Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Though clueless about Erick’s schedule, she didn’t want to add on his burden since he had been dealing with the family conflict.
Seeing Audrey’s relatively minor injuries, Stefan agreed, “Sure.
Let’s wait until he returns, and then you can inform him yourself.”
“How’s everyone at my home?” Audrey suddenly asked.
“I just went there. Annis and Janey are both doing well, although Janey misses you dearly. Would you like me to bring her to visit you tomorrow?” Stefan offered.
Audrey longed to see Janey. But the possibility of Janey meeting Cornell at the hospital deterred her.
“I should be fine after another day of rest,” she assured Stefan.
Thankfully, Audrey hadn’t sustained significant injuries. However, she had to be observed for another day before she could be discharged.
After some consideration, Stefan agreed. Without another word, he brought over a lunch box, portioned it for Audrey, and handed her the fork, urging her to eat.
Audrey sincerely thanked Stefan. After a while, she finished her meal.
As Stefan cleared the table, he noticed a paper on the bedside cabinet. He picked it up and asked, “Audrey, did you draw this?”
Seeing her sketch in his hands, Audrey nodded.
“How did you know about this pattern?” Stefan asked, his brows knitted together, and his expression growing serious.
Audrey noticed something amiss in Stefan’s expression. “Stefan, are you familiar with this pattern?”
Stefan stared at Audrey intently, his expression unreadable. “Tell me how you know about this pattern first.”
Stefan’s stern demeanor caught Audrey off guard. After a brief pause, she responded, “The man who harmed me had a tattoo of this pattern on his arm.”
“The man who harmed you?” Stefan asked in astonishment. “You have recalled the past?”
Not wanting to hide it from him, Audrey nodded.
“Then tell me what had happened,” Stefan said. “If you share the details from back then, maybe I can help you with this.”
Audrey delved into her memory.
Back then, the car she was in crashed because the driver was blinded by the glare from oncoming vehicles.
Upon reflection, Audrey realized that the glare wasn’t from an ordinary headlight. As luck would have it, she was saved from the hurtful light due to her seat in the back row. After the crash, she noted the driver’s eyes bleeding, his pupils charred to a crisp.
Clearly, someone had orchestrated this incident by intentionally blinding the driver’s eyes.
Later, at the sound of the rescue team approaching, Audrey thought there was still hope.
But then a hand had reached in through the car window and struck her head hard with a hammer.
The car, which was already hanging precariously on the railing, was shoved and plunged into the river.
Right before losing consciousness, Audrey caught a glimpse of the assailant, who was wearing a mask that only revealed a pair of exotic eyes. On the assailant’s arm was a tattoo, with a distinctive mole in the center of it.
As Stefan listened to her account, his face turned serious. He revealed after hesitation, “This is the emblem of the Maxwell family.”
The Maxwell family was a prominent force in Aurora, its influence and strength similar to those of the Clifford family.
Previously, the Maxwell family had faced suppression from the Clifford family. The disadvantage of being less affluent as the Clifford family was a factor at play. The Clifford family had hired a formidable army of elite soldiers, rendering them seemingly invincible.
In recent years, the Maxwell family had enlisted external support, seeking to counter the Clifford family and dominate Aurora.
Judging from Audrey’s account of her ordeal, it appeared that the Maxwell family were engaged in clandestine hired killings, contributing to their swift ascension.
Audrey had heard about the Maxwell family before from Erick, who described them as a family that had been powerful for decades, though they were just a den of criminals committing various offenses.
Regarding Audrey’s leaving plan back then, apart from Hector, Cecilia was the only one privy to it.
As for Hector, he was the one who had rescued Audrey from the river and arranged for her subsequent departure from the country.
However, Hector seemed to be deliberately avoiding meeting the Foster family for years. He had no motive to harm Audrey. Plus, he had saved both her and Janey.
That left only Cecilia as the possible culprit. Cecilia’s intent to harm Audrey was palpable. After all, she was the mastermind behind every ordeal Audrey had endured five years ago.
