Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Jarrod felt the tie constricting his neck, nearly choking him, but he remained unfazed, his handsome face calm as he replied casually, “Do you really think that scares me?”
The truth was the organization Nicole worked for was using this occasion to explore a potential long-term project in the country.
Every member was crucial to establishing cooperation. Jarrod couldn’t just forcibly take Nicole away.
But Jarrod wouldn’t simply let Nicole go, for he was wholly insane.
He had a reputation for being wildly unpredictable.
Nicole released Jarrod, despite her intense hatred for him. She knew better than to take such drastic actions.
Leaning on Jarrod’s chest, Nicole smiled and teased, “Go ahead, risk the Schultz Group’s reputation if you want.”
Now, Nicole was by herself, free from any responsibilities tied to her. Being the lawrence family’s daughter, her reputation had been tarnished long ago with Jarrod’s efforts. She didn’t mind adding some scandal to the Schultz Group.
“Do you really despise me that much?” Jarrod inquired. He quickly realized his question was foolish and quickly changed it. “What can I do to make you stop hating me?”
Nicole couldn’t believe what she heard. It sounded so ridiculous to her that she burst into hearty laughter, her shoulders shaking with each chuckle. “Jarrod, you’re the one who destroyed the lawrence family! Have you lost your memory of your own doings? How can you even ask such an absurd question?”
Jarrod was uneasy, yet he tried to maintain his composure. “Nicole, your father’s sudden decision to turn against my family back then had indirectly caused my parents’ deaths. In a way, we’re even now, aren’t we?”
Nicole realized she was wasting her breath. She was actually dealing with a lunatic! Jarrod would never grasp the extent of her suffering.
Nicole scoffed. “Jarrod, even if my father made mistakes, I never betrayed you. Can’t you see that?”
Jarrod’s gaze was deep and unreadable, with a flurry of emotions crossing his face in seconds. “What do you mean?” he asked, clearly bewildered.
Nicole looked at Jarrod’s confused expression and let out a scornful laugh, her charm amplified by her smile. “Well, Jarrod, do you think you’re so capable that you can do whatever you wish? It turns out you’re just a fool tricked by a deceitful, hypocritical, and malicious woman. You know who I’m talking about, don’t you? It’s Jamie, the one you’ve been treasured all along. She’s nothing but a liar from start to finish!”
Jarrod’s handsome face lost its color instantly upon hearing this.
And this was just the beginning of the drama. Nicole had been eagerly awaiting this moment. She gazed at Jarrod, studying his expression intently.
“Jarrod, do you remember how I told you I had plans to see you before you left the country? You didn’t believe me, but I really did go there for you! Not just that, I brought along thirty million dollars, thinking it would help you in your tough times. But I was robbed on my way there,” Nicole revealed.
This story, once dismissed as a lie, now filled Jarrod with an inexplicable sense of dread. It appeared as if someone was whispering, urging him to ignore it. Somehow, he didn’t dare to continue to listen to Nicole. He just couldn’t bring himself to listen up. If all his firm beliefs were overturned, how could he face himself and Nicole, whom he had wronged and hurt?
Jarrod’s fingers turned pale, his handsome face grew sterner, and an ominous aura enveloped him. “Let’s leave the past behind, Nicole!
Just come back to me. I swear I’ll treat you right!”
The past slowly resurfaced, piece by piece. Perhaps Jarrod had once been on the verge of uncovering the truth, but now he didn’t care about it anymore.
But Nicole wasn’t about to let him have his way. The flustered Jarrod got, the more determined she became to continue.
Nicole was eager to witness Jarrod’s reaction as he fell into the trap she had intricately set for him.
Nicole scoffed before continuing, “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.
But it’s quite a small world. The kidnapper, who vanished back then, ended up committing crimes abroad and got jailed for several years.
When he was released, I unexpectedly ran into him.
Guess what? He shared a fascinating tale with me. He claimed they were hired to eliminate me, and the person behind it was none other than your darling fianc?e, Jamie. After knocking me hard on the head, they thought that I was already dead and dumped me in a ditch. The money I had for you? It ended up in Jamie’s hands. She used that money to help support your career. I guess you couldn’t forget that, right?”
Jarrod’s expression underwent a drastic shift at her words. “I can’t believe it. It’s not..
Nicole cut him off, “It’s not true? Alright. Consider it just an intriguing tale! But there’s more to the story…”
Jarrod tensed up, exclaiming sharply, “That’s enough!”
“While you were heading to the ferry, did a gangster give you trouble, and was it Jamie who came to your rescue when things got dire?” Nicole sneered.
Jarrod’s eyes widened in shock. He didn’t dare to hear anymore, yet he found himself speechless before Nicole.
“I was the pathetic one who fought off the gangster and saved you at all costs. I hid with you in the cold river for hours. Eventually, fishermen found us by the shore. I passed out and was hospitalized.
When I regained consciousness, I had forgotten everything due to a head injury. And Jamie took all the glory for herself.”
Jarrod observed Nicole recounting these events with a calm detachment as if they were someone else’s experiences.
A sharp, excruciating pain surged in Jarrod’s heart, making it hard for him to breathe. If Nicole’s story held truth, everything was a meticulously crafted plot set by Jamie. His resentment toward Nicole might have been based on a complete misunderstanding.
At this time, Nicole’s previous words echoed in Jarrod’s mind.
“Jarrod, you have to believe me…” “Jarrod, I really did come to see you back then…” “Jarrod, didn’t you ever suspect that it might all have been orchestrated by Jamie?”
