile on your whim. Have you thought about whether Audrey can handle it?”
Erick displayed a photo on his phone, stating, “Take a good look at how much she suffered after you regained consciousness.”
The photo depicted Audrey’s emotional distress scores, nearing 26 on the HAMD scale, almost reaching severe depression levels.
Initially, Victor, concerned about Audrey’s persistent despondency and lack of interest, feared Audrey might jeopardize her health, so she alerted Erick.
Upon reviewing Audrey’s medical records, Erick discovered signs of depression. However, Audrey kept it to herself, fearing others would fret.
Unable to take medication due to her pregnancy, Audrey diligently followed her doctor’s advice, diverting her focus from fixation on any one thing. Fortunately, her condition wasn’t dire. After receiving psychological counseling and through her own efforts, Audrey’s scores returned to normal levels.
This brought relief to those around Audrey. She consistently cooperated, refusing to give up on herself. She understood the responsibilities of motherhood.
As Cornell beheld the photo, he felt as though his heart was being constricted, making it difficult to draw breath. It was only then that he comprehended Audrey’s unbearable pain, akin to his own.
Erick regarded Cornell’s pallid face, nearly translucent, and sensed that he grasped the underlying message.
“I can’t quite wrap my head around how Audrey managed to overcome depression with such determination,” Erick confessed, his voice faltering as he recounted the unspoken trials, his eyes brimming with moisture.
“But she managed it, simply because she’s a mother, a daughter, a sister. She knows there are many people who rely on her, care about her… So, before you take any action, consider whether Audrey can handle it. If you cause her condition to worsen, I won’t let you off the hook!”
G a lno ve ls . com is where the magic begins
With these words hanging in the air, Erick turned and walked away.
Having expressed so much, if Cornell still couldn’t understand and persisted in his ways, then he wasn’t the right person for Audrey.
A partner who only considered their own feelings wasn’t a good partner.
Plus, Cornell needed to undergo rehabilitation therapy. With he always half-Limping, Audrey would surely find it challenging to feel at ease.
Cornell remained behind in the wind, the air mingling with scattered droplets, obscuring whose vision.
Meanwhile, Audrey, her head shrouded by Victor’s jacket, had just entered the waiting room, where she spotted Stefan looking distressed.
“Audrey.” Seeing Audrey, Stefan’s eyes lit up, and his arms instinctively moved forward as if to reach out. However, he quickly realized the inappropriateness of such a gesture and restrained himself, allowing his arms to fall back to his sides.
Stefan’s concern emanated genuine warmth, and Audrey couldn’t help but feel a slight flutter in her eyelashes, a tinge of embarrassment creeping over her.
On her way here, she had collided with a servant, prompting Victor to shield her face with her jacket, hoping to prevent gossip.
But deep down, Audrey understood that this gesture was akin to a futile attempt to cover one’s ears whilst stealing a bell. After all, the white dress could not be fully concealed, one could tell she was today’s bride without seeing her face.
With her wedding dress marred and bloodstained, appearing disheveled on her special day without explanation, Audrey knew all too well that people would inevitably indulge in speculation about her morals. And countless rumors were likely to circulate.
Even though their marriage was a charade, it remained a secret to others. In the eyes of society, a bride’s loss of dignity on her wedding day equated to the groom, Stefan, losing face. Audrey still felt deeply remorseful and embarrassed.
After all, in a male-dominated and primitive society like Aurora, the preservation of dignity held significant importance, particularly among men.
“Stefan, I was spotted by two servants on my way here. I’m sorry. You might have to deal with that…” Audrey spoke, her aversion to inconveniencing others evident in her tone, which carried a subtle hint of remorse.
Stefan didn’t seem perturbed by that. Instead, he inspected the bloodstains on her dress hem with concern. “Are you injured?”
Audrey glanced at the bloodstain. “It’s not mine…”
Anticipating Stefan to probe further, he merely seemed relieved. “As long as you’re unharmed.”
“Regarding the servants…”
“Don’t worry about the servants. I’ll take care of it,” Stefan assured her tenderly.
