Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
At this moment, Jarrod had already returned to the car. Alec had asked a doctor to come to the car to treat his injured hand.
After the treatment, Jarrod remained silent. He didn’t even instruct Alec to drive. Alec didn’t dare to recklessly bring up the topic, so he just quietly sat in the driver’s seat.
Alec had never seen Jarrod with a bleak expression, looking hollow and devoid of everything.
“I don’t want to see that woman ever again,” Jarrod suddenly said after a long silence.
Alec was stunned upon hearing this. Before he could ask a question, Jarrod added, “If she does anything out of line again, don’t bother considering anything. Deal with it as you see fit.”
After saying this, Jarrod closed his eyes, his brows furrowed tightly.
It was as if the mere mention of Nicole’s name disgusted him to the core.
Alec’s chin dropped. This was his first time seeing Jarrod express such a strong aversion against Nicole. Despite his disbelief, he just replied, “Understood, Mr. Schultz.”
Alec reasoned that things would be much easier to deal with, should Jarrod really despise Nicole. But he didn’t dare to confirm it. He could only take one step at a time and observe the situation.
After all, Nicole was special in Jarrod’s heart. He doubted Jarrod could manage to never see Nicole again or stop caring about her. Moreover, there was Austin, who connected the two of them.
Alec drove the car back to the villa.
His mind clouded by his inner turmoil, Jarrod had instructed Alec to drive him to this place without him realizing. As he entered, he remembered Austin, Nicole’s son, whom he had arranged to live here.
Right then, the maids responsible for serving Austin were making food downstairs. At the sight of Jarrod, they hurriedly stopped their work and greeted him respectfully.
Jarrod frowned slightly. “Why are you here?”
He instructed the two maids to always guard Austin and never leave his side. This was to prevent the nanny Nicole had hired from causing any trouble.
One of the maids hurriedly explained, “Sir, it’s Miss Hampton’s order.”
“Vicki is here?” Jarrod’s gaze intensified.
The maid hastily responded, “Yes, Miss Hampton is upstairs, keeping Austin company. I descended to prepare some pumpkin porridge for him.”
Jarrod scowled. Since Austin’s arrival, Vicki hadn’t been brought here again.
Despite Vicki expressing her desire to visit Austin, Jarrod seemed unaccountably unwilling.
“Who permitted her entry?” Jarrod’s displeasure was evident.
The maid was startled. Wasn’t Vicki his fianc?e? Why did Jarrod deny her entry?
Alec promptly clarified, “Mr. Schultz, I escorted Miss Hampton here. She mentioned having left behind an earring in the villa, and upon her arrival, a particular circumstance arose. Austin’s usual nanny fell suddenly ill. I arranged for the nanny to be taken to the hospital, and Miss Hampton volunteered to care for him.”
Despite Alec’s lengthy explanation, Jarrod’s furrowed brow remained unrelieved.
In haste, Alec uttered, “I was unaware that Miss Hampton hadn’t departed yet…”
Before he could conclude, Jarrod had already ascended the stairs toward Austin’s room.
The door flung open with force.
Just as Jarrod poised to speak, he beheld Vicki reclining beside Austin’s bed, her eyes narrowed as if succumbing to slumber from exhaustion. A basin of water and a cloth lay nearby, while another cloth adorned Austin’s forehead.
The maid who trailed behind hastened to clarify, “Last night, Austin inexplicably developed a fever. Miss Hampton tended to him throughout the night, adamantly refusing medication, citing Austin’s frail constitution. She opted for physical cooling instead. Despite our entreaties for her to rest, her concern for Austin prevailed, compelling her to remain by his side…”
Jarrod’s demeanor softened upon hearing this.
Vicki appeared to be roused by the commotion. She opened her eyes drowsily and beheld Jarrod, her countenance brightening. “Jarrod, you’ve returned.”
Jarrod nodded before suggesting, “If you’re tired, grab some rest in the guest room.”
Vicki said, “I’m not tired.” She then deftly checked Austin’s temperature with her hand, demonstrating the proficiency seemingly acquired from last night’s extensive monitoring.
A long sigh of relief escaped her, accompanied by a joyful proclamation, “His fever has finally subsided. I was so scared.”
Vicki’s concern appeared genuine. Jarrod said, “You should rest now.”
Just then, Austin stirred awake and caught sight of Jarrod, promptly inquiring, “Mr. Schultz, where is my mother?”
The way Austin addressed Jarrod struck a chord in Jarrod, instantly contorting his expression into one of intense displeasure.
