Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Frustrated and anxious, Nicole felt helpless as she stood outside the guarded lounge. She stealthily hid to one side, waiting for Roscoe to come out.
Yet, after waiting for quite some time, there was still no sign of activity from the lounge.
After nearly two hours of waiting, Nicole’s feet felt numb before the guards outside the lounge finally left.
Feeling that something was amiss, Nicole decided to check the lounge herself. Approaching the door, she pushed it open to find it swung easily.
The room was empty, devoid of even the slightest hint that anyone had ever been here.
Nicole blinked, baffled. Why would guards watch over an empty Lounge?
Realization soon dawned on Nicole that she had been deceived. She dashed out hastily and in her rush, she bumped into another servant.
“Ouch… What’s the rush?” the servant, gasping in pain, scolded Nicole sharply.
“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…” Nicole quickly apologized.
As she was about to hurry off, the servant grabbed her, demanding angrily, “Where do you think you’re going? Pick up my things before you run off!”
Candies were scattered across the floor.
Nicole had no choice but to crouch down and help the servant in picking up the candies.
The servant sat watching her, whining, “How did they even hire you? You have no manners. Bumping into someone and then trying to escape! I’m going to tell the manager and you’ll be out of here!”
Nicole, maintaining her disguise as a servant, stayed silent and focused on collecting the candies.
Just then, the familiar wedding entrance music echoed around the mansion. The wedding banquet had officially started!
Hearing this, Nicole’s hands shook. She turned to the servant and asked, “Has the wedding started?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m heading out now. The candies are already being handed out at the entrance,” the servant replied.
“Then where’s the groom?” Nicole demanded. “Where did the groom go?”
The servant looked at Nicole as if she were foolish. “What are you talking about? He’s obviously at the wedding banquet. Where else would he be?”
Nicole firmly grasped the servant’s wrist and insisted. “Wasn’t the groom in the lounge?”
“Oh my, why are you so aggressive?” The servant angrily pulled her hand away. “The groom can’t be in the lounge all day. He has to appear on stage at some point!”
“He’s not here?” Nicole gestured toward the lounge behind the servant.
“Why didn’t I see him come out?”
The servant tracked Nicole’s gesture and turned around. With a wry smile, she commented, “Then he’s not here. Today, they’ve set up ten identical lounges, each with guards in front. It’s almost comical. You’d think the groom was a fugitive with all these decoys and guards around him!”
Nicole felt her head spin. She realized she had been deceived! It wasn’t that she lacked intelligence, but that the Watts family was exceptionally cautious and shrewd! They had prepared for any disturbances.
Nicole didn’t bother to gather the scattered candies anymore and dashed toward the main banquet hall of the wedding.
“Hey, you haven’t finished picking up the candies. Why are you running off again?” The servant stomped her foot in anger. “I’m going to fetch the manager immediately to dismiss you, you unreliable person!”
At the wedding venue.
The Watts and Schultz families were jointly hosting the wedding, creating a lavish scene with a large crowd.
As the host energetically announced, dressed in a white wedding gown, Doreen clung to an elder’s arm and gracefully made her way onto the stage.
At the other end of the stage stood Roscoe, clad in a red brocade tailcoat adorned with a groom’s badge, his tall posture lending him a noble and elegant appearance.
Seeing Roscoe’s striking features, Doreen’s heart raced. She hadn’t imagined this day would arrive so quickly. She had finally captured this proud man. She would soon be his wife!
As they drew closer and were about to join hands, Doreen’s elder tried to pass Doreen’s hand to Roscoe, but Roscoe didn’t react. He maintained a stoic expression and did not take Doreen’s hand.
The mood on the stage turned somewhat awkward.
The host, wearing a strained smile, said, “Groom, please take your bride’s hand.”
Roscoe still did not respond.
The murmurs among the guests grew louder.
“What’s going on? Does the groom not want to marry the bride?”
