Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Once she was done with the prep, Audrey found herself reaching for her phone again. There was no message waiting for her.
A wave of disappointment washed over Audrey. It seemed Cornell was swamped with work.
She considered calling him but worried he might be in a meeting.
Instead, she decided to call Matteo.
Matteo answered right away. “Miss Foster, how can I help you?”
“Matteo, is Cornell busy?”
“Yes, Mr. Clement is in a meeting right now. I can pass on any message for you.”
“Just let him know not to miss dinner at my place tonight.”
Matteo peered into the office and saw Cornell getting ready to leave.
He hesitated and then said, “Miss Foster, Mr. Clement might be caught up with work until very late.”
Audrey missed the hint in Matteo’s voice and simply said, “That’s fine. I can wait for him.”
Suddenly, there was a burst of laughter from Janey on the Line.
Audrey quickly added “Matteo, go ahead with your work. I won’t hold you up any longer.”
After hanging up, Matteo rushed to catch up with Cornell, out of breath. “Mrs….”
Upon seeing Cornell’s stern look, Matteo quickly corrected, “Miss Foster reminded you to remember dinner at her place tonight.”
Cornell, without showing any emotion, continued on his way. It wasn’t until he entered the elevator that he allowed his emotions to surface.
Audrey invited him over for dinner, probably just to return the favor.
How ludicrous it was he felt cheerful in her invitation. It was silly of him, really.
In the kitchen.
Janey came bouncing in. Noticing her mother busy cooking, she used her most adorable voice and asked, “Mommy, what are you doing?”
“I’m preparing dinner, sweetheart.” Audrey smiled.
“Wow, is someone special coming? Can we ask daddy to join us? I miss him.” Janey’s eyes, large and full of hope, sparkled with excitement.
Audrey, softened by her daughter’s adorable face, couldn’t help but smile. “Actually, the guest is your daddy.”
“What?” Janey’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Really?”
Audrey gave a nod.
Janey bounced with joy. “That’s amazing! Mommy, I love you so much!”
Janey’s joy spread like wildfire.
Audrey gently squeezed Janey’s cheek and asked, “Janey, would you be happy if your daddy lived with us all the time?”
“I would love that!” Janey beamed. “I wish daddy could always be with us and never leave.”
Audrey saw the genuine affection Janey had for Cornell. But was this affection born out of a longing for a father figure, or was it the natural bond of kinship?
Audrey bent down to Janey’s level and asked, “Janey, do you Like Cornell because he’s your daddy, or because you genuinely like him as a person?”
Janey, puzzled by Audrey’s question, offered her own understanding.
“My teacher says people have auras. If you like someone, it’s because you can feel they like you back. I feel daddy loves me just as much as I love him.”
Audrey was surprised. It seemed even a child not yet five had deeper insights than she did.
After Annis took Janey outside to play, Audrey’s mind was still racing. She knew her heart was unsettled because of Cornell. She remembered the question Cornell had asked at the door of her villa last time, and she decided she wanted to answer it tonight.
She didn’t want to push him away anymore. She wanted to give them a try. For Janey, and for herself, it was time to move on from the past.
Audrey got busy with dinner preparations once again. By the time she finished, it was nearly seven in the evening.
Audrey laid out the dishes on the automatically heated table, ensuring they wouldn’t cool down within an hour.
After that, Audrey and Janey sat down, waiting for Cornell’s return.
For a brief moment, Audrey felt as if she had been transported back in time. She used to wait for Cornell like this five years ago. And now, they had a daughter together.
As time slowly ticked by, Janey’s stomach started rumbling. With a pout, she looked up at Audrey and asked with a hint of sadness, “Mommy, when is daddy going to be home?”
Audrey, feeling a mix of helplessness and impatience, responded, “I’m not sure, sweetie. Give me a sec to call him and find out where he is.”
Picking up her phone, Audrey dialed Cornell’s number.
The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer.
A sinking feeling started to settle in Audrey’s heart. She somehow sensed Cornell might not show up tonight. But why? If he knew he was going to be late, why hadn’t he given her a heads-up?
“Why didn’t daddy pick up the phone?” Janey couldn’t hide her disappointment when she noticed Audrey’s concerned look.
Trying to lift the mood, Audrey offered a reassuring smile. “He’s probably caught up with something right now. How about we start dinner first?”
However, Janey firmly shook her head, insisting, “No, I want to wait for daddy. I was looking forward to sharing my favorite meals with him.”
Seeing Janey’s stubbornness, Audrey tried a different approach, suggesting gently, “Why don’t you try a little bit of the shrimp porridge first?”
After a bit of persuasion, Janey finally agreed to eat some porridge without waiting for Cornell.
Finishing a bowl of porridge, Janey felt almost full. She continued to wait at the table with Audrey, but eventually, the weariness was too much for her.
Janey usually went to bed at 8:30 PM, and now it was already 9:00 PM.
Audrey asked Annis to help Janey to bed and get her settled, while she decided to start cleaning up the table.
But as soon as she lifted a plate, it slipped from her grasp and shattered on the floor.
Quickly kneeling to tidy up the mess, Audrey accidentally cut her finger on a sharp piece. Blood started to flow from the cut.
Looking at her injured finger, Audrey felt a sting of pain in her heart and a surge of tears threatened to spill.
Fighting back her tears, she carefully cleaned up the broken pieces.
After that, she was too tired to even think about cleaning the dishes on the table. So, she left them as they were.
Audrey had planned to take a shower and hit the bed when Nicole rang her up, wanting to hang out.
Nicole was curious about what happened to Austin yesterday and felt a call wasn’t the best way to discuss it. So the two of them met at a coffee shop.
Settling into their seats, Audrey raised an eyebrow and asked, “How did you manage to get Jarrod to let you out?”
“I’m not locked up. Why wouldn’t he let me go?” Nicole answered, avoiding eye contact.
Actually, Jarrod had requested Nicole to help with his bath. In exchange, he agreed to let her meet Audrey. Nicole was genuinely concerned about Austin, leaving her no choice but to accept his term.
Audrey sighed in relief upon hearing this and shared the events that unfolded in Ashfield.
“Sorry, my bad. I should have been more cautious. I mistakenly thought Ashfield was secluded and didn’t realize how complex things there could be,” Nicole confessed, gripping Audrey’s hand tightly.
“Don’t worry about it. Everything’s fine now. If it weren’t for me, the police wouldn’t have caught those bad guys.” Audrey played a key role in busting the crime ring, and the local cops wanted to reward her.
However, Audrey turned it down, preferring to stay under the radar.
After all, she didn’t see it as a big deal.
Nicole then transferred a million dollars into Audrey’s account, mentioning, “Consider it the rent.”
Knowing the security at Erick’s places was top-notch, Nicole felt at ease.
Audrey quickly transferred the money back to her, saying, “Don’t worry about it. Erick has a ton of houses, and he’s not using most of them. It’s really no trouble at all.”
Despite Nicole’s attempts to pay, Audrey wouldn’t accept the money, leaving Nicole with no choice but to stop trying.
Even before Nicole shared Austin’s story and revealed Austin’s biological father, Audrey had already put the pieces together.
Nicole didn’t want to impose too much on Audrey, so she kept details about Austin’s sickness to a minimum.
Later, Nicole shifted the conversation, asking, “How are things between you and Cornell?”
With a strained smile, Audrey replied softly, “Honestly, I’m at a loss.”