Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Jarrod’s face remained stoic, completely indifferent to Derek’s begging. If he had arrived just a moment later tonight, Nicole might have been lost forever.
This mere thought sent a wave of panic crashing over Jarrod. Even his normally steady heart faltered with fear. It was this overwhelming anxiety for Nicole that sparked his bitter sarcasm, mocking her for overestimating her strength while masking his inner turmoil.
Jarrod found his concerns for Nicole peculiar. During their courtroom battles, when Nicole presented all the evidence against him, he had resolved to detach himself from her affairs. Under similar circumstances, anyone else might have succumbed countless times.
But now, with Nicole faced with imminent danger, he couldn’t suppress his panic and dread. At one point, he even feared that if Nicole were to die, his own life would lose all its meaning. This realization shocked him.
Yet, deep in his heart, Jarrod knew his feelings were genuine. He loathed his own tendency for leniency when Nicole entered the picture.
Despite his reputation for toughness, he had repeatedly given her chances, which she didn’t appreciate at all.
Inside Jarrod, emotions swirled chaotically, pressing him toward destruction once more. His mental state appeared to be deteriorating.
Hallucinations took hold, transforming Derek’s kneeling figure into a monstrous visage. A primitive beast materialized before Jarrod, snarling and slashing the air, seemingly eager to devour him.
“Ah!” Jarrod clutched his head, roaring with pain and confusion.
Derek, shocked by the sudden roar, realized there was something amiss with Jarrod. It looked as though Jarrod was on the verge of demonic possession.
“This guy must be dealing with some serious mental issues,” Derek muttered under his breath. Seizing the moment, he grabbed a rock, sprung up, and hurled it at Jarrod’s head.
From the slope, Nicole’s voice pierced the air. “Jarrod!”
She too had spotted Jarrod’s alarming behavior. He seemed to be in the throes of a seizure. In such states, he turned alarmingly violent, attacking anyone nearby without recognition.
This was why Nicole insisted on claiming Austin’s custody. Jarrod was clearly unfit to parent. Austin, frail as he was, could never withstand a blow from Jarrod.
At this critical moment, Nicole couldn’t let Derek kill Jarrod. If Jarrod were incapacitated or worse, she knew she would be Derek’s next target. A man blinded by rage wouldn’t hesitate to take one life or two. It would all be the same. And in her current vulnerable state, she was no match for a deranged man.
Nicole’s shout brought Jarrod back to a semblance of awareness, but it was already too late. The rock Derek hurled smashed against Jarrod’s face.
Blood immediately started streaming down Jarrod’s handsome features.
Yet, despite his face being covered in blood, he stood unflinchingly, his expression turning even more ominous.
Derek, realizing that his attempt with the rock had little effect and only made Jarrod appear more menacing, felt a wave of fear wash over him. How could someone not react to a rock to the head but instead look even more daunting?
Derek knew he had provoked someone far too formidable and needed to escape immediately. He dropped the rock and scrambled up the slope, trying to flee.
But before he could get far, his collar was abruptly grabbed, and he was immobilized.
“Ah! Let… Let me go!” Derek howled, his face etched with sheer terror as if a ghost had clutched him from behind.
In the next instant, Derek was slammed to the ground with a heavy thud!
“Poof!” The impact almost knocked the life out of Derek, blood spraying everywhere.
Before Derek could even scream in pain, Jarrod, imposing as a mountain, was already crouched over Derek, delivering punch after relentless punch to his face. Each punch was forceful, each blow drawing more blood.
Derek’s face was beaten into a bloody mess, a horrific sight. His cries diminished from loud wails to feeble groans, as he seemed nearly lifeless.
Witnessing the brutality, Nicole turned away, her voice trembling as she begged, “Jarrod, stop it. You’ll kill him!”
At this moment, it seemed Jarrod didn’t hear anything else. He clenched his fists tightly and hit Derek’s face again and again with all his strength.
A few of Derek’s teeth were broken, and he was almost choked to death.
This time, Nicole shouted his name again, “Jarrod!”
Jarrod’s fist that was about to smash Derek’s face stopped just one centimeter away from Derek’s face. Then, he turned and fixed his eyes on Nicole.
Jarrod’s face was full of his and Derek’s blood. Although he was still handsome, the blood made him look sinister and terrifying.
What was more horrible was Jarrod’s bloodthirsty eyes. He said expressionlessly, “Do you want to keep him so you can use him to take me down?”
Nicole felt a lump in her throat, and no words came out. Indeed, she didn’t want Derek to die. Because if he died, it would be even harder to find evidence.
Besides, she knew Jarrod’s associates would probably kill Leighton as well. If so, it would be more challenging for her to get Austin’s custody.
Nicole believed that as long as Derek was alive, she still had a chance in the battle over Austin’s custody. But this was only one of the reasons she wanted Jarrod to stop beating Derek.
Another reason was that she felt Jarrod didn’t have the right to give Derek judgment. For her, no matter how evil Derek was, he should be punished by the law. Jarrod had no right to kill Derek arbitrarily as punishment.
