Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
“Nicole, you’ve done nothing wrong. Don’t blame yourself. I’m sure Austin wouldn’t blame you either,” he assured her, his gaze filled with unwavering support.
“You haven’t done anything wrong. Don’t doubt yourself,” Roscoe reiterated, his voice firm. He then hugged her gently, with a touch so delicate it seemed he feared she might break.
After they had finished eating, Roscoe settled Nicole into the passenger seat before taking the wheel himself.
The vehicle halted outside a grand, high-end hotel.
“You’re staying here?” Nicole inquired.
“Yes, my new place hasn’t been occupied in some time. I’ve had it aired out, but it will be a few days before it’s ready for us to move in. I’ve arranged for the nanny to stay here with Austin in the meantime,” Roscoe explained.
The mention of Austin caused Nicole’s eyelashes to flutter once more.
Roscoe caught this and gently offered, “Nicole, would you like to go upstairs and check on him? Austin is probably asleep by now.”
Meanwhile, Alec was stationed in a car below the hotel, vigilant.
A sleek black luxury car glided to a stop nearby, prompting Alec to swiftly exit his vehicle and approach.
The car window descended, revealing Jarrod’s pale, yet strikingly handsome face.
Following a critical emergency at the hospital, Jarrod developed a fever soaring above 104 degrees Fahrenheit that night, threatening his lung tissue. His lungs, already vulnerable, necessitated a hospital stay of five days to achieve some stability.
Jarrod was still not fully recovered. Despite his doctor’s warnings against smoking, he clung to his cigarettes, smoking incessantly.
Alec relayed to Jarrod all of Nicole’s actions since she had departed from the restaurant.
Lifting his eyelids slightly, Jarrod eyed the shimmering entrance of the hotel and queried, “Here?”
Alec confirmed with a nod, choosing to remain silent beyond this.
Some truths were understood without needing to be voiced. Adults visiting a hotel late at night together typically had reasons other than work.
In a swift movement, Jarrod extended his hand, and Alec, understanding the silent command, handed over his phone with hands that shook slightly. He played the video he had just captured. It showed Nicole and Roscoe making their way into the hotel together.
As they climbed the steps, Nicole nearly lost her balance but was quickly steadied by Roscoe. He then took her hand, holding onto it until they disappeared inside.
Each shift in Jarrod’s expression seemed to tighten the noose around Alec’s already strained nerves. He anticipated a storm of rage from Jarrod.
However, even after viewing the entire video, Jarrod’s face was devoid of any reaction. His brows remained unknit, his gaze steady.
Then, unexpectedly, a smile crept across his face.
It was a strange, sudden smile that did nothing to lighten the pallor of his face but instead cast a shadow of moroseness and ill health.
Alec found this smile perplexing and, knowing Jarrod, a bad omen.
Without a word, Jarrod deftly dialed a number with Alec’s phone.
After a brief pause, the call connected.
“Hello, who is this?” came Nicole’s voice from the other end, soft and seemingly laced with a quiet warmth.
Jarrod, his demeanor serene, spoke her name. “Nicole, did you sleep well?”
Even though Jarrod tried to sound calm, Nicole could still detect the tension in his voice.
Nicole smirked and said, “Mr. Schultz, a wise person wouldn’t call at this hour and ruin someone else’s fun.”
“What if I’m not wise?” Despite looking unwell, Jarrod spoke with a force that demanded attention.
“Mr. Schultz, you used to be so smooth, especially with the ladies.
What happened to your charm and understanding of simple manners?”
“Nicole!” Jarrod’s patience quickly ran out. His voice became stern.
“I need you to come outside to meet me, right now!”
Jarrod’s eyes turned red. Whether Nicole was playing with him or toying with him, he didn’t mind. But the thought of her with another man was something he couldn’t stand.
Hearing his tone, Nicole figured out his intentions. He knew she and Roscoe were at the hotel.
Nicole playfully responded, “I’m so sorry, but I’m not wearing anything suitable to come out right now.”
There was complete silence on Jarrod’s end. There was no sound for a long moment, not even a breath.
If it weren’t for the call still being connected, Nicole would have thought he had hung up.
Just as Nicole was about to hang up, a deep, male voice stopped her.
“Nicole, are you trying to upset me?”
Jarrod’s voice became softer, almost begging. “Well, you’ve succeeded.
