Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
The first blow missed her vital organs, but the pain was still excruciating, leaving her breathless and reeling.
Then, Rhett struck again, his blade seeking out the vulnerable gaps between her ribs. The sharp steel slid in with deliberate, agonizing slowness, each inch a new torture, causing Jamie to howl in agony.
Rhett’s voice was eerily gentle as he whispered, “This is where your knee joints meet. The next spot will be your ankle joints. The pain will be… distinctive.”
“But… why?” Jamie’s voice was barely audible, a faint, raspy whisper strained to escape her parched throat.
“Not everything in life has a neat answer, Jamie. Just as your past wrongdoings went unpunished, so does the universe mete out its own justice. It’s simply a matter of cause and effect, a balance sheet of karma. You should understand the principle remains the same,” Rhett said as he struck again, his blade slicing through her joints with precision, severing her tendons and leaving her limbs limp.
Jamie screamed in agony, but Rhett showed no emotion, lost in his own dark thoughts.
“I almost became a forensic doctor, fascinated by anatomy, but law paid better. I chose the quicker way to make money,” Rhett spoke casually, as though chatting with a friend, despite the horror of his actions.
Jamie wailed in agony. “You promised to release me if I killed Jarrod! You lied! Why?”
“Yes, I did say that, but…” Rhett’s blade sliced through her joints with calculated precision. “I don’t trust you,” he continued, his voice devoid of emotion.
“A useless person like you thinking they deserve a second chance? You’re living in a fantasy world!” His mocking words cut deeper than the blade.
Jamie’s last shred of hope vanished, leaving her trapped in a desperate, hopeless reality. Paralyzed from the waist down, her legs were numb and lifeless, yet her mind remained agonizingly aware, trapped in a living nightmare.
The knife sliced through her skin with sadistic precision, carving a trail of agony across her torso. Her voice shattered the air, a bloodcurdling scream, “Kill me! Just end this! The pain is too much to bear!”
“Not yet, my dear,” Rhett whispered with unsettling gentleness.
“We’re only just beginning. Twenty-three cuts barely scratch the surface. The real artistry comes next—precise, delicate strokes to exploit the most vulnerable spots. Thirty more to go. Close your eyes and savor the agony.”
Jamie’s body convulsed in terror as Rhett’s words echoed in her mind, her ears ringing with the horror of what was to come.
Rhett was the embodiment of evil. She had never thought that her own vile deeds would lead to her demise, and in such a cruel way, at the hands of someone even more ruthless.
“Kill me now, please! Just end it!” she begged.
However, Jamie’s pleas fell on deaf ears as Rhett’s gaze turned demonic, his eyes blazing with an otherworldly red, the knife poised high above her like a harbinger of doom.
Rhett struck down again and again, the blade falling with deadly precision. Blood splattered across his face, painting him with a gruesome mask of cruelty.
Jamie’s vibrant blood graced the ground, its crimson hues blooming like a garden in full bloom. Rhett’s countenance retained its gentle refinement, seemingly impervious to the grisly scene: a testament to his accustomed nature.
Even as Jamie endured the final blows, clinging feebly to life, it became a harrowing testimony to the agony of his demise.
The torture dragged on relentlessly, leaving Jamie longing for the mercy of death but denied the comfort of release.
Struggling for breath, Jamie pinned his eyes on Rhett, his face unperturbed, and whispered, “Now…I understand…. You were the one who murdered Brett.”
Terror marked Jamie’s features as he realized too late. It was a classic case of the mantis stalking the cicada, oblivious to the oriole hovering behind. “That was you… wasn’t it?”
It was too late for Jamie to connect the dots. He was about to pass away.
On that fateful day when Brett was killed, Jamie had been present.
Upon discovering Brett’s intentions to escape, he clandestinely followed him to the hiding place of his ill-gotten wealth, a fortune linked to the enigmatic figure known only as Rhett, whose true identity remained a mystery to Jamie at the time.
He hit Brett over the head with a hammer, seized the money and quickly escaped in his car. She hid for several days, keeping an eye out for anything new. To her surprise, she learned that Brett had been brutally stabbed several times, in stark contrast to her own act of bludgeoning him.
At the time, Jamie’s intention was not to end Brett’s life, but simply to steal his money. His decision was not motivated by guilt or fear of retaliation.
Rather, he was trying to avoid complicating his escape with the entanglements of a murder investigation, knowing that it would only compound his own problems.
However, to Jamie’s astonishment, it was the seemingly friendly Rhett standing before her who was the real perpetrator of Brett’s death.
“Why… Why did you take his life and then mine?” asked Jamie, her voice trembling with disbelief and fear.
Rhett’s answer came with chilling calm. “Since you’ve run out of time, I’ll be generous and explain. Brett couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
I warned him that his life depended on silence, but he chose to betray me by ratting out the authorities. He sealed his own fate.
In the interim, Rhett meticulously followed Jamie’s every move, discovering Brett as a precarious loose end to their shared history.
At one point, Rhett had handed Brett a note warning him to stay out of his affairs and keep absolutely quiet.
However, Brett ignored the warning and divulged all the details to the authorities. Although the police still could not link him to Rhett, the mere fact of the leak was upsetting to them, so it was necessary to take Brett down.
Only after Brett was murdered did Rhett learn that Brett’s beloved daughter had been present at the scene, left in a nearby car.