However, even though Cecilia had some domestic connections, the Maxwell family was situated in a foreign country. How had Cecilia managed to contact them?
Audrey couldn’t figure it out. She contemplated confronting Cecilia about it.
Noticing Audrey’s pensive expression, Stefan frowned and assured, “I’ll help you investigate this matter. Don’t try to tackle it alone, okay?”
The Maxwell family operated like a pack of wolves. If they discovered that they had failed to eliminate Audrey, they might cross oceans to finish the job. It was better to exercise caution.
Stefan added, “If that person is still with the Maxwell family, I can locate him, “Alright, Stefan. Thank you.” Audrey nodded.
Observing her compliant demeanor, Stefan reached out to pat her head, but on second thought retracted his hand, deeming it inappropriate.
“Audrey, if you need anything when Erick’s not around, don’t hesitate to come to me, okay?” Stefan’s lips curled into a slight smile. “No need for formalities.”
“Okay. Stefan, I don’t want anyone else to know about the surface of my memory fragments. I’ll tell Erick about it when he returns.”
Audrey’s mind was in a mess right now, with many details that she had yet to sort out. Organizing the events before and after her memory loss would take time.
Stefan nodded. Since the hour was late, he grabbed the lunch box and remarked, “Get some rest. I’ll drop by tomorrow.”
When Stefan left, he instructed Victor to protect Audrey. Now that he knew that Audrey had been targeted by the Maxwell family, he felt an indescribable sense of unease.
The next day.
Audrey yawned and got up from the bed.
Just as she took a few steps, she was greeted by a cheerful little voice. “Mommy!”
In an instant, the little one, emanating a sweet fragrance, leaped into Audrey’s embrace.
Audrey’s heart swelled with warmth as she lifted Janey. “Baby…”
Annis entered the ward and saw Audrey holding Janey. “Janey, would you like to come down and play? let’s not make your mommy tired.”
Hearing this, Janey squirmed to get down.
Sitting down with Janey in her arms, Audrey smiled and reassured her, “It’s okay. I can handle it.”
Sighing, Annis explained, “Janey had a nightmare. She kept crying and insisted you were in danger, so I brought her here in Mr. Clifford’s car to calm her down.”
Audrey gently rubbed Janey’s nose and asked, “Janey, do you feel better now?”
“Mommy, I missed you.” Janey’s innocent voice carried a trace of sorrow.
Audrey’s nose tingled. After regaining her memory, she realized Janey was Cornell’s daughter. The words about Kabir being Janey’s biological father was a tactic adopted by Erick to keep Cornell away from Audrey.
No wonder Audrey always had the feeling that Janey bore a resemblance to Cornell.
Thanks to Erick’s arrangement, everyone around Audrey insisted Janey looked like her, thwarting Cornell’s thoughts of Janey being his own child.
However, the truth could not be hidden from anyone who knew how Cornell looked as a child.
At this moment, a nurse walked into the room to administer the drip.
After completing another round of saline, Audrey could be discharged.
Annis took Janey to the corridor outside to play, while Stefan kept Audrey company at the bedside.
Now that she had confirmed that her mother was okay, Janey was happily frolicking outside.
Janey accidentally bumped into a man.
Annis immediately stepped forward to apologize, “Sir, I’m sorry.”
Seeing only the little puff of hair atop Janey’s head, Luis found Janey utterly endearing. He smiled and responded, “It’s okay.”
As Luis started to walk away, he heard Janey’s voice mumble, “Sorry…”
Luis couldn’t help but tousle Janey’s soft hair with a gentle smile.
“It’s alright. I’m perfectly fine.”
Janey lifted her tiny face and smiled. “Mommy says I should apologize when I make a mistake…”
Gazing at Janey’s innocent face, Luis found his mind momentarily blank. How could this little girl bear such a striking resemblance to the stern-faced Cornell from childhood?
Cornell slept straight for three days.