Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Deep down, she was mad at Cornell, thinking he didn’t know how to take care of himself. Before she could grasp the cause of her fury, she said impatiently, “Mr. Clement, don’t you know that you are being annoying? Please stop doing things that only make you feel good about yourself.”
Cornell’s face turned pale upon hearing this. After a long silence, he said in a self-deprecating tone, “It’s not what you think it is.”
Thinking that was an excuse he had fumbled out, Audrey raised her voice and questioned, “How is it not? If you think your actions will move me, think again. I am so annoyed by you. Please, stop devaluing yourself.”
Seeing her getting emotional, Cornell pursed his lips and refrained from saying anymore to aggravate her further.
Audrey pivoted in a huff and was about to walk away when she heard an enthusiastic voice calling her.
“Audrey!” A youthful woman in a white fur coat ran up to Audrey, her face clean, brimming with vigor.
Audrey froze, staring at the woman and trying to recall if she knew her.
The woman approached Audrey enthusiastically and said, “Audrey, don’t you remember me? I’m Eloise Benton.”
Eloise Benton… Audrey scanned her memory, trying to remember the name. Finally, it clicked. Eloise was once Cornell’s blind date.
It had been a while, and Audrey found Eloise’s enthusiasm somewhat strange. She couldn’t help asking, “Eloise, what are you doing here?”
Eloise seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere and replied, “I tagged along with Cornell. The Clement Group is overseeing a transportation project, and they need to do some on-site inspections.”
Her voice trailed off, and her face suddenly turned red. She added hesitantly, “I simply insisted on coming over against his wish.”
Audrey knew the project Eloise mentioned.
The leaders of Aurora prioritized infrastructures development, aiming to shorten the time of travelling to the outside world. The transportation project first set eyes on commuting to Ambrosia.
This could be regarded as a signal to the international community that Ambrosia’s economy had attracted the interest of Aurora.
This was a fantastic opportunity. Which company in Ambrosia wouldn’t want to get involved in such a project? After all, they had government subsidies and the chance to earn company prestige. Nothing could be better than this. So, it was no longer surprising that the Clement Group took this project seriously.
However, what Audrey didn’t quite understand was Eloise’s last sentence. Cornell had no intention of bring Eloise along here?
Realization belatedly dawned on Audrey and her face flushed with embarrassment. It seemed she had indeed misunderstood Cornell, since it appeared his presence here was merely for business.
Moreover, the relationship between Cornell and Eloise raised question.
Judging from Eloise’s sudden flush, Audrey suspected that Eloise was likely Cornell’s girlfriend.
Audrey lowered her head. If only she could have withdrawn her previous words of assuming Cornell had come all the way here just for her.
There was an awkward silence.
Right then, Hector showed up. Spotting Audrey had returned, he stepped forward and said, “”Audrey, Cornell came to discuss the project. But when he heard about Erick’s situation, he came with me to pay a visit.”
Then, Hector glanced at Eloise and added, “Do you remember Miss Benton?”
Hector remembered Audrey and Eloise once camped together and felt there was no need for further introductions.
Audrey was rendered speechless. She had never been this frustrated.
She vividly felt the impact of her recent anxiety as the due date was around the corner. She was so agitated that she just jumped to the conclusion at first glance and got emotional since then.
Despite Cornell’s words of explaining his presence, she stubbornly stuck to her assumption. This made Audrey feel her face burning with embarrassment. She wished she could immediately leave.
Eloise, never a keen one to read the room, said to Audrey, “Audrey, am I bothering you? Cornell didn’t want to bring me over. But I insisted…”
“No, it’s okay. In fact, I want to thank you both for coming to see Erick.” Audrey’s flushed face turned pale as she silently berated herself. With a forced smile, she said, “Sorry, I feel a bit tired. I’ll take my leave for a rest first.”
With that, she signaled her departure and headed straight to her room without looking back.
Eloise was a bit confused. She turned to Cornell and asked helplessly, “Cornell, did I say something wrong?”
Cornell remained silent, but his eyes darkened. After a while, he said, “It’s not your fault. It’s just that I’m not welcome here.”
As soon as Audrey returned to her room, she lay on her bed and buried her head under the quilt. As she chewed on the recent events, the embarrassment overwhelmed her.
She actually told Cornell not to do demeaning things. It turned out she was the one who had demeaned herself. What would Cornell think?
He was probably speechless. He must have not expected her to be so eager to put herself in a favorable Light.
Audrey buried her head deeper into the pillow. It was as if she wanted her head to shrink like a turtle. Perhaps she could pretend nothing had happened. Anyway, she wouldn’t see Cornell frequently in the next few days.
Everything would be okay. Audrey tried to comfort herself.
Then, she suddenly remembered something. Wasn’t it said that the person Eloise was with in the tent years back was Bryce? Why was Eloise with Cornell now?