Unlike Jamie’s heart-wrenching screams, Brett had met his end quietly, stoic in his final moments.
At the time, Rhett hadn’t given it much thought, oblivious to the fact that Brett’s silence was a testament to his protective instincts toward his daughter.
Otherwise, given Rhett’s ruthless behavior, he would surely have eliminated Brett’s daughter as well, erasing any possible loose ends.
Later, Rhett confirmed that Brett’s daughter had not provided any valuable information. She hadn’t witnessed anything, or Rhett would have taken care of her by now. Rhett’s final blow to Jamie was delivered with icy cruelty.
“Your death is a consequence of your insufferable stupidity. You suffered at the hands of someone like Jarrod, yet you clung to fantasies of being with him instead of seeking revenge. You are a hopeless romantic. Consider this a favor.”
After her words, Rhett removed the handkerchief from his hand, meticulously wiped the knife and carefully put it away. Without a backward glance at Jamie, he walked briskly away, leaving her to her fate.
Behind him, Jamie’s lifeless figure lay in a heartbroken state, eyes fixed on the vast expanse of heaven, deprived even of the comfort of eternal rest.
After a night of recuperation at home, Nicole found herself unable to lie still. The next afternoon, she rushed to the hospital to check on Austin and, fortunately, his condition showed signs of improvement, which was an immense relief to her.
Jarrod approached Nicole and told her the latest news. “Jamie’s gone.”
This hit Nicole like a bolt of lightning. She was pinned in place, unable to speak for quite a while. “How is that possible?
Nicole struggled to comprehend the sudden loss of her lead. Jamie was her best hope for uncovering her father’s killer.
Without her, their hard-earned leads seemed to slip through their fingers once again.
A deep surge of helplessness swept over Nicole, who felt utterly lost and powerless.
“She met the same fate as Brett,” Jarrod explained grimly. “Sixty-seven stab wounds, executed with a precision that suggests the perpetrator knows anatomy well.”
Nicole’s senses sharpened. “Are you saying that the person who murdered Jamie is the same individual who killed Brett?”
If it was indeed the same killer responsible for the deaths of both Jamie and Brett, then it was very likely that same killer was the one who had ended her father’s life.
No one else could link Jamie and Brett so precisely.
“I think so. You should prioritize your safety and stay alert,” Jarrod advised solemnly. Then he pulled a ring from his pocket and handed it to Nicole. “Keep it.”
Nicole hesitated as she looked at the ring. “What’s it for?” she asked, puzzled.
Noticing her hesitation, Jarrod realized he had misunderstood. A shadow crossed his expression, overshadowing it slightly. “It’s for self-defense,” he clarified. “Inside is a needle with a toxic tip that can incapacitate an assailant.”
Knowing its potential value, Nicole accepted the ring. She carefully slipped it on a finger, not the traditional ring finger, but one that symbolized independence and self-sufficiency. Jarrod’s eyelid twitched imperceptibly at the sight of it, but he remained silent, preferring not to comment. Then he handed him another bag filled with various items.
“These are for self-defense, specially prepared by Conor. He will guide you through their functions,” he informed her, his voice tinged with urgency.
Nicole accepted the bag and discovered its contents, cleverly designed for self-defense. The appearance of the items in the bag was typical of those found in a woman’s purse.
“Thank you,” Nicole expressed her gratitude with a nod of her head.
This time Nicole did not decline Jarrod’s help. She recognized that she was no longer alone, especially considering the baby she was carrying. Understanding the limitations of her physical strength as a pregnant woman, she saw the need for these small items for her protection.
Jarrod continued, “One more thing. Your current apartment is not safe. You’d better go back to the villa. There the security measures are impenetrable from the outside.”
Nicole pondered Jarrod’s suggestion. The thought of returning to the villa made her uneasy. The current dynamics of their relationship would certainly make living together uncomfortable.
“I think it’s fine to stay here for now,” Nicole replied. “You have arranged for several bodyguards, haven’t you? I’ll be prudent.”
“Okay, but think about it,” Jarrod replied, his tone still tinged with concern.
Respecting Nicole’s decision, Jarrod did not insist further. Instead, he informed her, “The killer’s profile has been completed.”
Jarrod had synthesized the findings of the professional profiles and the assessments made by his own specialists, and had shared them with Nicole.
“We have completed a thorough investigation and have discovered that the suspect is left-handed. This is consistent with the location of the stab wounds. In addition, he suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder and misophobia. His meticulous focus on precisely targeting the joints underscores this fact.
This suspect is likely a young, physically robust and strong-handed man, suggesting that he possesses a brutal nature under the guise of an educated person. Often, such a stark contrast in behavior can be traced back to a troubled or rough childhood.
It is likely that he has already committed similar crimes that went unnoticed. The pleasure he derives from his actions implies that he will not easily cease. Given his pattern, he is very likely to reoffend, putting anyone connected with his father’s case in grave danger. This suspect is considerably more dangerous than we first perceived, and it is crucial that you remain extremely vigilant.”
A shiver ran through Nicole and her thoughts immediately focused on her mother. Anxious, she asked, “What about my mother, is she in danger?”
“Don’t worry about your mother,” Jarrod reassured her, “I’ve taken precautions. If that guy tries anything, he’ll walk into a trap.”