Vicki urgently grasped Austin’s arm and said gently, “Austin, he’s your father. You can’t address him as Mr. Schultz.”
Austin gazed at Jarrod, yet refrained from addressing him as “dad”.
Ultimately, he bypassed formalities and queried directly, “Where’s my mother?”
Jarrod, on the brink of turning away, halted at the sound, delivering a cold declaration, “Your custody now belongs to me. Henceforth, Vicki assumes the role of your mother. Keep that in mind.”
Upon hearing this, Vicki’s heart soared with joy. Her efforts hadn’t been futile, after all.
Inducing illness in Austin and then seemingly tending to him throughout the night had proven advantageous, earning her favor.
“No! I don’t want that!” Austin shouted. “I have my own mother. I don’t want anyone else to replace her. You’re a wicked person!”
Austin abruptly leaped from the bed and sprinted toward Jarrod, pummeling Jarrod with his small fists as he exclaimed, “You cruel man, give me back my mother! Give her back…”
Jarrod silently departed.
Alec, compelled by necessity, urged, “Austin, speaking to your father in such a manner is unacceptable.”
“He isn’t!” Austin vehemently exclaimed. “He’s not! In my heart, Roscoe is my father!”
Jarrod halted, his gaze piercing, as he uttered, “What did you just say?”
“I said Roscoe is my father, my only father.”
Jarrod seized Austin’s collar, his eyes ablaze with fury. “Silence! I am your damn father, and I will remain so for the entirety of your life!”
As a mere child, how could Austin endure Jarrod’s wrathful demeanor?
Tears streamed down his face instantly. Nevertheless, he persisted, “No… You’re not…”
Jarrod seized Austin’s collar from behind and swiftly elevated him to a considerable height.
Austin, gripped by a fear of heights and a sense of suffocation, quickly began to turn purple in the face.
“Jarrod!” Vicki’s outcry reverberated, jolting Jarrod back to his senses.
She swiftly snatched Austin away, enfolding him tightly against her bosom, lamenting, “Jarrod, the child is innocent. Restrain your anger, and refrain from such actions, lest he be haunted by nightmares.”
Austin’s coughing persisted as he remained ensconced in Vicki’s embrace.
Jarrod belatedly comprehended the runaway nature of his emotions.
This incident occurred in the presence of his own son. Observing Austin’s fearful gaze, he realized the extent to which his anger had terrified him.
The phrase “I’m sorry” lingered on Jarrod’s tongue countless times, yet he couldn’t bring himself to utter it. His fury still simmered from Austin’s claim about Roscoe being his father.
“You look after him,” Jarrod directed Vicki. He dreaded the resurgence of his emotional turmoil. The mere mention of Roscoe by either of Austin and Nicole threatened to unravel him entirely.
Plus, Vicki’s earlier maternal instinct had stirred something within Jarrod. In comparison, Vicki seemed infinitely more dependable.
Leaving Austin in her capable hands, with Vicki’s intelligence and her commitment to his happiness, she surely possessed the ability to provide excellent care for Austin. Besides, it was only temporary.
Once Austin’s dedicate nanny recovered and returned, Vicki would be relieved of the burden.
Vicki’s happiness radiated as she softly assured, “Jarrod, rest assured, I’ll care for Austin as if he were my own.”
With a nod, Jarrod departed.
Vicki gently smiled. However, it swiftly vanished.
Glancing at Austin, Vicki admonished sternly, “See? I warned you not to address your father like that, but you refused to listen. Your father won’t permit you to visit your mother.”
Austin remained visibly frightened, his voice strained. “Then, when can I see my mother and Roscoe?”
Vicki’s mood lifted. This child could be of use to her. As long as Austin continued to mention Nicole and Roscoe in Jarrod’s presence, it would likely deepen Jarrod’s disdain for Austin and Nicole. And all she managed to do was exacerbate the situation.
Vicki reverted to her gentle manner, smiling as she continued, “If you wish to see them, only I can facilitate it, but you must promise to obey me.”
Austin nodded in a daze.
Meanwhile, in the hospital ward, Nicole roused from sleep, her mind swirling with too many thoughts, rendering slumber unattainable.
She lay there with her eyes wide open until the afternoon when an unexpected visitor made a sudden appearance in her ward.
Vicki strolled into Nicole’s ward uninvited and settled herself beside Nicole’s hospital bed with a casual grin. “Hey Nicole, here again? How’s everything?”