Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Audrey, don’t waste your efforts trying to convince me.”
“But there’s still hope. Why resign yourself to this?”
“Leave me alone. I’ve already made up my mind.”
Henley closed his eyes, isolating the conversation.
Audrey, firm in his resolve, continued, “Are you ready to give up and wallow in despair? You are not a person who gives up easily. Don’t dismiss all possibilities without trying.”
Henley’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, a sign that her words were getting through to him, but his determination remained.
Seeing him in that state, so different from his usual well-groomed and vibrant appearance, increased Audrey’s sense of guilt and worry.
Taking a deep breath, Audrey continued, his voice firm and convinced, “Henley, I know how frightening and overwhelming it is to face the possibility of losing your leg. But we must face it together. I will be by your side until you are healed.”
Henley opened his eyes, a cold look in them.
“Do you understand what you’re saying?”.
Audrey looked at Henley seriously and spoke sincerely.
“I am fully aware of what I had said. After all, your leg was injured because of me. It’s only fair that I stay by your side to take care of you until you are fully recovered.”
Hearing his words, a change came over Henley’s face. The gleam in his eyes seemed to fade.
Audrey was truly innocent-how could he harbor any other thoughts?
Having established a plan for his ongoing treatment, Henley contacted a renowned specialist in the field. He was preparing to undergo surgery in the next few days.
The police visited the hospital to take Henley’s statement. Henley related his reasons for being there that night as his concern for Audrey. He had arrived at Audrey’s house just in time to see Tessa abduct her. He followed them, biding his time to save Audrey.
The police verified his account with surveillance footage. Everything matched the timeline perfectly.
Meanwhile, Audrey was calculating the length of Henley’s next treatment. It was going to be a longer affair than he had anticipated.
Given the timing of the operation, he realized that he would need at least a month off work. Normally, his company would not allow such a long leave.
So she considered resigning.
She felt obliged to take responsibility for Henley’s condition. Had it not been for her intervention, she would have been the one to suffer a fall from a great height.
However, when she discussed the situation with her supervisor, she found support. Her supervisor agreed to take over her position during her absence. In addition, her students reached out to her, promising that they would continue to be diligent and study hard while she was absent.
Bryce, in particular, seemed transformed. He earnestly promised Audrey that he would make good progress in her absence.
This promise comforted Audrey. Having tutored these boys for so long, she was reluctant to leave them.
Before her departure, Audrey visited Kyler at the sanitarium. She did not reveal her plans to accompany Henley on his treatment abroad.
Instead, he mentioned that he was going abroad to continue his studies, not wanting to worry the old man.
Kyler was delighted to hear of his plans and praised Audrey for his talent.
Later, Audrey went to see Nicole, who had been released from the hospital and was now absorbed in resolving company matters.
Audrey was still unaware of the source of Nicole’s funds. The eighty million dollar loan had been repaid and Nicole had managed to sell the batch of finished products to smaller companies at a reduced price.
The ordeal had cost the Lawrence Group tens of millions, not to mention stock market losses totaling hundreds of millions in all.
The bankruptcy of the Lawrence Group seemed inevitable.
Nicole was overwhelmed by the company’s final liquidation.
Audrey shared the news of Henley’s overseas treatment with Nicole. Although Nicole was concerned about Audrey, she was deeply absorbed in her own problems. In the end, she promised to visit Audrey once her affairs were in order.
As Audrey was about to leave, Nicole stopped her with a sudden question, “Have you heard from Cornell lately?”
“What’s it about?” asked Audrey, stung by curiosity.
“I’ve heard that the major shareholders of Cornell’s company are challenging him at board meetings,” Nicole explained.
“It seems that his frequent hospitalizations have led them to question his ability to run the company.”
This revelation stunned Audrey, recalling Luciana’s earlier comments.
Indeed, if Cornell, the CEO, was in poor health, it would naturally disrupt the stability of the company.
Nicole, unaware of the ins and outs of Tessa’s actions or Cornell’s injuries, treated this information as mere hearsay.
“I think Cornell must be pretty busy lately,” she continued.
“There were rumors that he might marry the daughter of the Glyn family.
The Glyn family is quite influential, second only to the Clement family. A union between their families would be beneficial to both parties.”
The Glyn family? Was Cornelll going to marry Katie?
Luciana had once commented that the two families were evenly matched in every way.
Audrey walked back into the hospital, deep in thought.
She remembered Luciana stressing the importance of family origin.
She felt helpless, unable to help Cornell with his problems. Most of the time, she felt like a burden to him.
This time was no different. He felt just as helpless as before.
He realized that he was partly responsible for the crisis facing the Clement Group.
As Audrey waited for the elevator, deep in thought, the doors opened, revealing a startling scene.
Inside were Cornell and Katie.
Upon seeing Audrey, Katie greeted her cordially, “Hi, good to see you again.”
Audrey responded with a nod, “Good to see you too.”
Katie asked, “Are you here for Cornell?”
“No, I came for a friend,” Audrey replied, shaking his head.
As she spoke, she noticed Cornell looking at her coldly before turning away.
His indifference weighed heavily on Audrey’s heart.
Katie lingered as Cornell left, apologizing to Audrey: -I’m so sorry about yesterday. I didn’t realize Luciana had given you the bracelet earlier. It caught my eye and I asked her for it. If I had known its significance, I wouldn’t have asked her for it.”
Audrey smiled.
“It’s okay.”
Katie smiled back.
“Just to be clear, Cornell and I are just close friends. Don’t get the wrong idea. We grew up playing together, and he’s never seen me in a romantic light.”
Audrey was caught off guard by Katie’s frankness and preferred not to discuss the subject in Cornell’s presence.
“There is no misunderstanding on my part about your relationship with him,” Audrey reassured.
Katie’s smile widened.
“That’s a relief. I’d hate to be the cause of any conflict between you and Cornell.”
Audrey quickly replied, “There’s nothing going on between Cornell and me.
Don’t think too hard, Miss Glyn.”
“Nothing between Cornell and you? How is that possible…?
Katie was about to add something else, but Cornell interrupted her, “Are you coming or not?” He sounded impatient.
With a smile, Katie said to Audrey, “I should go now. We’ll talk more another time.”
Audrey nodded and stepped into the elevator.
As the elevator doors began to close, he saw Katie nudge Cornell playfully and say something with a smile.
Katie, standing next to Cornell, looked effortlessly elegant. They looked like the ideal couple.
When the elevator doors closed completely, the familiar fragrance of Cornell remained, now mixed with the scent of another woman.