Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Suddenly, Nicole remembered she had a message for Jarrod. “Alec, tell Jarrod I’ll hold the funeral for him if he doesn’t survive this ordeal.”
With that, Nicole accelerated her red sports car away.
Alec didn’t dare to block the car’s path. He stepped aside, watching the red car speed off into the distance. Then, he made his way back to the square.
Despite the rain, Jarrod knelt with a posture more rigid than any statue.
As Alec approached, he noticed Jarrod pressing the wound on his leg with his thumb.
The rain had washed the wound, turning it pale. Without the blood, it resembled a piece of drowned, lifeless skin.
It was clear that Jarrod wasn’t thinking straight. His lips moved slightly, trying to form words, yet no sound came out.
Trying to read Jarrod’s lips, Alec grasped Jarrod was still uttering Nicole’s name.
Unable to hold back his emotions, Alec knelt down, bursting into tears. “Mr. Schultz, I’m so sorry… I couldn’t find Miss lawrence…”
Alec lied. He had hesitated to share the truth, unsure if Jarrod could take it.
“I know you’ve found her… Jarrod managed to say, despite the struggle.
After all, it was Jarrod who had trained Alec himself. Since Nicole had shown up, Alec couldn’t overlook her presence.
This was the first time Alec had lied to Jarrod, and Jarrod didn’t want to confront him on this.
Jarrod smile looked more painful than tears. “She didn’t want to see me, right?”
Alec hung his head, feeling guilty, and replied with a strained voice, “Mr. Schultz, I’m sorry. I couldn’t convince Miss lawrence…”
“What… What did she say?” The moment Jarrod asked, his lips started to bleed.
Ignoring the pain, he persisted in a faint voice, “Don’t hide the truth from me. I can handle it. Just tell me what she told you…”
Alec only dared to lie to Jarrod once. With Jarrod seeing through the lie, Alec had no other option but to come clean. He relayed Nicole’s words exactly as she had said them.
Hearing Nicole’s words from Alec, Jarrod felt her deep resentment.
Even though Jamie was the one who had stolen the contract and delivered it to Wesson, which caused Wesson to commit suicide with the burden of guilt, it was Jarrod who chose to keep the original copy deliberately, wanting to bind Nicole by his side with it.
Had Jarrod destroyed the contract like he had promised Nicole, maybe Wesson wouldn’t have felt driven to intense despair.
But back then, Jarrod felt trapped without any other choices. He couldn’t think of any way to make Nicole willingly stay by his side other than threatening her…
After spending years away from home, Jarrod had lost touch with how to genuinely love someone. He was at a loss on how to show his affection. He just couldn’t bear to let Nicole leave him.
Jarrod only came up with a solution of forcing her to stay by his side, believing it to be the best approach. But he realized too late that he was mistaken about it all…
Rain drenched Jarrod’s face, soaking him through. If his actions were wrong, what would have been the right thing to do? After the death of his parents, marked by resentment, no one had ever guided him on the distinctions of right and wrong.
Rain clung to Jarrod’s eyelashes. With a raspy tone, he inquired, “Is that everything?”
Alec shuffled and hesitated, avoiding Jarrod’s gaze. Eventually, under the intensity of Jarrod’s stare, Alec said in a low voice, “Miss lawrence mentioned she will hold the funeral for you if you don’t survive this ordeal.”
The bitterness in the air was palpable, even amidst the downpour.
Poof! Jarrod coughed up blood once more. The blood trickled down his lip, staining his shirt. His body began to convulse.
Jarrod had been kneeling firmly for hours. Under the influence of Nicole’s words, he finally fell to the ground.
“Mr. Schultz!! Mr. Schultz!” In a panic, Alec reached out, catching Jarrod just in time.
Jarrod, almost six feet two inches tall with a hefty build, had passed out.
With every bit of strength, Alec rushed to get Jarrod into the car.
They got to the hospital soon after.
Seeing Jarrod’s pale complexion, the doctor urgently said, “Quick, get him to the emergency room now!”
Inside the operating room, Jarrod was on the surgery table, twitching without control, as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, a distressing sight.
After examining him, the doctor announced, “He’s coughing up blood, has severe muscle spasms, swollen legs, and is struggling to breathe…
It’s heart failure, resulting from his previous chronic lung disease!
Where’s his family? They need to sign the critical condition form immediately!”
Suddenly, the assistant nurse shouted, “Doctor, he’s got no pulse!”
And then, a piercing sound cut through the silence.
Next to the surgery table, the medical monitor tracking Jarrod’s vitals emitted a long, chilling beep.
Alec, standing outside, felt shocked by what the nurse said.
Jarrod hadn’t taken great care of himself, yet he was generally healthy, aside from the previous infection of pneumonia.
Alec never imagined Nicole’s few words could endanger Jarrod’s life.
In a daze, Alec asked the nurse, “I’m his assistant. Is it possible for me to sign the form for him?”
The nurse seriously answered, “This is a matter of life and death, so you’d better inform his family to sign it.”
“But Mr. Schultz doesn’t have any relatives.”
The nurse asked in confusion, “Isn’t he married?”
Alec simply shook his head.
“What about his parents?” the nurse further asked.
“They’ve been gone for a long time.” Alec answered.
The nurse, looking concerned, was surprised Jarrod had no relatives.
After all, Jarrod was quite handsome and didn’t seem like he’d have any trouble finding a wife for himself. Why hadn’t he found someone to marry?
The nurse passed the form to Alec, saying, “The patient is quite fragile right now. You sign it and see if there are any of his close friends or remote relatives who could come over. It’d be good to reach out to them as soon as you can.”
After all, heart failure was an unexpected sickness, and nobody could foresee what might happen. The nurse simply wanted to give Alec a friendly reminder.
Following that, the medical staff shut the operating room door.
Clutching the form, Alec felt overwhelmed and uncertain about what to do. Remembering the nurse’s suggestion, he pulled out his phone and called a number.
In the Sunshine Apartment.
After showering, Nicole dressed in a bathrobe and walked barefoot on the carpet.
She had just opened a bottle of red wine placed on the window ledge.
She poured herself some wine and gazed at the distant neon lights through the French window.
The city appeared vibrant in the darkness of the night. In contrast, her life seemed quite unfulfilling.
Nicole sipped the red wine, then quickly finished the glass.
Even though she didn’t really savor the taste, she felt a bit tipsy after chugging a whole glass of wine.
She enjoyed being in a calm setting while under the influence of alcohol. At times, with alcohol, she’d even imagine that her parents were still alive, their family living happily just like in the old days.
Without those cheerful memories before Jarrod entered the picture, Nicole doubted she could endure the lonely nights.
From the lofty heights of a building like Sunshine Apartment, gazing down from the window would make people feel a bit dizzy.
This was the same height from which Wesson had jumped.
Every night, upon returning here, Nicole would spend time by the window, recalling those sufferings she and her family had endured.
Those challenging times served as her motivation to keep living in this new life.
Nicole thought if she had died in that accident, it might have been a blessing for her. It was not easy for her to carry on like this.
She often felt meaningless except for revenge.
Those disheartening past weighed her down like a heavy load. She had carried too much and felt completely worn out…
As Nicole stood in a daze by the window, she noticed her phone vibrating. She picked “Miss lawrence, could you come to the hospital right away? Mr. Schultz has been in critical condition…” Alec’s voice crackled through the speaker, sounding flustered.
“He’s not dead yet?” Nicole said mockingly.