Nicole’s cries and pleading for understanding were all around his mind. However, in those days, he had chosen to ignore everything Nicole said.
Seeing the transformation in Jarrod’s expression, Nicole felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Her joy was so profound that she couldn’t help but smile broadly. “Jarrod, if you’re still in doubt, you could investigate the kidnapping case in Swynborough from eight years ago.”
“No, no need… I don’t have to check anything…” Jarrod struggled to speak. He didn’t see the point in delving into it. After all, Jamie had already revealed the truth to him, and he had hoped to remain oblivious for the rest of his life…
Jarrod knew Nicole was telling the truth. It was just that he chose to overlook it, all because he was attempting to delude himself.
Because he lacked the courage to face it head-on!
Now, Nicole had shattered his illusion, leaving him unable to deny the truth anymore. Thus, the darkness and the sinners’ wickedness were laid bare. Jarrod could no longer fool himself!
“Jarrod Schultz! Do you really think we’re even now? How absurd!”
Nicole taunted. “You think you deserve forgiveness? You belong in helt!”
Nicole’s words struck Jarrod like a physical blow. His face was void of expression, his soul seemingly lost, standing there like a lifeless shell.
Jarrod was engulfed in profound despair.
But was this enough to punish Jarrod? Of course not! Nicole’s aim wasn’t merely to see him broken-hearted for his previous mistreatment toward her. Nicole was determined to make Jarrod endure all the suffering she had experienced. She believed this bastard deserved every bit of it.
Flipping her hair back, Nicole said flirtatiously, “Mr. Schultz, I’ve got other matters to attend to, so I won’t linger here. Farewell!”
Jarrod, still in a state of shock, snapped out of it when he realized Nicole was leaving. “Don’t leave, Nicole.”
The moment he talked, his voice was raspy, and he could hardly get the words out.
Nicole looked back with an icy smile. “Honestly, I think it’s for the best if we never cross paths again.”
“No, please don’t go…” Jarrod’s heart sank as he looked into Nicole’s scornful eyes. His mind went blank, unable to say another word. His heart seemed like it was under attack by a swarm of ants, causing such immense pain that he couldn’t help but clutch his chest in agony. He’d prefer if Nicole called him Jarrod instead of using the formal Mr. Schultz.
“Please, Nicole… don’t leave…” Jarrod’s eyes were bloodshot, filled with a desperation that seemed on the verge of erupting.
“Nicole, not a day has gone by in these five years when you weren’t in my thoughts. I’ve held you close in my heart every night. If you hadn’t appeared the other night, I wouldn’t have known if you were still out there.”
Nicole quickly grasped the meaning behind Jarrod’s words. All of a sudden, she felt a wave of revulsion. No rational soul would share a bed with a lifeless body for five years. No doubt about it, Jarrod had taken leave of his senses. His unconventional way of grieving left no doubt about his eccentricity!
“Nicole!” Jarrod grasped her arm with a desperate grip. His eyes were filled with longing and urgency. “Please give me another chance to make things right. I won’t hurt you again. I’ll treat you well, okay?”
Upon hearing that, Nicole’s lovely visage twisted with repulsion, and she vehemently resisted his touch. She wriggled her arm from Jarrod’s grip, stepped back, and asked, “Mr. Schultz, you’re asking for another chance?”
Hearing Nicole’s words, Jarrod tightened his grip on Nicole’s wrist, his eyes reflecting a glimmer of hope.
“Nicole, I understand it’s hard for you to believe me, but I genuinely regret everything. Since the moment you disappeared in my life, regret has consumed me. In the face of my supposed hatred, I realized I never stopped loving you,” Jarrod confessed, tears streaming down his face.
For Jarrod, the last refuge to justify his mistakes had been his perceived hatred.
However, reality had dealt him a harsh blow. His so-called hatred was built upon a foundation of lies. This made him look like a joke.
Nicole couldn’t bear it any longer. How could Jarrod claim to love her after wreaking havoc on her life? That was so absurd! Jarrod tarnished her reputation, sabotaged her career, and drove her father to death and her mother to hospitalization.
Jarrod had orchestrated a series of malicious actions that turned her world upside down. Now, he had the nerve to declare that he never stopped loving her. Nicole desperately wanted to ask Jarrod how he could be so shameless.
Nicole struggled to contain the boiling resentment within her and responded with a measured tone, “Mr. Schultz, if you continue insisting, there might be a slim chance for redemption.”
Jarrod couldn’t help but feel a surge of happiness, rendering him momentarily speechless.
However, his happiness was short-lived.
The next moment, Nicole pointed at the entrance of the exhibition center and said with a sly smile, “Do you see that, Mr. Schultz? If you are willing to kneel in the most conspicuous spot of the exhibition center until I’m satisfied, I might consider giving you another chance. What do you think?”
Jarrod glanced in the direction Nicole had pointed, where the exhibition center’s landmark stood. That path served as the main entrance for individuals attending major events, auctions, and press conferences at the exhibition venue.
Even a momentary presence there would thrust his name into headlines, and the impact would be even greater if he were to kneel until Nicole was satisfied. The potential impact and public reaction to Jarrod were easy to envision.
Seeing Jarrod’s expression, Nicole’s gaze grew more scornful. “Mr. Schultz, you claimed to be regretful and love me dearly just moments ago. But look at how cheap your so-called love is!”
Walking past Jarrod in her high heels, Nicole’s confidence radiated.
However, her wrist was abruptly grabbed again.
Jarrod looked at Nicole with his piercing eyes and asked, “Are you serious? Will you give me another chance if I fulfill your request?”