Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Jarrod, kneeling in the rain, looked ghostly pale. He had been in that position for seven hours.
Far from being a relief, the heavy rain only added to his discomfort, making him feel dazed and breathless. Each breath he took was a struggle, choked by the relentless rain.
Jarrod coughed continuously, his shoulders shaking with each bout.
The coughing grew more intense, his breathing labored.
Rainwater filled his windpipe repeatedly. Then, a metallic scent hit him — the smell of blood. A large amount of blood spilled from Jarrod’s mouth, staining the ground before being washed away by the rain.
The corners of his pale, thin lips were tinged with an odd, stark shade of red.
“Mr. Schultz!” Alec, who had thrown his umbrella to the ground, grabbed the trembling Jarrod. From choking, Alec shifted to outright bawling.
“Mr. Schultz, please, allow the medical team to attend to you…”
Alec pleaded, desperate to alleviate Jarrod’s pain.
Alec owed Jarrod his life. Jarrod had saved Alec when the latter was a tramp abroad.
Before Alec encountered Jarrod, his life was a relentless struggle.
He faced daily beatings and was treated worse than a dog. It was a harrowing time for him.
Then, one day, everything changed. Jarrod wore bright leather shoes and intervened, kicking a hooligan off Alec’s back. At that moment, Alec lay on the ground, too beaten to lift his head.
It was then Jarrod offered him a helping hand, asking, “Do you want to work for me?” That day marked a new beginning for Alec. It was his moment of salvation.
Jarrod taught Alec boxing and self-defense. Together, they forged a path in their careers abroad. Alec silently vowed to remain loyal to Jarrod for the rest of his life.
It seemed Jarrod momentarily emerged from his delirium upon hearing Alec’s voice. Jarrod managed to push Alec away, murmuring as if in a trance, “Nicole had said she might forgive me as long as she’s satisfied…”
Nicole’s words consumed Jarrod. As he spoke, blood continued to flow from the corner of his mouth, making it seem as if his throat was filled with shards of glass.
Even breathing became a form of torture for Jarrod. Each breath felt like thorny vines were being driven into his throat. His entire body ached, the pain so intense that he thought death might be a kinder fate.
“Mr. Schultz! She is playing a trick on you! Please, snap out of it!”
Alec implored, his voice filled with concern and desperation.
“Not possible!” Jarrod’s voice, hoarse and growling, cut through the sound of the rain. “Nicole won’t play tricks on me. She just won’t…”
The rain intensified, pouring down as if to engulf everything in its path.
Alec, watching Jarrod’s pale, trembling form, felt a deep sense of sorrow.
Jarrod was battling extremes of heat and cold, a challenge even for the strongest of bodies. To make matters worse, the doctor had warned that given Jarrod’s current state, he could suffer spasms or even die unexpectedly at any moment.
Alec considered forcibly taking Jarrod to the hospital, but he knew all too well Jarrod’s stubborn streak after working with Jarrod for eight long years. He understood that, despite the potential to save Jarrod’s life, forcibly taking Jarrod away might leave Jarrod with a lifetime of regret and depression.
Alec couldn’t bring himself to act against Jarrod’s wishes.
Alec surmised Jarrod’s stubborn nature had widened the rift between him and Nicole.
As an assistant, Alec witnessed Jarrod had secretly done so much for Nicole and couldn’t bear to leave her. However, what Jarrod did and told Nicole told a different story.
With a heavy heart, Alec wiped away his tears, turned around and left.
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Exhibition Center, Nicole had just woken up from a comfortable sleep after a massage.
Nicole received a message from Audrey, saying Audrey had returned home to take care of Janey, who felt unwell.
Drawing the curtains, Nicole noticed the stormy, dark weather outside.
A glance at the clock told Nicole had slept for four hours. A dull ache in her stomach served as a reminder that she hadn’t taken her nightly medicine.
As Nicole reached for her handbag, her handbag accidentally fell to the floor, scattering several differently colored medicine bottles.
Nicole stared at the empty handbag and the bottles on the floor, a sense of stun washing over her.
While other women’s bags were filled with makeup, jewelry, and other treasured items, hers was always packed with pill bottles.
She had undergone a partial gastrectomy and was on medication. This treatment was new, and the effects of the clinical trials were uncertain. Many in her experimental group hadn’t survived beyond three months.
Miraculously, Nicole was the lucky one who had surpassed the critical five-year mark. However, this didn’t guarantee her recovery. For the rest of her life, she would have to continue taking these classified medicines and endure their side effects.
The side effects were not mild. They included frequent panic attacks and vomiting. Moreover, Nicole had lost her sense of taste.
Everything she ate seemed bland, yet she had to pretend it was delicious to blend in with others.
Her physical discomfort was a harsh reminder that she needed to take her medicine as soon as possible.
