Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Sometimes, silence revealed more than any confession.
But Audrey needed answers. She looked up, fighting back tears, and implored, “Cornell, please, for the sake of what we once shared, tell me the truth.”
The silence grew oppressive, hanging heavily between them until Cornell finally spoke, his voice hollow. “Yeah.” He had confessed.
Cap?tulo 904:
At that moment, Audrey’s heart twisted in agony, her breath caught in her throat. The revelation was unimaginable. How could this be happening? How could Cornell be the father? This was supposed to be Katie’s child with that bodyguard!
Cornell seemed to read the confusion in Audrey’s eyes and offered a flat explanation.
“It was an accident. We were drinking, and it just happened. Katie called it a misunderstanding the next morning, so I thought nothing more of it. I had no idea that was the night she conceived. Now, the Clement family is counting on this child.”
Even Katie’s fall this time had been hidden since the existence of Katie’s child could attract the maximum attention, regardless of its father.
Cornell had his assistant publicly announce that Katie and the little boy were safe, deliberately fooling the public with the false news of the new arrival of an heir of the Clement family.
In the prestigious Clement family, the first male heir was destined to be a significant figure, poised to attract attention and influence the family’s future.
After a moment’s reflection, Audrey connected the dots. She realized Katie must have been pregnant when she had been with Cornell.
Feeling utterly demeaned, as though she had been trampled underfoot, her emotions got the better of her. In a fit of indignation, Audrey snatched the teacup from the table and flung its contents straight at Cornell’s face.
Cornell managed to shield his face with his hand, but tea leaves splattered his arm and hair. Anger flashed across his features as he gripped Audrey’s wrist tightly. His eyes were icy as he confronted her. “Have you lost your senses?”
“Yes, I’ve lost my senses. That’s why I agreed to reunite with you. And that’s why I fell for you again. Cornell, you are truly unworthy of my love!” Audrey’s voice cracked with self-mockery as her face turned pale, and tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
Although Cornell was initially furious, the despair in Audrey’s eyes softened his demeanor, leaving him speechless.
The depth of Audrey’s sorrow made it difficult for her to breathe.
She stared at the man before her, feeling as if he were a stranger.
How could Cornell have changed so drastically, to no longer resemble the man she once knew?
It became painfully clear to Audrey that in their relationship, she was the only one who had truly cared. To Cornell, she had always been nothing more than a convenient partner, easily disposable when no longer needed.
At the first sign of his interests being threatened, he was ready to cast her aside, just as he was doing now.
After her tears, a bitter laugh escaped Audrey. Thankfully, Cornell was unaware of her own pregnancy with his children. If he had known, he might have taken drastic measures to eliminate any complications.
Determined to protect her unborn children, Audrey resolved that the twins belonged solely to her, independent of anyone else’s claims.
Convinced by this ordeal to guard her heart against future wounds, Audrey decided her future would be devoted solely to her children.
She planned to give birth to twins so Janey wouldn’t face the future alone. They would have each other.
Resolved to end things with Cornell once and for all, Audrey turned to leave, but he pulled her back gently yet firmly. His soft tone contrasted with his words. “I haven’t let you go yet.”
Audrey’s reply was icy and final. “What more do you want from me?”
Cornell declared firmly, “You have only one option now. Leave the country and never return.”
Audrey was taken aback by his ultimatum. Clearly, he was determined to force her out. She responded defiantly, “I didn’t push Katie. Her miscarriage has nothing to do with me. I refuse to pay the price for something I’m not responsible for…”
Before she could finish, Cornell interrupted her sharply. His tone was icy. “Audrey, this isn’t a negotiation. Given the influence of the Glyn and Clement families, once you’re behind bars, you’ll never be released.”
Audrey paused, stunned, and let out a bitter laugh. “So, if I refuse, you’d have me die in prison?”
Cornell’s silent stare was confirmation enough.
Cap?tulo 905:
Audrey forced a smile, her body going cold. “Fine, I agree.”
Her agreement was not born of fear but of sheer exhaustion. The sudden revelation of the truth had caught her off guard, leaving her reeling. Human as she was, she was susceptible to great pain.
While Audrey could call on the Foster family to oppose the Glyn and Clement dynasties, the odds were heavily stacked against them in Ardlens.
She was unwilling to put the Foster family at risk on her behalf or to endanger her unborn children.
Besides, her departure had been imminent. Cornell’s urgency simply hastened it. As Cornell’s wedding approached in just a week, his reasons for wanting her gone became painfully clear.
