Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Many of those marks had been caused by him in moments of anger, and although he occasionally felt remorse afterward, he would justify it as punishment she deserved for not obeying him.
But now, these injuries were imposed by someone else, and a fierce anger surged within him, an urge to destroy whoever was responsible.
That disgusting Derek… How dare he! How could he possibly dare?
Jarrod’s chest tightened painfully, a torment that seemed beyond understanding. It was a crushing sensation, almost like he was losing his ability to breathe.
He hated losing control. Years earlier, while overseas in violent situations, he had vowed never to let anything related to him escape his control, even if it meant using extreme measures.
However, whenever faced with things related to Nicole, he felt his control slipping more than once.
“You.. What do you want me to do..” Jarrod sat beside the bed, holding her hand.
Nicole was deeply unconscious. Since losing Austin’s custody, her sleep had been unsteady, and this coma-like state appeared to be her body’s way of forcing a shutdown to recover. Otherwise, her body wouldn’t have been able to handle the strain.
Jarrod felt uneasy at Nicole’s deep sleep. He feared that she would remain like this.
During this period, he repeatedly asked the doctor to check why Nicole hadn’t awakened yet.
The doctor described it as the body’s self-healing process, explaining that her prolonged lack of proper rest had necessitated such profound sleep, which was actually beneficial.
Uncertain of the accuracy of the doctor’s explanation yet lacking any way to confirm it, Jarrod continued to stay by her bedside.
Later, his phone rang. It was Alec on the line.
Jarrod listened, and after a lengthy silence, he responded with cold firmness, “Handle it yourself.”
As fate would have it, Nicole slowly started to regain consciousness at that moment, her mind clouded as she caught the word “handle it.”
Handle it… Handle who? It seemed they had dealt with Derek.
After ending the call, Jarrod turned to see Nicole staring at the ceiling with wide, haunted eyes, her silence eerie.
To Jarrod, however, her awakening was a pleasant surprise. Especially since the scene of her in a coma had deeply unsettled him.
“You’re awake,” Jarrod whispered gently as he reached out to check her forehead for a fever. The doctor had told them to monitor her temperature closely once she woke up and to call immediately if she had a fever.
The moment his hand touched her forehead, Nicole swatted it away.
With a cold tone, she said, “Don’t touch me with those filthy hands!”
Jarrod froze, his voice rough with disbelief. “What?”
Nicole propped herself up and shifted away, her voice weak. “Get out.”
She couldn’t stand to have him near. His presence always reminded her of her failures. She felt vulnerable and was close to her limit.
Yet, she couldn’t surrender. Even after a brief escape into unconsciousness, she knew she had to face them. Now, it wasn’t just Jarrod. It was “them.”
Nicole grasped she had to be cautious around Vicki whose words still lingered in her mind, deeply unsettling her.
Women’s intuition was often eerily precise. Nicole didn’t think Vicki’s threats were just noise. The calmer someone seemed, the more drastic their potential actions might be.
Nicole feared that during a disagreement or if provoked, Vicki might take it out on Austin. Jarrod was even more fearsome than Vicki, with both of them posing unpredictable threats to Austin, keeping her from falling asleep with concerns.
Despite her life being in danger, Nicole never gave up on the idea of reclaiming Austin’s custody. But right now, she was simply too exhausted to deal with Jarrod, the source of all her miseries.
“Do you even comprehend what you’re saying?” Jarrod’s face went pale with fury. He had saved her, and the lack of gratitude was one thing, but speaking to him in such a manner upon waking up was more than he could stand.
Patience was never Jarrod’s strong suit.
“Not getting it? Let me make it clearer for you.” Nicole’s lips twitched into a faint smile. “I’m telling you to leave.”
“You!” Jarrod was raging, his fist clenched and then slammed down in anger.
“If it weren’t for my intervention, by now…” He stopped, seemingly struggling to finish his words. “You would have been dead.”
“Perhaps death would be preferable to being saved by you. Do you think I appreciate your rescue, Jarrod?” Nicole’s chilling words sliced through Jarrod, grinding at his heart relentlessly.
Wavering on the edge of rage, Jarrod yelled, “Nicole! Don’t be ungrateful!”
“Of all the things you’ve done after you came back, which of them was not enough to make you die a thousand times? I’ve indulged you so many times. Where did I wrong you?” Jarrod said through clenched teeth.
Nicole laughed mockingly.
