Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
“Cornell, what caused you to pass out? Are you okay?”
As she spoke, she extended her hand to touch Cornell’s forehead.
Cornell dodged her hand, his frown deepening.
Katie’s expression stiffened, her eyes brimming with tears. “Cornell, I’m just worried about you.”
Cornell’s gaze was unyielding. “Katie, do you ever get tired of this act?”
Katie turned ghostly white, confusion written all over her face.
“What are you talking about, Cornell? I don’t understand.”
“Katie, I’ve been clear with you,” Cornell said sternly. “We had agreed to clarify our relationship publicly. We shouldn’t be seeing or talking to each other beyond that.”
His tone was icy. “Don’t try to deceive me with your pretense, okay?”
Katie, pale, tried to explain, “But Cornell, I genuinely care.
Cornell cut her off, not even sparing her a glance, “You should leave now.”
Cornell’s coldness made Katie clench her fists as if she had endured it for a while. She asked, “Cornell, is your distance from me because of Audrey? But are you aware she doesn’t have any feelings for you? She’s completely indifferent to you… How could she leave you so easily?”
Katie was livid. How could Cornell embarrass her for such a heartless woman?
Cornell suddenly asked, “Did Audrey just come here?”
Katie, taken aback, denied, “No, I haven’t seen her.”
Cornell’s indifferent tone followed. “Do you think you’re being clever, Katie?”
“Excuse me?” Katie raised his head, meeting his piercing gaze. It was a look she’d never received from him before.
Instead of feeling cherished, Katie felt exposed under his scrutinizing eyes, her heart racing. She felt unexpectedly agitated.
Cornell said icily, “You remember the incident where you falsely claimed to be my fianc?e in front of Audrey? We haven’t settled that yet. Don’t spout nonsense again, or you’ll only harm yourself. Regret would be your only companion.”
Katie’s complexion drained of color. With tears brimming, she asked, “Are you threatening me, Cornell?”
Katie harbored the illusion that she was the only one who could get close to Cornell after a five-year company. Yet, over those years, she had actually spent more time with luciana. Cornell’s heart remained icy. He never fell in love with anyone.
Katie, however, failed to see the reality and believed she was special, thinking Cornell’s indifference toward her was solely due to Audrey.
Cornell’s face was expressionless, his voice devoid of warmth. “This is not a threat. If you do this again, I will follow through.
Katie’s complexion instantly lost its color. She just sensed a lethal tone in the man’s words.
With eyes brimming with tears, she uttered, Cornell, does my love for you make everything I do seem wrong? You…”
Cornell cut her off with a frosty tone, “Loving someone isn’t wrong.
But the way you go about it disgusts me.”
At his words, Katie was trembling all over. The man she cherished for so many years had just said her love for him repulsed him… He found her repulsive!
In a shaky voice, she managed to say, “Cornell, the Glyn family has always been firm in our choice of you, never wavering…”
Then, the door burst open. Matteo stepped inside.
Cornell commanded with an icy tone, “Escort Miss Glyn out. Secure the door and ensure no outsiders get in.”
His harsh words felt like a physical blow to Katie. A stinging sensation spread across her cheek.
As Katie was about to utter another word, Matteo signaled her to stop and stated without emotion, “Miss Glyn, this way, please.”
Katie gazed at Cornell, her eyes filled with a mix of obsession and bitterness. Finally, she whispered, “Cornell, all I’ve done was out of love for you…”
She muttered to herself, “One day, you will surely regret your indifference toward me!”
She exited Cornell’s ward.
Once outside the hospital, the sorrow on Katie’s face swiftly turned to malevolence. Then, she burst out laughing. If she couldn’t have Cornell, no one would!
Back in Cornell’s ward.
Cornell ordered, “Verify if Audrey was here recently.”
Matteo felt Cornell was deceiving himself. Why would Audrey visit him?
Cornell continued, “Keep a close watch on Katie’s actions, especially her interactions with my mother, and keep me informed.”
Cornell sometimes wondered if luciana’s mental stability was deteriorating because of Katie’s misleading words. His gaze was icy and sharp. He wished it was just a misconception.
At the elevator, Stefan waited for Audrey. Upon seeing Audrey, he showed concern, asking, “Is everything okay?”
Audrey snapped back to reality, shook her head, and replied, “It’s all good.”
Her mind had been on the Clement family’s illegitimate son. Yet, she felt Cornell didn’t need her worry. His cleverness had led him to remarkable business achievements at a young age. Surely, he wouldn’t be outmaneuvered by an illegitimate son that easily. She felt she was overthinking it.
Then, her phone rang.
After answering, Audrey announced, “I’m on my way.”
It was the day of her press conference, and she was nearly late because of these distractions.
“Where to? I can give you a ride,” Stefan offered.
With time pressing, Audrey accepted Stefan’s offer.
They reached the hotel hosting the press conference.
Stefan was concerned about Audrey, so he decided to follow her to the scene.
Audrey and Stefan entered the venue together, not knowing a chilling stare followed them.
Only after they went in did the man step out from behind the flowers.
Watching Audrey’s retreating figure, he glared with ominous intent.
The man following Audrey made his way toward the hotel but was intercepted before entering.
The security guard regarded the man with a slight frown. “I’m sorry, sir, but unless you’re a guest of the hotel, entry is not permitted.”
It wasn’t that the security guard took pleasure in demeaning others.
It was simply that this man was markedly disheveled. Clad in what was once a white T-shirt now transformed into a stiff, dark hue due to neglect, emitting a pungent odor from a distance.
His face was obscured by a long, unkempt beard, clumps of ice melded within, resembling a cake-like texture. His fingernails coated with grimy residue, scarcely a clean spot discernible. This man bore the visage of a homeless individual who had traversed many a weary road.
Challenged by the security guard, the man countered, “Who says I’m not a guest? I am!”
The security guard replied, “If that’s the case, please provide your name and ID number, and I’ll verify it for you.”
“I’m Brent Warburton, and my niece just entered. let me go find her,” he asserted.
Ever since Brent swindled money from the villagers, he fled abroad the following day, only to recklessly squander three million in less than a day.
That three million hadn’t come easily, yet now, he found himself penniless.
In a moment of desperation, Brent resorted to theft, snatching someone’s money meant for exchange and fleeing.
The venue’s security guards, a formidable bunch, were relentless in their pursuit, ensuring Brent didn’t escape without consequence.
Upon capture, given Brent’s prior lavish spending of three million, the venue’s boss opted for a brutal punishment, severing three of Brent’s fingers as retribution.
Forced to sign an IOU and work off his debt at the venue, Brent faced regular beatings if his performance fell short.
Enduring nearly three years of inhumane treatment, Brent seized an opportunity to escape when the boss let his guard down.
After his escape, Brent found employment on a fishing boat, where he toiled for a year before returning to homeland.
Initially intending to seek assistance from his mother, Brent was devastated to discover she had passed away, leaving him with no support. Furthermore, his only niece was nowhere to be found, leaving Brent to navigate his tumultuous circumstances alone.
Not daring to linger in the village due to his previous wrongdoings, Brent sought refuge in Ardlens, disguising himself by neglecting personal hygiene and adopting a beggar’s guise.
It was at the entrance of a hotel that Brent unexpectedly caught sight of his long-lost niece, Audrey.
Assessing Audrey’s and Stefan’s attire and demeanor, it was evident they belonged to the affluent class.
Rubbing his maimed palms together, Brent felt a surge of hope, believing he might finally obtain some financial assistance.