Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Vicki intended to discuss the immense sacrifice Jarrod had made and how he was being exploited by Nicole who didn’t love him.
She assumed such a realization must be crushing Jarrod. Then, Jarrod couldn’t possibly let Nicole continue her reckless behavior, could he?
“You’re right,” Nicole raised her eyebrows and said, “I’m using him. So what?”
Vicki hadn’t expected Nicole to confess so readily, thinking Nicole hadn’t noticed Jarrod’s arrival yet.
Vicki gritted her teeth, “Don’t be so smug. Without him, you’re nothing.”
If Jarrod chose to side with the Hampton family, Nicole would stand no chance against them. They would ensure she vanished without a trace.
“Whether he’s here or not, I’ll do what I want. I’m here to make sure that people like you don’t get to enjoy themselves!” Nicole’s voice was defiant, loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.
Vicki laughed derisively, turning toward where Jarrod stood, and yelled, “Jarrod, you hear that, right? She’s just using you! She admitted it herself. Are you blind? You gave her your heart and she’s trampling all over it. I’d lose all respect for you if you let her manipulate you like this…”
Vicki expected these words to unsettle Nicole, to see panic or fear flicker across her face.
But there was nothing. Nicole remained incredibly calm, not even bothering to glance at Jarrod.
This was the stark difference between love and its absence. When you didn’t love someone, their opinions or reactions to certain revelations didn’t affect you. You could say things just to make them heard.
Nicole looked at Vicki with a mocking smile, then leaned in and whispered, “Vicki, do you really think Jarrod doesn’t know?”
“What… What do you mean?” Vicki’s voice trembled.
“Do you really think he’s unaware that I have a backup?” Nicole’s lips curled into a seductive smirk. “He chose me over the Hampton family long ago, and he’s stopped caring about the Schultz Group as well. Don’t you see how pathetic you are?”
Nicole looked at Vicki with a clear gaze filled with pity. Observing the woman who loved yet could never have him, mocked and ridiculed, entangled in her emotions.
Vicki was stunned. Did Jarrod really know everything? How could this be? So that was why he left no way out for the Hampton family. He wanted them entirely out of the picture.
Vicki looked at Jarrod with confusion. This man, whom she had loved deeply, was now someone she realized she did not understand in the slightest. Not in the slightest!
Vicki had barely left the police station when she was summoned back to assist with the investigation. In desperation, she clung to her lawyer’s hand, pleading, “Ask my father to save me. I can’t rely on Jarrod. You must help me. I don’t want to go to jail!”
Nicole was thoroughly pleased. This was the exact outcome she had hoped for. She wanted the Hampton family to completely sever ties with the Schultz family.
With Jarrod’s tactics, the Hampton family would undoubtedly suffer severe consequences. Consequently, Vicki’s and Lowe’s protection would crumble, leaving them to face the punishment they deserved.
The video Nicole had released urged other victims harmed by Vicki and Lowe to come forward and expose these siblings for the villains they were.
As Vicki was led away by the police, she passed Jarrod in a state of desperation. “Jarrod, is everything that woman said true? Did you know she had the original video? You used the backup to deceive us. How could you betray me and my family like this?”
She cried hysterically. “I love you so much… I love you so much, yet you treat me like this! Jarrod, do you still have a heart? Everything I’ve done was because I love you…”
Despite Vicki’s cries and shouts, Jarrod remained silent. His icy gaze, cold as snow, was fixed on the woman not far from him, as if trying to comprehend her. She stood right in front of him, yet he seemed utterly unable to understand her.
Vicki’s cries of helplessness gradually turned into suppressed sobs, and her despair morphed into unyielding hatred. “Jarrod, I hate you!” she declared, her eyes filled with venom. “Jarrod, you’ve ruined me. I hate you, and I’ll never forgive you. You will pay for this!”
Jarrod remained silent, his expression devoid of any sympathy for Vicki.
Vicki alternated between crying and laughing hysterically. Regardless of her love or hatred, she could not evoke any emotion in Jarrod.
What had she been thinking, that their years together would move him? It was futile. Jarrod’s heart was captive to another, and he had no desire to be freed. She had been so terribly mistaken.
“Jarrod, just you wait,” Vicki murmured a final threat. If she couldn’t have him, then no one would!
Vicki was then led away. The area around them quieted down.
Jarrod turned to Nicole and asked, “Are you happy?”
Nicole remained silent. He pressed, “Does it make you happy to see me suffer?”
Nicole was blunt. “You knew from the start, didn’t you?”
Her disdain and revulsion for him had never been concealed. It had all been a mere self-deception on his part.
“Let’s get in the car,” Jarrod said without any reproach, his tone calm. “I’m here to pick you up.”
Nicole felt a twinge of surprise. She was uncertain about Jarrod’s intentions. At the very least, she expected some form of reprimand or disciplinary action from him.
However, Jarrod seemed so calm. It was almost as if his only purpose was to pick her up. Nicole’s earlier confrontation with Vicki had been a ruse.
She wasn’t sure if Jarrod was aware that she possessed the original video. After all, Jarrod had always been enigmatic.
Nicole’s aim had been merely to sow discord in Vicki’s heart.
