Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Audrey had been comatose for four days.
Within her dream, she would sometimes mutter incomprehensibly, at times feverish, and at others, in tears.
As Luis relayed the doctor’s diagnosis to Cornell, the latter’s already fragile heart was freshly wounded.
Cornell looked as though he had been dealt a crushing blow, his face marked by visible exhaustion.
Noticing his state, Luis hesitated briefly before passing Cornell the paternity test Audrey had entrusted him to monitor the accessing process before the result came out.
Luis said, “Audrey went through another test. I’m not sure what’s gone wrong between you two, but I think you should trust her. This isn’t the sort of thing she would typically do.”
Cornell stared at the test results, revealing a 99.99% genetic compatibility.
His once-steadfast heart felt like it had splintered into fragments in that single moment.
Learning later that the child was indeed his own didn’t surprise him as much as those plain words on the paper had.
What had he been doing all this time! He had questioned her, lost faith in her, confined her, and demeaned her…
When she needed him most, he had cast her into a pit of despair.
His eyes tinged with a reddish hue, teetering on the edge of tears.
What a bastard he was!
In the days that Audrey lay unconscious, Cornell found himself sitting alone on a bench outside the ICU, consumed by guilt every ticking second.
Besides tending to her father, Nicole waited here for the rest of the time.
Observing Cornell’s depressed face, she couldn’t help but sniff. Now he wanted to play the loving partner? Where was he when he was needed the most?
At this moment, Matteo approached to update Cornell, “Mr. Clement, Miss Murray has developed an infected wound and a fever. She’s been asking to see you.”
Cornell parted his lips to speak but was cut off by a snide comment.
Nicole, sitting across from Cornell, remarked sarcastically, “Mr. Clement, you better hurry. If you don’t, your darling might be on the verge of death once again now.”
Cornell’s expression turned icy, deliberately overlooking Nicole. He directed Matteo, “Send a doctor. I’m not qualified to help. And don’t waste your time watching her. Assign someone else for that. Find out what’s going on with Audrey and Cecilia. Report back with any updates.”
Matteo nodded, relieved to distance himself from that volatile Cecilia.
Because Cornell hadn’t visited, Cecilia’s ward had been a cacophony of breaking objects and flying pillows.
Now freed from that duty, Matteo’s spirits lifted.
On the afternoon of the fourth day after the operation, Audrey finally regained consciousness. After a night of monitoring, she was moved to a general ward.
Hearing this, Cornell’s initial reaction wasn’t to rush to her side.
Instead, he hesitated. He feared he might not be able to mend what was broken.
Seeing Cornell’s plight, Luis tried to offer some comfort, “Maybe let someone Audrey is comfortable with visit her first. Give her some time to recuperate before you go in. She is…”
Luis wanted to say Audrey was too fragile for more shocks right now, but the look in Cornell’s bloodshot eyes stopped him.
Luis patted Cornell’s hand.
“Trust me. Give it a bit more time before you go see her.”
The first ones to walk into Audrey’s ward were police officers. Aware that Audrey had awakened, they posed some questions to her.
The day the rescue team had arrived, those criminals had fled away, abandoning Audrey in a pool of her own blood.
Recently roused, Audrey appeared sullen. A tongue injury prevented her from speaking much.
Once the police officers exited, Nicole entered the room to visit Audrey.
Tears welled up in Nicole’s eyes at the sight of Audrey’s bruised face. She yearned to embrace Audrey but feared exacerbating her injuries, so she clung to the bed’s edge and wept briefly.
Regaining her composure, Nicole sought words of comfort for Audrey, yet none came to mind.
Redness tinged Audrey’s eyes, a result of excessive crying over the previous disappointment over Cornell.
Nicole was about to cry when she saw Audrey’s red eyes, but she managed to choke back tears.
“If you’re hurting, Audrey, let it out.”
Just like Audrey, Nicole harbored a great fondness and expectations for Audrey’s unborn baby.
They had even agreed that Nicole would be the child’s godmother.
But, the baby was gone…
The thought of the poor baby shattered Nicole’s heart.
Perceptive as ever, Audrey noticed a scar on Nicole’s face and lifted her hand to caress it, softly asking, “What’s the matter?”
Audrey’s voice was raspy and dissonant, scarred as if by fire, and compounded by her injured tongue.
Nicole was stunned by Audrey’s perceptiveness. Even after using premium scar cream, a mark still marred Nicole’s face.
Luckily, it was barely noticeable, extending from her cheekbone to her ear, concealed by her hair.
Audrey’s genuine worries brought tears to Nicole’s eyes.
“Is now really the time for you to worry about others?” Nicole said between her sobs.
Even though bruised and battered, Audrey remained silent about her own agony, focusing instead on the state of Nicole’s face.
Nicole felt sorry for Audrey. Why did kind-hearted Audrey deserve such hardship?
Nicole lied to Audrey, saying it was a result of an accidental fall.
Hearing Nicole’s explanation, Audrey soothingly patted the back of Nicole’s hand.
Hoping to lighten Audrey’s mood, Nicole told her some jokes.
To her surprise, Audrey smiled upon hearing her lame jokes.
Nicole sensed something amiss. Audrey’s demeanor was unsettlingly odd.
It was clear to Nicole that Audrey was upset, yet Audrey remained composed, avoiding any discussion about the loss of the baby.
Confused, Nicole hesitated before saying, “Cornell…”
Audrey swiftly turned her face away, refusing to listen.
Only then did Nicole breathe a sigh of relief. Audrey’s emotional response indicated that her mental state was intact.
After lingering in the room for some time, a nurse arrived to remind Nicole that Audrey needed more rest.
With no other option, Nicole informed Audrey she’d return the next day.
Once the door was closed, Audrey’s soft facade melted away, and she let out a muted sob. Clutching the blanket, her tears flowed uncontrollably.
Consumed by despair, her voice sounded especially grating.
Was this divine retribution? A penalty for her audacity to covet a joy that was never hers?
She loathed her own greed for Cornell’s Love.
Had she left sooner, perhaps her unborn baby would’ve been spared.
But it was too late.
At this moment, a delicate, pale hand hovered over Audrey’s ward’s doorknob.
Cornell’s fingers quivered.
The anguished cries from inside the ward were like daggers to his heart, robbing him of the courage to enter.
Cornell turned away, his back against the wall, struggling for breath.
Much later, when he finally mustered the courage to enter, Audrey was feigning asleep, tended to by a nurse.
Cornell gestured for the nurse to leave, his eyes fixed on Audrey’s profile.
Audrey’s cheekbones were more pronounced, her frame fragile under the covers.
Cornell extended a hand to touch her hair, but Audrey stirred and avoided his touch.