“Can you blame me? This is all your fault. If you hadn’t forcibly controlled me, would I have done those things detrimental to you? Jarrod, I’m always confronting you fairly and impartially. But what about you? You resort to all kinds of dirty tricks. This time is no different. You have dealt with Derek. Who will you kill next? Leighton?” Nicole retorted coldly.
“I didn’t.” Jarrod categorically denied it. “I didn’t kill Derek.”
Nicole laughed again. “Of course, you didn’t. Trivial matters Like that are not worthy of getting your own hands dirty. You are a big shot, after all. You only need to give an order, and there will be people doing the job for you. And they will surely do it flawlessly. What does a human life mean to you? You treat people callously because their lives are worthless to you.”
Jarrod grabbed Nicole’s wrist tightly and said angrily, “I said I didn’t!”
“Jarrod, let go of me!” Nicole struggled desperately to break free from his grip. “After you made Roscoe lose his memory and took Austin away from me, whatever you say or do will only make me feel sick.”
Jarrod’s body stiffened for a moment. Then, his grip on Nicole’s wrist unconsciously loosened.
He was silent for a while. Finally, he turned to the door, walked out, and slammed it shut behind him with a loud bang.
The force shook the bed several times.
Fortunately, Jarrod managed to restrain himself and left timely. Only he knew that if he stayed a Little longer, he might end up tearing Nicole apart.
She hated him so much that no matter what he did, he could no longer change it. Even Roscoe, whom she hadn’t known for long, meant more to her than him. In her eyes, he was worthless. He was nothing compared to anyone else.
All of this made Jarrod’s heart boil with hatred. The nerves in his brain clashed wildly, frantically wanting to tear everything apart.
Jarrod hurried to the restroom.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang.
Jarrod’s hands were covered in blood, and the wooden door had a hole when he smashed it with his bare hands.
This scene was witnessed by everyone passing by and the nurses on duty. They immediately started discussing it.
The young nurse directly called the security room and asked the security guards to come over.
When the security guards arrived, they approached Jarrod without saying a word, wanting to take him away.
Jarrod’s eyes were bloodshot. It was as if he could instantly tear them apart by his gaze.
The security guards unconsciously trembled. One of them said, “You… You’d better cooperate with us. Otherwise, we will be forced to call the police.”
Jarrod had damaged the hospital’s property and could be arrested and required to compensate.
Jarrod didn’t say anything and disdained talking to these security guards.
Fortunately, Alec arrived in time. He immediately smoothened the situation. “I’m sorry. It’s all a misunderstanding.”
Alec pulled one security guard aside and said, “This gentleman is in a bad mood because one of his family members is hospitalized. Please understand. But don’t worry. We will compensate for everything.”
The security guard shook his head. “It’s not about compensation. This person’s behavior has frightened the medical staff and other patients. We need to take him away for interrogation. Then, we will assess if we need to call the police.”
Alec took out a business card, handed it to the security guard, and said humbly, “I have an idea. We will replace all the doors in the entire hospital building with better riot-proof doors. Please consult your superiors to see if it’s acceptable.”
It would cost a substantial amount of money to replace all the doors in the entire building with riot-proof doors. The security guard thought Alec was just bragging. But he still had to consult his superiors, so he turned around and left.
Soon, the hospital management staff hurried over. They knew the company on the business card Alec had handed over, recognizing its strength. They immediately decided not to pursue the matter further.
They even saw Alec off downstairs happily.
Alec said to the management staff before departing, “Everything was really just a misunderstanding. Please manage your staff and caution them against gossiping. Mr. Schultz simply lost control of his emotions because his family member was hospitalized. We are all ordinary people, and we sometimes find it hard to deal with our emotions. 1 bet it’s understandable, right?”
The head of the management staff nodded repeatedly. “That’s true. It’s just a trivial matter.”
To the management staff, although Jarrod smashed the restroom door, he didn’t cause any substantial harm, let alone hurt anyone.
Regarding this incident, they had obtained a renovation fund for the hospital. It was definitely a gain for them.
“Don’t worry. I will make sure that all our people keep their mouths shut. No one will gossip about this matter,” the head of the management staff promised.
Alec replied, “Thank you. I’ve already arranged for the money to be transferred to your account.”
The head of the management staff smiled from ear to ear.
Alec was being cautious since Derek was seriously hurt by Jarrod, along with Nicole’s previous allegations that Jarrod had a mental illness.
If what happened today spread, he feared people would put it all together and think Jarrod was really sick, exposing the truth. If this series of events were linked, it could lead to more serious trouble.
Alec was on alert now, quickly extinguishing the fire before it could even start burning.