Jarrod opened the car door for Nicole, and she stepped in without a second thought, having arrived in a car belonging to the Schultz family. The driver was at the front, leaving Jarrod and Nicole in the back. They were both lost in their own contemplations.
After a prolonged silence, Jarrod was the first to speak. “You were correct. I knew you held the original video, but I chose not to intervene.”
When handing over the video to Wayne, Jarrod had secretly hoped Nicole would decide against releasing it. Its disclosure could drag the Schultz Group into the fray, given their close ties with the Hampton family, and Doreen’s involvement only complicated matters further.
Regrettably, Jarrod had underestimated Nicole’s resolve. It was evident that, to Nicole, his influence and the fate of the Schultz Group carried negligible weight.
“Why should I conceal their wrongdoings and let them escape accountability?” Nicole pondered, her emotions surfacing as tears welled up and her body shook. “Do human lives hold no value to you?” she asked.
“I don’t care about others,” Jarrod responded. His face remained impassive, his eyes showing only coldness.
Nicole braced herself, expecting a rebuke, and waited in tense silence. But instead, Jarrod said, “But it’s different because it’s you. I’ll turn a blind eye and let you handle it your way.” It was as if he was acknowledging that she was special to him.
However, Nicole felt no warmth from his words. She only sensed hypocrisy. If not for Jarrod’s actions, Vicki would not have pursued her so relentlessly, and neither Austin nor Kamilah would have been placed in jeopardy.
Jarrod continued, “I’m aware that you’re holding onto a lot of pain, so I’m giving you the space to express it. But this is only because you are my wife. I don’t want you to bear any suffering silently.”
His words served as a reminder that such liberties were reserved for his wife alone. Otherwise, she would be powerless.
It appeared that Vicki’s accusations had merit. Their relationship was transactional. Nicole was leveraging her marital status to gain leverage, whereas Jarrod’s motives in using Nicole remained unclear.
There was no genuine love between them. Furthermore, Jarrod didn’t strike one as a man capable of lifelong devotion.
Nicole scoffed. “So, I should be grateful to you for this ‘privilege.’ Are you trying to mold me into another Vicki or Doreen?”
“You are you,” Jarrod asserted, meeting her gaze steadily. “You don’t need to become anyone else. As long as you’re with me, you don’t have to please anyone else.”
Nicole found herself at a loss for words. Jarrod’s demeanor had changed lately. He was more vocal than usual, and it was becoming grating.
She muttered, “Still, Vicki’s one of your women. You’ve been entangled with her for years, and yet you seem indifferent to her languishing in jail. Such a refined woman, likely she’s never even set foot in a police station before.”
Upon hearing Nicole’s words, a chill swept over Jarrod’s handsome features. “You know I don’t love Vicki,” he stated flatly.
Jarrod’s engagement to Vicki had been a mere reaction to the devastation Nicole had inflicted upon him, a decision born from interest rather than affection.
Regarding the Hampton family, Jarrod no longer felt any obligation toward them. The remnants of any past guilt had dissolved.
He was not their protector, nor did he wish to continue mitigating the repercussions of Vicki’s and her brother’s reckless behaviors. Jarrod had grown weary of dealing with their foolish antics.
Vicki, on the other hand, hadn’t always been like this. Perhaps the strain of unreciprocated love had indeed transformed her. Some could heal from their wounds while others were driven to desperate measures. In many respects, Vicki and Jarrod were similar. They were both acting out of desperation in matters of love.
Nicole observed Jarrod with a faint, mocking smile. “It makes sense. You’re inconsistent and promiscuous. The easily obtained never seem to interest you, do they?”
Jarrod’s gaze shifted slowly back to Nicole, his eyes momentarily flaring with irritation. He had arrived with the intent to remain composed, determined not to be agitated by her provocations. However, Nicole’s cutting remarks sliced through his restraint.
“Correct,” Jarrod responded icily. “I do enjoy a challenge.”
He then reached out and gently held Nicole’s chin, forcing her to look at him. “Why else would I be so captivated by you?”
Nicole resisted, her tone laced with annoyance. “Hey… Let go…”
Before she could say more, Jarrod’s lips pressed against hers. Nicole pushed back with all her strength, but her resistance only intensified his kisses.
Jarrod’s dominance was clear, and with a swift motion, he began to unbutton her blouse, his hand exploring her skin. Her skin was soft and tender.
Fury ignited in Nicole’s eyes, and she bit down on his lip, her voice barely audible as she hissed, “Bastard…”
With a driver present, Jarrod’s disregard for propriety was stark. Was he truly prepared to pursue this here, in plain view?
Jarrod had a tendency to exert control, particularly when it came to relationships.
He did not handle defiance well. If he chose to be gentle, it was on his terms, but otherwise, compliance was expected. And this time was no exception.
Even the taste of his own blood from Nicole’s bite did not slow him down. He calmly removed his tie and used it to bind her hands behind her.
With a raised eyebrow and a hint of challenge, he declared, “You’ve had your moment, and now it’s my turn.”
The stakes were high, as the Schultz Group faced potential losses in the billions due to the unfolding scandal, a hefty price by any measure.
Jarrod’s hand gently stroked her skin as he leaned in close. “Isn’t that right, darling?”
He uttered the word “darling” with such warmth, one might assume they shared a deep, passionate bond. In truth, Nicole felt anything but affectionate. She fantasized about ending him.