Though Stefan didn’t pry for details, Audrey felt compelled to provide an explanation. Their cooperation was built on mutual trust, and Erick had always emphasized promptly explaining any mishaps to him or Stefan to prevent misunderstandings.
“Stefan, it was Cornell who took me away. Audrey bit her lip, a sign of unease, before adding, “He made his way here.”
Following a brief silence, Stefan replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll instruct my people not to make trouble for him.”
Stefan’s understanding response heightened Audrey’s embarrassment.
Erick had characterized their relationship as mutually beneficial with the claim that Stefan required a faux wife to extricate himself from his family.
In reality, Stefan could have selected a bride with a less intricate background to fulfill the role instead of someone like her, surrounded by dangers and troubles. In such a short span, she had already caused him considerable trouble.
“Stefan, I’m truly sorry. I haven’t been out much, so probably not many people have seen me. If you need to find someone less problematic, you could…” Audrey lowered her head.
“It’s me who needs your assistance,” Stefan interjected swiftly.
“I want you to understand it’s more than just assisting me. Considering my position, choosing a bride with a typical background wouldn’t be feasible since that would surely arouse the suspicions from my family. However, since you’re from the Foster family, it doesn’t raise any red flags. It’s a practical arrangement, though I realize it might be inconvenient for you,” Stefan explained, refraining from casting himself as a sacrificial friend.
He draped his jacket over Audrey, his tone gentle. “The wedding is merely for show. Don’t let it weigh on you. Let’s carry on as we did before.”
Audrey’s eyes were red and tearful, unsure what to say. Stefan was a paragon of kindness, always gentle, patient, and considerate of others.
Later, Stefan had an exact replica of Audrey’s wedding dress brought in. It was identical down to the last detail.
Audrey’s eyes widened in astonishment as she asked, “Stefan, how did you manage to find an exact duplicate of my wedding dress?”
Stefan smiled. “I anticipated the unexpected, so I had two complete sets of your wedding attire and accessories prepared, just in case.”
Audrey blushed. “Stefan, you’ve done too much.”
Stefan chuckled. “Just make today’s performance convincing, and that’ll be all the thanks I need!”
Audrey nodded vigorously.
Once Audrey was fully transformed in her makeup and dress, Erick returned to the backstage area, double-checking every detail with a meticulous eye. He gave everything a final check and then gently led Audrey out, hand in hand.
Since Stefan had told his family earlier that he and Audrey had already formalized their marriage in Alcyone, so there was no need to repeat the ceremony in Aurora.
Considering Audrey’s pregnancy, they opted to forgo the elaborate formalities and focus on the celebration. They kept it simple, raising a glass in a heartfelt toast to Stefan’s father, the patriarch of the Clifford clan, and that was the extent of the ceremony.
Since this was a pretend marriage, Erick wanted to spare Audrey the hassle of a full-scale wedding and all its trappings.
As they arrived at the banquet hall, Erick discreetly handed Audrey over to Stefan, whispering, “Look after her well. She’s precious to me.”
“Of course,” Stefan replied.
Audrey shivered, feeling a flutter of anxiety, and whispered, “You two are taking this way too seriously. It’s making me really uneasy.”
Stefan and Erick laughed, their chuckles filling the air.
“Let’s go.” With a warm smile, Stefan offered Audrey his arm, and together they walked toward the gathered guests, a united front.
Audrey looked around, seeing a few familiar faces from Aurora.
Given that this was a pretend wedding, and considering the sensitive circumstances, the guest list had been limited to only those from Aurora.
However, Hector, a business associate of the Clifford family from their overseas dealings, was a notable exception among the guests.
Noticing Audrey’s unease, Stefan offered a reassuring touch, gently patting the back of her hand. “Stay close to me.”
Fortunately, the toasting ceremony soon drew to a close.
Stefan seized on Audrey’s exhaustion as a pretext to usher her away for a much-needed rest.
As they approached the exit, a low voice unexpectedly resonated. “The bride departs so soon?”