Wait! Bryce said he and Eloise ki*sed in the tent because they were just drunk. Aside from that, nothing else happened. That meant nothing was going on between Bryce and Eloise. In this case, Eloise could be with Cornell.
After all, the Clement family had a good impression of Eloise’s background.
As these things came to Audrey’s mind, she felt something was wrong with her. Why had she been thinking about Cornell all along? Didn’t she promise herself she would forget everything about him?
The next day, Audrey woke up, feeling listless. She didn’t sleep last night. Her mind was a mess. In fact, the incense fell on the floor last night, but she didn’t notice it and didn’t pick it up.
Audrey had a quick breakfast and then went to see Erick.
Erick lay in the bed, and the nurse had just finished washing him up.
When he saw Audrey’s pale face, he asked, “Didn’t you sleep well last night?”
Upon seeing Erick’s probing eyes, Audrey prevaricated, “I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
Erick didn’t doubt her words. Since she was about to give birth, she must be having difficulty sleeping. At the thought of this, he comforted her, “Don’t worry about anything else. The most important thing now is for you to give birth to your babies safely.”
Audrey felt a bit guilty. Many things had to be put on hold because of her upcoming delivery.
When Erick saw the expression on her face, he understood what was on her mind. So, he said, “It’s not your fault. Don’t think too much about it. As for the quicksand fire, we’re still deciphering it. Davey has been staying indoors lately and even strengthened the security. We can’t get in, and we can’t force our way in. We’re still figuring out a solution.”
“I understand,” Audrey replied with a nod.
Erick continued to comfort her, “There’s no need to rush at this moment. After all these years, I doubt Davey will suddenly act against our mother. He might have noticed something, though. So, let’s wait a bit longer and see what he’s really up to.”
Audrey realized Erick’s words made sense. According to their father, Davey’s connection with their mother was complicated by emotions. So, Davey wouldn’t harm their mother rashly.
But Davey was unpredictable. If they didn’t plan carefully, everyone involved might end disastrously because of an impulsive move. Of course, that included their mother.
Erick asked casually, “Did you see Cornell yesterday?”
Audrey thought back to that embarrassing moment and nodded.
Fearing Audrey might overthink it, Erick quickly clarified, “He came here for the transportation project…”
“I’m aware,” Audrey interrupted.
“Stefan told me about his confession to you yesterday”, Erick said, changing the topic.
Stefan’s sincere expression flashed across Audrey’s mind. At the thought of this, her face flushed slightly.
She remained silent, so Erick probed, “What do you think?”
Audrey was about to respond. But before she could say something, Erick rephrased his question, “Are you seriously considering it?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” Audrey replied truthfully.
Audrey’s past with Cornell had left her timid, wary of repeating the history and experiencing the suffering again. Plus, she had Janey and two more babies on the way, rendering her felt she couldn’t afford to be reckless on the matter of being involved in a relationship.
Stefan was Erick’s pal and a man of proven character. Audrey reasoned that from the perspective of a stepfather for her children, he would be a great choice.
“Audrey, if you’re undecided, don’t let others’ opinions sway you. Focus on what’s best for you. Neither your children nor us should influence your decision,” Erick said earnestly.
Audrey was stunned for a moment. Judging from Erick’s tone, it seemed he didn’t want her to be with Stefan. She couldn’t help asking, “Why? Didn’t you want to set me up with Stefan before?”
Erick raised an eyebrow. “I can’t even judge my own feelings clearly. So, my recommendation didn’t say much. Stefan is a good man. But you can’t consider him just because of that. Do you understand what I mean?”
Audrey was silent.
Erick stared at her, studying her expression. With the multiple years before Audrey reunited with the Fosters, he couldn’t quite discern the cause of her indecisiveness. His main concern was her happiness, and he believed marriage was not about fulfilling tasks or simply finding a father for her children. Audrey deserved more than just settling down.
“What I mean is…” Erick paused for a moment, struggling to find the right words to clearly explain his thoughts. He wondered what their mother would say if she was there.
After a while, Eric sighed and said, “What you need is a partner who will be with you for the rest of your Life. Someone integral to your life and not just someone good to you and your children. Because being good to you and your children can be handled by us, your family. And we can do that indefinitely. So, when considering Stefan’s confession, you need to set aside this factor and only focus on one thing. And that is whether this man is really someone you want.”
Audrey had never thought about this. She had a giving personality, prioritizing the people she cared about the most, especially her family.
Just like when considering a father for her children, she purely looked for the standard of a good father, not thinking if he would be a good partner for her.
Audrey remained silent, so Erick continued, “Audrey, although I don’t know much about feelings, I don’t think the dynamics between you and Stefan fall into that description. Stefan indeed treats you well. But I don’t want you to have the mentality that since you can’t repay his kindness, you might as well offer yourself to him wholeheartedly.”
Audrey developed a pleaser personality because of her childhood experiences. If someone treated her well, she would treat them even better. But if she couldn’t repay their kindness, she might sacrifice herself to satisfy them.