Jarrod had always regarded human life as worthless. In his eyes, it was nothing but a plaything he could dispose of at will.
But Nicole was not like him. She respected human life, and she wanted a fair trial for those who sinned. So, even though Derek committed various crimes, she felt he should only be judged by the court.
Nicole’s lips trembled. “Jarrod, you…”
But before she could finish her words, Derek suddenly shouted, interrupting her, “It’s you! You are that person!”
Jarrod looked at Derek on the ground condescendingly. But Derek’s face was so swollen that he could no longer see anything. He didn’t know that Jarrod’s face was now full of killing intent. He continued to stutter, “You… You are that psychopath!”
At the mention of Jarrod’s name, Derek finally recalled the switched sample was for Jarrod. No wonder Jarrod wanted to beat him to death.
If Jarrod wasn’t sick, why did he need to change the sample?
Although Derek had no idea how crazy Jarrod had become, he knew about the medicine. Only people who could not control their emotions would take such a drug. Eventually, those people would either go totally insane or become seemingly civilized but violent people. In the end, they would have no choice but to kill to pacify their inner turmoil.
Derek felt he was doomed and announced, “A lunatic like you deserve to die. I shouldn’t have changed that sample.”
It was just that regret always came last. At this point, there was no use regretting.
Jarrod picked up a stone on the ground, raised his hand, and was about to smash it into Derek’s head.
Nicole stepped forward to stop Jarrod, but he forcefully shoved her away out of instinct. Caught off guard, she fell hard to the ground and felt like everything around her had turned black.
In a daze, she seemed to hear someone call her name, “Nicole!” Then, she fell into a coma.
Outside the operating room, Jarrod stood like a tree. He was still covered in blood, and his face was full of worry.
The doctors and nurses came and went, but Jarrod remained unmoved. He stayed in front of the door steadfastly.
Alec had rushed to the hospital when he heard the news. Upon seeing Jarrod’s appearance, his heart was overwhelmed by guilt. He knew Jarrod still couldn’t let go of Nicole and felt he shouldn’t have Derek deal with her. She was just a woman.
As long as Jarrod could keep her in check, what was the big deal?
Since Jarrod loved Nicole dearly, with all the suffering Jarrod had endured in his life, Alec only wanted Jarrod to get what he desired.
If Jarrod really wanted Nicole but could not control her, Alec vowed to be there to offer help. He would always back Jarrod up.
With this thought, Alec decided to protect Nicole from now on. He simply did so for the sake of Jarrod.
Just then, Vicki emerged and stood behind Alec. She had been worried about Jarrod, so she asked Alec to inform her as soon as he had any news.
But how could Alec tell Vicki that Jarrod had gone to save Nicole?
So, he didn’t say anything. As a result, Vicki secretly followed Alec and found he had come to the hospital.
When Alec saw Vicki, his expression changed. He wanted to stop her, but she just brushed his hand away. She quickly walked up to Jarrod and put a coat around his shoulders.
“Jarrod, you…” Vicki’s voice trailed off when she saw Jarrod’s face.
It seemed the dirt and blood were painted all over his face. Also, his entire body was a mess.
This was Vicki’s first time seeing Jarrod in this state. She felt pain in her heart. But she also felt resentful at the same time. She was his fianc?e. How could Jarrod be so devastated for another woman?
Vicki didn’t dare to show her displeasure. Instead, she forced herself to calm down and said softly, “Jarrod, take care of your wounds. Your forehead…”
Tears welled up in her eyes and she asked in a choked voice, “How did you get hurt?”
It was only then that Jarrod looked at Vicki. It seemed he only noticed her presence now. His brows furrowed as he asked, “How did you get here?” Obviously, he was not happy to see her.
Vicki sensed this, and her heart ached, feeling uncomfortable.
“Jarrod, I am worried about you,” she said softly. But in her heart, she wanted to ask him why he abandoned her without a word and went to find Nicole.
Vicki was overwhelmed by her inner turmoil and realized she couldn’t tolerate Nicole’s presence, especially given Nicole’s significance in Jarrod’s heart. She couldn’t keep her promise to Jarrod that she only wanted the marriage.
She came to realize that she desired more and felt Nicole was a thorn in her side and a poison that had deeply penetrated Jarrod’s heart and mind. It seemed impossible that she could kick Nicole out of Jarrod’s heart.
“There’s nothing you can do here. Just go home,” Jarrod said curtly.
“But… I want to stay with you…” Vicki said in an aggrieved voice.
She was his fianc?e, and she didn’t want to leave Jarrod alone with Nicole.
“Vicki, go home,” Jarrod said coldly. The way he uttered her name made Vicki’s heart tremble. She knew he would only get angry if she insisted on staying.
So, although she had many complaints, she didn’t dare to voice them out. She only said in a low voice, “Okay, I’ll go. Remember to take care of your wounds. Rest well.”