Approaching the door, Audrey halted but didn’t turn around. Her words were meant for both him and her.
“Cornell, you’ve mastered the art of wounding me deeply enough to force my hand. In your zeal to hurt me, you reveal your own guilt. Maybe I’m imagining things. Perhaps you’ve hidden nothing. Or maybe my reluctance to let go is causing these illusions. Regardless, you’ve inflicted deep wounds. Whatever your intentions, you’ve achieved your goal.”
With her eyes closed and voice steady, Audrey declared, “Rest assured, I’ll leave and won’t trouble you again.”
With that, Audrey quickly exited, unaware that after the door shut, Cornell’s eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face. He then clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground.
Meanwhile, in the high-level hospital ward…
Matteo, having just returned to Ardlens after being away on business, was catching up on the situation. His absence recently was replaced by several new assistants around Cornell.
Upon returning, Matteo learned of Katie’s condition and saw Cornell’s frail but stubborn demeanor, which pained him deeply.
There was sentiments Matteo hesitated to express due to his position.
Nevertheless, after much deliberation, he addressed Cornell, “Mr. Clement, is it necessary to go to these lengths? Mrs. Clement…”
Pausing, Matteo shifted his way of addressing Audrey.
“I understand your concern for Miss Foster’s safety. Yet, considering she has the protection of the Foster family and Mr. Erick Foster’s formidable bodyguards, we should be able to manage this situation. Why force her so far away and leave yourself with no way out?”
Cornell’s face remained ashen and detached as he responded, “I don’t need a way out.”
Unbeknownst to Matteo, Cornell had already left no way out and relinquished any hope for himself. He saw no future or continuity for his own life with the toxin torturing him.
His sole focus was arranging everything for Audrey, ensuring a carefree life ahead of her, even if he was out of her life.
He preferred that Audrey remember him not with painful longing but with vehement hatred after his departure, making it easier for her to move on.
Matteo, unable to grasp the depth of Cornell’s despair, failed to understand his motives.
During their conversation, Matteo mentioned the public reaction to recent news that had been trending.
Cornell tapped his finger on the table, a sarcastic smirk crossing his face. “See, they all think I adore that woman.”
On the screen, a video showed Cornell lifting Katie into a car, her dress stained with blood.
The headline lauded Cornell’s profound love for Katie, triggering a flurry of emotive comments.
The more Cornell watched, the more absurd he found it. He chuckled.
“Love, they think it’s love. That’s perfect.”
This laugh from Cornell was unlike any Matteo had heard from him before. It was desolate, touched with melancholy, as if Cornell had transcended concerns of life and death.
Matteo had always struggled to decipher Cornell’s thoughts, yet at this moment, Matteo felt a glimpse of understanding. True love was never a show. It was Cornell’s profound love for Audrey that drove him to protect her at all costs.
Cap?tulo 906:
In Katie’s ward.
Upon awakening after the miscarriage, Katie looked down at her now smaller belly, her eyes not filled with sorrow but with relief. She had never wanted this pregnancy, and her desire to end it had only grown after the last doctor’s visit.
By using Audrey as a pawn in her scheme to kill the baby in her belly, though Katie hadn’t achieved her initial goal, she had still extracted some advantage.
With this incident, she assumed she could push Audrey toward imprisonment and then discreetly resolve Audrey’s pregnancy on her terms.
Katie was quietly satisfied with her scheming until her assistant’s next words doused her smugness. The assistant spoke hesitantly. “Miss Glyn, that woman was released by Mr. Clement.”
“What? What did you say?” Katie’s shock was palpable.
The assistant repeated cautiously, careful not to upset Katie further.
“That woman was released by Mr. Clement.”
Infuriated, Katie grabbed a water bottle and hurled it at her assistant’s face. She yelled, “You’re worthless! Didn’t I instruct you to take her to the police station? There’s no surveillance at the back entrance. If you had just insisted you saw her push me, you could have definitely gotten her locked up!”
This was precisely the ploy Katie had concocted, using the pretext of slipping to let Audrey pull her up. If Audrey had pulled her, the safety of Audrey’s unborn children would have been at risk, and Audrey’s own safety would have been compromised as well.
In that case, Katie could claim that Audrey was trying to push her but ended up bumping into the sharp corner of the table by accident.
Katie could then find an easy way to get away while Audrey’s pregnancy was terminated. Audrey would suffer not only physically but could also face legal consequences for the alleged assault.
Katie did not foresee Audrey being so astute and avoiding the trap.
Yet, she could not let her well-devised miscarriage be for nothing.