Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Any evidence of Jimena being murdered by Davey was cleaned away.
Outwardly, they declared Jimena was another soul having slipped away from Aurora.
Yet, in this stratified society, families like Jimena’s slipped through the cracks. Their disappearances were barely registered.
Even if Jimena’s family dared to report it, the authorities would brush it off as illegal emigration, a common plight for Aurora’s underprivileged.
Aurora authorities enacted strict regulations on departing residents, demanding a hefty emigration fee as a prerequisite for leaving.
Failure to comply rendered their departure unlawful.
For many, this fee was prohibitively steep, reaching astronomical heights.
The measure served as a bulwark against the exodus of commoners and the underprivileged from Aurora, whose governance deficiencies could otherwise precipitate a mass departure if resources allowed, leaving the elite without a workforce.
Yet, for those unable to amass such wealth even over multiple generations, escape remained an elusive dream, condemning them to a life sentence on the island, from cradle to grave.
After consulting Davey, the assistant drove off the truck, carrying Jimena’s body in its confines.
As the cigar dwindled between his fingers, Davey gestured for the driver to drive.
Through the tinted window, Davey caught sight of a sleek black car gliding to a halt outside Jimena’s apartment.
A man in a sharp suit emerged, his polished black leather shoes clicking on the pavement. The passenger door opened, revealing a figure with chiseled features and a calculating gaze ??Erick.
A wry smile played on Davey’s lips. Casey’s supposed son had inherited more than just genes. He possessed a knack for tracking down leads, having successfully tracked down Jimena’s apartment.
But Erick was five minutes late. If only he had arrived earlier, Jimena might have spilled everything.
As Davey observed from the window, Erick had entered Jimena’s apartment.
Then, Davey recalled the young man from Audrey’s wedding, whom he had investigated later. It turned out, the young man, Bryce, was Hector’s son, despite bearing no resemblance.
Hector’s name left a bitter taste lingering on Davey’s tongue. Once, Hector had been his greatest rival in love, deeply enamored with Casey. But what had love truly achieved? Hector had ultimately fathered a child with another woman.
Davey couldn’t help but wonder how Casey would react to the news.
Casey, always with her naive belief that the world outside held something better, that every man out there was pure goodness. She failed to see that in this harsh reality, only he truly loved her.
To Davey, the declarations of love from other men were nothing but hollow echoes, mere jests.
Inside the villa, Audrey’s heart raced with anticipation as she awaited news from Erick.
The slightest glimmer of some progress regarding their mother’s whereabouts lifted her spirits. It would fuel her hope of reuniting with their long-lost mother.
Even her unborn children seemed to share in her excitement, dancing restlessly in her belly that afternoon.
Audrey settled onto the sofa, her hand gently caressing her swollen stomach. “You want to meet your grandma too, don’t you, Little ones?” she murmured softly.
Suddenly, the tranquility of the moment was shattered by a commotion in the hallway.
Erick was being carried in by his assistant and Judd, his face pale, body limp and lips bloodless.
Audrey rushed to his side, her voice trembling with fear as she took in his condition. “Erick, what happened to you?”
But Erick remained unresponsive, his eyes shut tightly in pain.
Observing Erick’s blood-soaked shoulder, clearly from a gunshot wound, Audrey’s heart sank.
Stefan, trailing behind with a team of doctors, directed Judd to carry Erick to a makeshift surgery room in the downstairs guest room.
Fortunately, Stefan’s expertise in such affairs was a boon. The room had been meticulously outfitted with a wide array of medical equipment, mitigating any risk of contamination.
As Erick was whisked away, Audrey’s anxiety threatened to overwhelm her. She turned to Stefan, eyes red and her voice trembling. “Stefan, how could this happen?”
Erick had left at noon in good condition, only to return in such dire straits.
Stefan, noting the pallor in Audrey’s complexion, didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he guided her gently to the sofa as he tried to find the right words. “He went to that doctor’s apartment but found nothing. Not a soul. As he was leaving, he encountered a thief, and a fight ensued.”
Hearing this, Audrey struggled to comprehend the coincidence. It seemed improbable that such a confrontation would occur in Aurora, where the divide between the privileged and the common was starkly evident. A thief against someone of Erick’s stature seemed highly unlikely.
Erick’s attire and the luxurious mode of transportation he employed were unmistakable signs of his affluence. It begged the question of why a mere petty thief would dare to challenge someone so evidently his superior.
Tears welled in her eyes as Audrey spoke, her voice choked with emotion. “I refuse to believe it, Stefan. Is someone trying to kill Erick? Just when we were on the brink of finding our mother, this happens. It can’t be mere chance!”
Stefan’s gaze softened with understanding. “Your suspicions may not be unfounded, Audrey. I’m looking into it, and I’ve alerted the authorities. Rest assured, I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Stefan knew that keeping Audrey in the loop was crucial. It kept her grounded and prevented her from spiraling into irrational fears.
However, Stefan only told her half the story. It was evident that someone had intended to send Erick a clear warning. The alleged thief didn’t even manage to reach the hospital before meeting his demise.