“I’ve heard the bride can be quite domineering and tough to handle. It seems this kid isn’t keen on marrying her!”
“If he doesn’t want to marry her, he should have backed out earlier. Why cause such a scene now? Isn’t this humiliating for both families?”
“I got to say this must be the consequence of a forced marriage…”
“But haven’t you noticed something odd about the groom?”
“That’s odd about him?”
“I’ve seen the groom before. His eyes didn’t seem this dull.”
To describe Roscoe as dull was an understatement. He was quite wired as if his soul had left him, resembling a finely carved wooden puppet.
It seemed there was a lot more to it.
Doreen’s expression darkened as the crowd’s murmurs reached her ears, her embarrassment palpable. She shot a glare at her mother below.
Seeing her daughter humiliated, Doreen’s mother quickly pulled Miguel aside, her displeasure evident. “Miguel, what is happening? We cannot afford to be embarrassed today. The Schultz family and Jarrod will not tolerate this!”
Miguel was frustrated, not expecting Roscoe to cause trouble at this critical moment. He reassured Doreen’s mother, “Don’t worry. I’ll handle this. We won’t disgrace the Schultz family.”
Miguel then signaled for a woman nearby.
Catching the hint, the woman nodded and hurried onto the stage.
Approaching Roscoe, she fanned his face a few times before whispering, “Roscoe, remember, you are the groom today. You need to take the hand of the woman you love and make her your bride.”
Once the woman finished speaking, Roscoe’s expression changed from blank to animated, seemingly under a spell. In a daze, he seemed to see Nicole standing in front of him, her face delicate and her wedding gown elegant.
Roscoe then reached out and took Doreen’s hand with a tender look.
The host breathed a sigh of relief, having been fretting over his career. A mishap at such a high-profile wedding between the Watts and Schultz families could ruin his reputation.
After steadying himself, the host proceeded with the ceremony, offering numerous blessings before asking the groom, “Do you vow to stand by this woman for life, through poverty, hardship, sickness, and old age, never to part from her?”
The host added, “Please, respond loudly.”
Roscoe began to speak. “I…”
However, before he could complete his response, a voice cut him off.
“Nol”
Roscoe paused and looked around in confusion.
All eyes turned to identify the voice.
Nicole burst through the crowd onto the stage and said to Roscoe earnestly, “Roscoe, you can’t marry her!”
The crowd descended into turmoil. What was happening? A woman in the crowd was attempting to steal the groom right here!
Roscoe glanced between Nicole in the servant’s uniform and the woman in the pristine white wedding dress. He was bewildered, and then a sharp pain shot through his head. How could it be? How could there be two Nicole?
Nicole clutched Roscoe’s arm and said emotionally, her voice raised, “Roscoe, don’t you remember our agreement? You were supposed to marry me!”
Nicole’s voice reverberated in Roscoe’s mind, making his head spin.
Memories with Nicole flashed through his mind like scattered pieces.
Some sentences uttered by him began to ring out in his mind.
“Nicole, will you marry me?” “Nicole, I like you. Don’t feel burdened by my feelings. I’ll keep waiting for you until you’re ready to embrace me…”
“Nicole, am I dreaming? Can you repeat that? Did you actually say yes to me?” “Nicole, Nicole…”
Doreen reacted quickly and delivered a sharp slap across Nicole’s face. She roared hysterically, “Why hasn’t anyone removed this madwoman yet!”
The security guards sprang into action and rushed to capture Nicole.
As time was of the essence, Nicole gripped Roscoe’s arm firmly and said, “Roscoe, you don’t love Doreen. You’ve never loved her. Don’t marry her or you’ll regret it. The Watts family is exploiting you. They want to… Ah!”
Suddenly, Nicole’s head was yanked back harshly. Several bodyguards in black suits pulled her hair, grabbed her neck, covered her mouth, and dragged her away.
“Wait a minute!” Roscoe called out instinctively, halting the bodyguards.