Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
At the mention of “again”, Cornell’s brow furrowed.
Recalling the sight of Audrey Lying helplessly in bed, his heart felt scorched by pain.
Unexpectedly, Cecilia reached out, enveloping him in a hug.
Burying her face in his arms, she sobbed.
“If not for you, who knows what my fate would be? I might have ended up as deranged as Audrey…”
As Cornell was about to gently push her away, the door burst open with a loud crash.
Nicole entered.
Observing the scene, Nicole remarked sarcastically, “It seems I’ve interrupted at an inopportune moment.”
Cornell’s expression turned into a frown.
Startled, Cecilia scurried behind Cornell, questioning, “Why would you barge into someone else’s hospital room?”
Cecilia knew Nicole was Audrey’s close friend. Their paths had crossed at a social gathering, though they weren’t well acquainted.
“Don’t worry, I won’t take long. You two can resume after I’ve left,”
Nicole responded casually, her lips painted a bold red. At that moment, her smile radiated confidence.
Cecilia suspected Nicole’s presence was linked to Audrey and Cornell, sparking a flicker of malice in her eyes. She retorted with clear disdain, “Miss Lawrence, this is my ward. I insist you leave.”
A year ago, Cecilia might have shown more courtesy toward Nicole, considering the Lawrence family’s standing comparable to the Murray family.
However, with Jarrod now dominating the Lawrence family, which reportedly survived on Nicole’s compromises, Cecilia felt no need for politeness. In her eyes, Nicole was beneath her, unworthy even of carrying her shoes.
Nicole’s sneer grew sharper.
“How can I witness you clinging to another woman’s husband if I leave?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Cecilia fixed Nicole with an angry glare, the conviction that Cornell was her rightful husband firm in her heart.
She believed it was only a matter of time before Cornell became hers officially.
“Am I mistaken?” Nicole challenged, her eyes piercing Cecilia as she sneered with disdain.
“You parade around as a mistress, flaunting yourself before Cornell’s legitimate wife, even framing her. How disgraceful!”
Cecilia’s face drained of color as she retorted loudly, “Who are you referring to? Who’s the mistress here?”
“And who were you clinging to? In a hospital, no less! The audacity to hold Audrey’s husband here. Your brazenness in private must be appalling,” Nicole accused, her gaze raking over them, unable to hide her disgust.
She thought of them as an utterly shameless pair and was determined to unleash her frustration.
Hearing her words, Cornell addressed Nicole in a frosty tone, “Mind your language, Nicole.”
The thought of Audrey’s injuries reignited Nicole’s anger.
“I’m not the one who should be behaving,” she retorted.
With a click of her tongue, Nicole continued, “One might look human but acts worse than animals, blinded to distinguishing good from evil.”
Her insinuating words visibly darkened Cornell’s expression.
Undeterred, Nicole added, “Mr. Clement, I know an excellent Ophthalmologist. Do you need me to introduce him to you?”
Her implication was clear. She was chastising Cornell.
Cornell’s patience wore thin as he commanded coldly, “Leave!”
Cecilia was increasingly irritated because Nicole’s intrusion had ruined her moment with Cornell. She seized the moment and stepped in, feigning a gentle tone, “Miss Lawrence, I understand you’re here because of Audrey. But she’s not in her right mind, and her words aren’t reliable.
Cecilia’s implication was clear. She suggested Audrey was mentally unstable.
Nicole couldn’t help but sneer at Cecilia’s attempts to besmirch Audrey.
“So, Cecilia, you’re proposing that Audrey prompted me to cause you trouble?”
Cecilia hastily clarified, “That wasn’t my intention. It’s just… She seemed so deranged earlier. I just thought you should know…”
Nicole laughed bitterly.
“It appears you won’t accept the truth until it’s staring you in the face.”
Before Cecilia could react, Nicole asked, “Why did Audrey hit you if you claim she did?”
Cecilia’s expression froze, a wave of discomfort washing over her.
In a flustered tone, she responded, “I already told you she’s mentally unstable. How could I possibly know what goes on in her mind…”
Nicole’s smile vanished, her voice dropping to a whisper.
“But you called her a stray dog left behind by Mr. Clement. You branded her child a bastard, deserving of death, and labeled her a curse on her entire family…”
Nicole recounted each sentence with precision.
Hearing this, Cecilia’s face clouded over, and she burst out, “That’s absurd!”
She had once badmouthed Audrey, thinking it remained secret, never expecting her words to reach Nicole.
Unperturbed, she believed she was beyond reproach, especially in the absence of any proof.
Nicole scoffed.
“Don’t rush. I haven’t finished. You boasted about altering Audrey’s paternity and pregnancy reports. Cornell knows, yet he turns a blind eye.”
Cornell’s expression remained stoic, yet there was an undeniable iciness in his demeanor.
“Is this true, Cecilia?” Cornell inquired.
“I never said such things,” Cecilia quickly denied it, tears brimming in her eyes. She turned to Cornell, her voice soaked in sorrow.
“Cornell, I swear I didn’t. Nicole’s slandering me.”
Facing Nicole, Cecilia continued in a wounded tone, “I bear you no grudge, Nicole. I know you’re doing this for Audrey. I could sue you for slander, but since you’re her friend, I’ll let it pass this time.
Just remember to stay in your lane and avoid framing others.”
Nicole felt a surge of revulsion.
Cecilia’s words, seemingly generous, cleverly painted Nicole as a slanderer acting on Audrey’s behalf.
Refusing to entertain Cecilia’s tactics, Nicole said dismissively, “Cecilia, your confidence stems from the lack of cameras in the ward.”
Nicole paused, producing a voice recorder from her pocket and brandishing it with a taunt.
“Let’s see if this convinces you.”
Cecilia’s face contorted with panic at the sight of it.
The next instant, her voice resonated clearly from the recording.
Clear as day, it broadcast Cecilia’s voice, echoing Nicole’s earlier words, and even more venomous remarks Nicole hadn’t mentioned.
Suddenly, Cecilia felt a jolt, as if struck by lightning.
Observing Cecilia’s ashen face, Nicole grinned and remarked, “What a twist of fate! I had just left when you arrived, only to realize my voice recorder was missing. Returning to pick up the recorder, I overheard your delightful remarks in it.”
Nicole habitually carried a voice recorder, intending to extract some information from Jarrod.
Unexpectedly, during her visit to Audrey’s ward, the recorder slipped under the bed as she reached for her phone, accidentally turning on.
Cecilia entered Audrey’s ward soon after her departure, which was fortunate as the recorder’s battery life was limited.
“No! You faked all these!”
Quivering, Cecilia clutched at Cornell’s sleeve, imploring, “Cornell, don’t listen to her. She’s still slandering me. These are fabrications, a result of Audrey’s jealousy. It’s a plot to hurt me through Nicole, I’m sure of it!”
Cecilia vehemently denied her words and asserted she was being framed.
“Jealous of you?” Nicole responded with a smirk, “Don’t you own a mirror? Is Audrey envious of your overdone hyaluronic acid treatments, your talent for enticing married men, or perhaps jealous that you were born to be a bitch?”
Each of Nicole’s words pierced Cecilia’s heart like a dagger.