Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Katie suddenly broke down. She charged at Audrey and yelled, “This is all your fault! Weren’t you supposed to be dead? Why did you come back and wreck our relationship?”
Cornell positioned himself protectively in front of Audrey.
Marcelo intervened swiftly, seizing Katie’s wrist without hesitation.
Katie’s outcry was frantic. “Cornell, this child is your son, the future leader of the Clement family! Will you really choose an outsider’s child over your own flesh and blood?”
Katie had no reservations. Cornell was ruthless in handling the Glyn family. He didn’t hold back.
Katie had turned off her phone to escape the business turmoil. The collapse of the Glyn Group was imminent. Just yesterday, she dreamt about becoming marrying Cornell, but today she had fallen from the heights of happiness into despair.
Cornell saw no point in engaging further with this unhinged Katie. He pondered if Katie was grappling with hysteria or another psychological issue. Her tendency to fabricate situations was clear.
He dismissed the idea of keeping Katie close to gather evidence discreetly. Having someone like Katie around Luciana was too risky.
Cornell pointed at Katie, instructing Marcelo, “Marcelo, please escort her back and ensure her family watch her closely. And relay this message. If she loses her mind again, don’t blame me for handing her to the authority.”
Katie was stunned by Cornell’s indifference. Laughing bitterly, she ranted, “So, Cornell, this is how you discard me for her and her illegitimate child?”
Katie’s intense stare unsettled those around her, her words sent shivers through the room.
Audrey stepped up, her voice cold. “Katie, three and a half months pregnant, huh? Let’s suppose the child you’re carrying is Cornell’s. Back when you got pregnant, I was still Cornell’s wife and you knew that. So, why still chose to be the home wrecker?”
Katie felt a brief twinge of guilt. She had avoided this confrontation precisely because of this damning reality. The child was conceived when Audrey was still Cornell’s wife. But she had no alternatives.
Audrey shot Katie a fierce glare, stating, “And my child isn’t illegitimate. She wasn’t born out of the wedlock.”
Though Janey’s father’s identity remained undisclosed, Audrey stood firm against any insinuation that Janey was illegitimate.
Before Katie could respond, Cornell signaled to Marcelo with an icy command, “Take her back.”
Marcelo turned to Katie, courteously urging, “Miss Glyn, if you please.”
Katie took a step back, adamantly refusing, “No!” If she were to return home now, she’d face mockery. The thought of going back was unbearable!
“Luciana…” Katie clung to Luciana, her body shaking.
Luciana offered comfort, patting her back, “Don’t worry, dear. I’m here. No one will touch you while I’m around!”
“Mom!” Cornell interjected sharply. He was baffled by Luciana’s protective stance toward Katie. He had already swapped the medication in secret, so why was Luciana still defending Katie?
“All of you, leave!” Luciana suddenly shouted. “Leave! Whoever bullies Katie, leave my sight!”
Cornell glared at Luciana, sighing. Then, he took Audrey’s hand and left without saying a word.
The instant Katie sensed their absence, she stopped shaking and calmed down immediately. She hugged Luciana. “Thank you,” she said.
Luciana’s expression was somewhat dull. “For what? We’re like a family,” she answered in a monotone.
“Of course,” Katie said, laughing softly. “But with everything that’s happened, it’s almost time for your medication. I’ll get it for you.”
After Katie left, Luciana stared at the ceiling, thinking hard about what happened this morning. The dizziness had come from the water Katie gave her. Her fall was caused by the handrail suddenly coming loose. But why did it come loose?
Luciana knew all too well that strange things only happened whenever Katie was around, suggesting Katie was the behind all those “accidents.”
However, Luciana grasped Katie’s leaving this household would spell more disasters for Cornell and Audrey. That was why Luciana had adamantly kept Katie close. Besides, she felt the urge not to rouse Katie’s suspicion.
As Katie’s silhouette emerged in the doorway, Luciana’s countenance illuminated with a smile. “Do not exert yourself,” she said gently.
“It’s alright,” Katie replied, handing Luciana a glass of water and a pill. She watched Luciana take them.