Nicole swallowed the pills without any water.
The dry, hard pills scratched her throat, sending a sharp pain down her esophagus. Oddly enough, this pain brought Nicole a sense of relief.
Devoid of taste and battling various physiological side effects, Nicole felt like a walking corpse. Yet, this pain was a constant reminder that she was still very much alive, a living, breathing human.
It also served as a motivation not to give up. Her enemy was still out there, and she couldn’t allow herself to perish without seeing justice done. She had to not just survive, but thrive, to witness the downfall of the man who had caused her so much suffering.
After some time, Nicole made her way to the underground parking lot.
She got into her car, buckled her seatbelt, and started to drive out of the parking space. Just as she exited the parking place, a figure suddenly darted in front of her racing red car, landing on the engine hood.
Nicole slammed on the brakes, the sound echoing harshly in the confined space. Thankfully, she wasn’t driving fast, but the car still skidded a few meters with the figure on the hood.
With a dull thud, the car finally came to a stop, and the figure was thrown to the ground in front of the vehicle.
Seeing Alec on the ground took Nicole by surprise.
Just as Nicole was about to call for an ambulance, Alec, hobbling, made his way toward her. “Miss lawrence, I’m okay.”
Nicole gave Alec a thorough look and noticed he had no clear injuries, though he was limping. It seemed the rain might have lessened the impact of his fall.
With a slight squint, Nicole said firmly, “You need to see a doctor.
I’m going to call the police to report this, just to avoid any problems later.”
“Miss lawrence!” Suddenly, Alec shouted. “Miss lawrence, please, don’t worry about me. I’m here to ask you to visit Mr. Schultz.”
Nicole faced Alec with an indifferent gaze and remained silent.
Tears filled Alec’s eyes as he struggled to speak. “Miss lawrence, Mr. Schultz has been kneeling at the entrance for eight hours. He almost suffered from heatstroke earlier, and now he’s out in the pouring rain. He’s coughed up a lot of blood, and his body can’t take much more.
Alec was desperate to persuade Nicole, yet he wasn’t lying. If Jarrod kept this up, he would indeed collapse.
“And why should that concern me?” Nicole asked, her tone uninterested.
Hearing that, Alec was taken aback. He found himself at a loss for words.
After a short pause, Alec continued, “Miss lawrence, because of what you mentioned, Mr. Schultz is out there, kneeling at the entrance.”
“That’s ridiculous. Is Mr. Schultz some kind of loyal pet? Why would he listen to me like that?” Nicole mocked.
Alec didn’t know how to respond. “Miss lawrence, are you aware of what Mr. Schultz has endured these last five years? Apart from his job, Mr. Schultz always comes home on time. He’s also been keeping close to your belongings. He’s gotten seriously sick with pneumonia, occasionally coughing up blood and struggling to breathe. I’ve tried convincing him to seek medical attention countless times over the years, but he refuses. He’s been punishing himself daily…” Alec said, his voice heavy with sadness.
Thinking about Jarrod’s ordeal over the last five years brought Alec to tears. He couldn’t fathom how Jarrod could inflict such pain on himself, as if enduring the suffering was Jarrod’s way of coping with his guilt.
“Miss lawrence, I’m not asking you to forgive him. But right now, you’re the only one who can save Mr. Schultz,” Alec pled humbly.
Through tears, Alec continued, “Miss lawrence, considering Mr. Schultz’s suffering these past years, please, have mercy and save him.”
“Save him?” Nicole replied with a cold, sarcastic smile. “Would you forgive someone who drove your father to suicide? Would you forgive someone who destroyed your family and your life? Would you forgive someone who pushed you to the hell?”
Her questions were laden with deep resentment.
Alec couldn’t find the word to retort. As Jarrod’s assistant, he was aware of Nicole’s past sufferings. He noticed Jarrod’s reluctance and indecisiveness. But for Nicole, those days were filled with sheer despair.
Feeling utterly helpless, Alec implored, “Miss lawrence, please, we’re talking about a human life here.”
Nicole scoffed. “And what’s so precious about Jarrod’s life? Did he ever hesitate when he destroyed my family?”
Alec found himself without words to respond. Though Jarrod wasn’t directly responsible for Wesson’s death and Dora’s illness, their tragic fate was deeply entwined with his actions.
Unexpectedly, Wesson chose to end his life by jumping from a building, mirroring the fate of Jarrod’s father.
“In this world, no one is above anyone else. Every life is equal.
That’s why Jarrod must face the consequences of his actions!” With those words, Nicole got into her car.
As Nicole rolled down the window, she gave Alec a chilling look and said, “You wouldn’t understand the pain unless the knife was in your own flesh. You chose silence before, so stay silent now. But if you cross the line again, I won’t hold back.”