That was why, when Erick got injured, Stefan opted for doctors to visit their home instead of risking a trip to the hospital. He feared the possibility of the opposition meddling with Erick’s treatment if they were at the hospital. It seemed safer to manage everything within the confines of their own home.
Moreover, the Clifford family’s manor possessed all the necessary medical equipment, comparable to any hospital’s, so there was no worry about hygiene or lack of resources.
Stefan enveloped Audrey in his arms, offering her solace. “Look at it this way. If there’s trouble brewing, it means the person behind this is feeling desperate. You’re getting closer to the truth.”
Audrey felt a whirlwind of confusion and anxiety engulfing her. Who could be concealing her mother, and who wielded such formidable influence?
After an agonizing wait, the door swung open and the doctor emerged.
Audrey hurried forward, her heart pounding with worry. “Doctor, how’s my brother? Is he in danger?”
The doctor’s expression was earnest. “There’s nothing critical. The patient hasn’t suffered any damage to vital organs. It’s a gunshot wound on his left shoulder, and we’ve successfully removed the bullet. He simply needs some rest, and he’ll make a full recovery.”
The doctor’s words brought a modicum of relief to Audrey’s fraught mind.
Entering the room, Audrey found Erick still unconscious, lying on the bed.
The steady rhythm of the monitors beside Erick provided some comfort, somewhat alleviating her anxieties.
Audrey remained by his side until Stefan entered and gently reminded her, “Grab a bite to eat first, and then you can sit with him for another hour before you rest.”
If Audrey wasn’t given a specific timeframe, she’d likely stay up worrying all night. Considering her pregnancy, staying up and fretting would only harm her health.
Stefan, sensing her unease, reached out with a reassuring hand. “I’m here for you, Audrey. And there are attendants around the clock. You need to focus on yourself now, especially with Erick still resting. Don’t worry him when he wakes.”
Audrey knew Stefan had her best interests at heart, so she nodded, trusting his guidance. With a sigh, she rose from her seat, her movements sluggish with exhaustion, and made her way to the dining area.
The aroma of food did little to stir her appetite, but she knew she needed to eat, especially in her delicate state of pregnancy. With determined effort, she pushed food around her plate, forcing herself to consume what she could.
She keenly observed Stefan, seated across from her. “Stefan, have you thought more about the woman who bought the medicine?”
The mysterious woman’s sudden disappearance left them with more questions than answers. Their only recourse was to follow her connections for any semblance of a lead.
“Her name was Jimena,” Stefan began, his voice tinged with frustration. “She worked as a private doctor for the Glyn family and took on additional private assignments.”
Obviously, it appeared Jimena’s motivations leaned toward profit, charging exorbitant fees for her services.
“Wait, the Glyn family?” The mention sparked Audrey’s interest, and she leaned in. “Do you mean Davey Glyn, Katie’s uncle from our wedding?”
Stefan nodded solemnly. “Yes, that’s the one. Davey Glyn.”
A shiver ran down Audrey’s spine as she recalled the unsettling encounter with Davey at the wedding. His piercing gaze seemed to pierce through her, leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable. Her initial concern centered on whether her mother’s disappearance was linked to this enigmatic Davey.
Stefan harbored similar suspicions. But while Davey was a plausible suspect, the lack of concrete evidence regarding Casey’s existence around him left room for doubt.
There were some speculations about Davey’s personal life that swirled around Aurora, but one thing was certain. He kept his private affairs well-guarded. He wasn’t linked with any female companionship, either at home or elsewhere.
Whispers insinuated Davey’s indifference toward women, hinting at an alternative inclination toward men.
Truly to say, it was an anomaly in Aurora’s patriarchal society.
Yet, Davey remained impervious to such gossip, disregarding conjectures regarding his sexual preferences. Women who dared approach him were met with a frosty reception, dissuading any further attempts.
Yet, amidst the rumors, another theory emerged. It said Davey’s reluctance to pursue relationships stemmed not from disinterest, but from a lingering attachment to a woman of his past, a haunting presence that kept him from seeking companionship or marriage for years on end.
Stefan leaned in with a low but serious voice. “I’ll dig into this. Davey’s a strange one. Audrey, you steer clear of him, got it? No private chats.”
Audrey nodded with a soft, “I understand.”
With children on the way, Audrey wasn’t about to go chasing after trouble. Just the thought of Davey sent shivers down her spine, a feeling she’d rather do without.
If there was any truth to Davey being involved in her mother’s disappearance, she trusted Erick to uncover it. Confronting Davey herself would only muddy the waters for Erick.
Audrey wasn’t foolish enough to risk it. If Davey was tied to her mother’s vanishing act, reaching out to him could mean walking straight into a trap. It would only sabotage Casey’s chance at rescue, and make Erick’s job that much harder.
Audrey grasped these stakes keenly even without Stefan needing to spell them out.
After dinner, she lingered by Erick’s bedside, his form still and silent under the weight of anesthesia.