“Try to get some sleep,” Katie suggested. Yet, Luciana had succumbed to slumber before Katie could say anymore.
In the CEO’s office of the Clement Group, Cornell sat in his chair, deep in thought.
The room was silent until he spoke with a calm authority. “Find all my external engagements from January to May. Investigate Katie’s movements during the same window. Look for any strange overlaps.”
Matteo nodded. “I’m on it, sir.”
The task, however, resembled a proverbial needle in a_ haystack, burdened further by the passage of time.
Just as Matteo approached the threshold, Cornell’s voice resonated across the room. “Wait a minute!”
Cornell’s eyes sparkled with determination. “Bring me the file on Katie’s bodyguard.”
Quickly, Matteo presented Abel’s dossier to Cornell.
As Cornell looked through the file, his forehead creased. “Is Abel one of the Dark Island’s assassins?”
“That’s what I’ve heard. Mr. Glyn hired Abel for Miss Glyn.”
Cornell turned to the last page, which showed pictures of Abel in action and in everyday situations. He paused at a photo showing Abel’s intense Look.
Cornell recalled how Abel’s vigilant eyes always followed Katie. The look Abel gave Katie was different from the one in the photograph.
Doubt crept into Cornell’s mind. He tapped the photo firmly. “Forget about looking into Katie’s movements. Watch Abel closely for the next couple of days. I need to confirm something.”
“Will do.” Matteo nodded before exiting.
In a secluded area outside the city, a man in a black suit was tied up, his face covered with a hood, and seated on a couch.
Suddenly, he was drenched with cold water.
When the hood was removed, the man glared fiercely at his captors.
Confronted by four imposing men, he remained fearless and declared, “You’re courting death!”
As four imposing men stepped aside, an attractive man stepped forward.
Abel’s confident look wavered upon seeing the attractive man.
“Abel, you know why we’re here,” Cornell said coldly.
Abel lowered his head, silent.
Cornell continued with deliberate intent, “Katie’s child…”
At Katie’s name, Abel tensed.
Cornell’s smirk grew. His guess was spot-on. “It’s yours!”
Abel shook his head vigorously, desperation in his tone. “No!” he insisted.
Cornell remained unfazed, his tone even. “Your hair was compared with the DNA sample,” he revealed.
Color left Abel’s face, his mouth set in a firm line.
With icy scorn, Cornell demanded, “Tell me the truth! Or the child won’t live. I have no patience for anyone who dishonors my family.”
“You can’t harm the child!” Abel’s voice was full of turmoil.
Cornell’s silence pressed for an answer.
Finally, Abel admitted, “It’s mine.”
Cornell, despite having anticipated the confession, felt a sense of relief. He had worked hard to regain Audrey’s trust and could not let anything undermine it.
“The charity gala, wasn’t it?” Cornell asked, his voice steady.
Abel was surprised Cornell knew about it.
“You paid a waiter to tamper with my drink, ensuring Katie would end up in my room. But I never returned, so you acted on your own,”
Cornell said flatly.
With the lead on Abel, the puzzle pieces fell into place. Given the rare occasions when Cornell and Katie were in the same place, and the timing of Katie’s pregnancy, the conclusion was clear.
Cornell had found a gap in the security footage from the charity gala hotel, which matched the crucial timeframe. It was clear Abel had interfered with the surveillance.
However, Cornell’s alertness was a flaw in their plan. That night, feeling unwell from the tampered drink, Cornell had Matteo drive him home.
Apart from a slight fever, Cornell felt okay and thought little of it, attributing the incident to someone’s attempt to seduce him. He left the clean-up to Matteo and forgot about the night.
It wasn’t until Luciana brought up the month of Katie’s pregnancy that Cornell connected the dots.
Abel lowered his head, resigned. “Yes.”
That evening, as the plan unraveled, Abel’s thoughts turned to Katie, who was oblivious to the unfolding events.
Abel went back to the room for Katie, not knowing she had spiked her own drink, driven by a fierce desire.