I’m so furious that it hurts everywhere. Please, just come down, will you?”
His pain wasn’t just emotional. Every breath he took felt like a stab wound.
He knew her request for him to kneel was nothing but a way of her punishment. Yet, he still knelt until everything went dark…
Even when he was seriously ill, on the brink of death, Alec couldn’t convince Nicole to visit.
It was all too clear to him. Even in death, she wouldn’t give him a second look.
“Drive you to madness?” Nicole couldn’t help but chuckle. “Mr. Schultz, don’t flatter yourself. You’ve read too much into my words.”
Nicole didn’t wait for his reply, continuing in a mocking tone, “I couldn’t care less if you’re angry. I’m not idle enough to act just to irritate you. My actions are for my own reasons, for my happiness. Got that?”
Hearing this, Jarrod felt a sharp pain in his chest. He clenched his fist and hit his chest, his voice growing colder, “I can make you happy, too. Don’t go looking for anyone else. I know how to make you happy.”
Nicole understood exactly what he meant. She felt her face heat up with anger. “Mr. Schultz, calling you shameless doesn’t even begin to cover it. To me, you’re just a horny animal. Make other women as happy as you wish! Don’t have your eyes set on me!”
Nicole’s words were like a gentle rain to Jarrod, hardly affecting him. He seemed to find a way to get her to talk more, replying, “Even if I’m a horny animal, I did once make you happy.”
Nicole was seething with rage. How had she not seen before just how shameless Jarrod could be? He even seemed to take pride in his shamelessness.
Nicole bit her lip, trying to regain her composure, and said, “Don’t interrupt my night hours with others anymore!”
Jarrod’s eyes narrowed, his voice filled with urgency. “Nicole, you wouldn’t dare!”
“Do you really have to ask if I would?” Nicole retorted. “Mr. Schultz, do you need me to remind you ? It was you who drove the lawrence family to ruin. My father died by suicide and my mother died of sorrow. Who else is there to blame but you?”
As she spoke of the tragic past, Nicole’s hands trembled, struggling to hold onto her phone.
Her first task upon returning was to visit her mother’s nursing home, only to discover her mother had passed away long ago.
Her mother’s ashes had been placed with her father’s, just as Nicole had requested before she left.
Even though Nicole had braced herself for this, the actual words still made her tremble violently. She never thought the terms “ruined and destitute” would ever describe her situation. Why was fate so harsh, leaving her alive only to refuse her the solace of eternal rest in the depths of the ocean? Why did she have to continue living, burdened by guilt?
Tears of anger filled Nicole’s eyes as she said, “Jarrod Schultz, now that I have nothing left in this world, what else can you possibly take from me? My life? It’s insignificant. If you’re bold enough, try to take it, but know that you’ll pay dearly!”
Nicole’s only purpose in life now was to make Jarrod pay. Perhaps, only then could she finally let go of her burdens…
At that moment, Jarrod felt as though his heart had been scooped out with bare hands. He was just an empty vessel filled with bitter sorrow. He said desperately, “It won’t come to that, Nicole. Why would I want your life? I want you to return to my side. I promise to treat you well. You must believe me. Your mother…”
Jarrod was cut off by a sharp, male voice from Nicole’s end. “The bath is ready.”
Those words immediately changed Jarrod’s face to one of great annoyance.
Then, the line went dead. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Nicole ended the call abruptly, and the beeping sound seemed almost too keen to cut off their conversation.
Jarrod found himself staring at the overheating phone, moments stretching into what felt like an eternity.
Alec, standing tensely, worried about the fate of his phone. After all, eight phones were ruined in this month alone.
In the blink of an eye, Jarrod’s hold on the phone tightened. Under the intense pressure, the phone broke with a crisp snap. It shattered right in his grasp!
Alec’s eyes went wide, not because of the ruined phone but because of Jarrod’s blood trickling down.
The sharp edges of the broken screen had cut Jarrod’s palm, his dark eyes burning with a fierce intensity. He then hurled the phone’s remains at the windshield, causing the glass shards to bounce back and cut his face.
The fresh cut gave Jarrod an even more daunting appearance against his already pallid and unhealthy look.
Without a word, Jarrod got out of the car and walked into the hotel, leaving Alec with a simple command, “Find them.”
Nicole hadn’t planned on taking a bath here, but Roscoe insisted and got a medicinal bath ready for her.