Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Though the comment was light-hearted, it unsettled Doreen. She managed a smile. “Vicki, you’re teasing me again.”
Vicki grinned, pleased. “No, it’s wonderful you’ve found your love. Jarrod and I are truly happy for you.”
Nicole sliced the first piece of cake and offered it to Doreen.
This time, Doreen accepted it without fuss and then pointed at Jarrod, saying, “The next piece is for my powerful uncle.”
Vicki’s expression momentarily tightened. One couldn’t expect much from a fool, but showing displeasure over a piece of cake was beneath her.
As Nicole presented the cake to Jarrod, he hesitated, scrutinizing it instead of accepting it immediately.
Nicole’s arms grew weary from holding the plate, and what had been a Lively moment turned awkward.
Everyone’s eyes were on the cake.
Vicki, unable to stand the tension and feeling slighted, quickly said, “Jarrod doesn’t enjoy sweets. I’ll eat it on his behalf.”
As she reached for the cake, Jarrod suddenly took it from the bottom of the plate and set it on the table.
Vicki’s face stiffened further.
Maintaining her composure, Nicole continued to distribute the cake.
When Nicole handed a piece to Vicki, Vicki fixated on Nicole’s hand, her mind racing. Had Jarrod’s fingers brushed Nicole’s when he took the cake?
“Please, enjoy it,” Nicole said to Vicki.
It took Nicole’s reminder for Vicki to snap out of it. She managed a forced smile and replied, “Thanks.”
Nicole kept handing out cake slices. When it came to Roscoe’s turn, Doreen intercepted and snatched it from Nicole’s hands, asking, “Roscoe, see if it’s any good?”
It was likely the Watts family who arranged this cake.
Roscoe stayed silent but accepted the cake. He didn’t want to embarrass Doreen in front of everyone. He’d address it later with Miguel, no matter how he felt about it now.
Doreen was delighted. As Nicole handed out cake to Doreen’s friends, Doreen exchanged glances with them, and they caught on instantly.
Once Nicole finished serving, Doreen’s friends launched a cake assault, smearing it all over Nicole’s face. “Hey, watch it.”
Everyone assumed it was all part of the birthday fun.
But then, Doreen’s friends took it too far, relentlessly smearing cake on Nicole’s face, making it hard for her to breathe.
“Hey, ease up, guys! This is how a birthday celebration runs!”
Doreen’s friends smeared the leftover cake all over Nicole, leaving her looking disheveled, with cake plastered on her face and hair, resembling a clown.
Roscoe frowned, displeased, about to speak up when Doreen let out a surprised cry. “Oh my gosh!”
To everyone’s astonishment, Doreen pulled a ring from her mouth. The diamond sparkled.
“Roscoe, this is the surprise you planned!” Overjoyed, Doreen hugged Roscoe tightly, tears welling up in her eyes. “Oh, Roscoe, you’re amazing!”
The ring, also set up by the Watts family, caught Roscoe off guard.
When he spotted the sparkling gem, he instinctively glanced at Nicole.
Despite the cake coating, Nicole’s eyes seemed to hold a hint of sorrow.
It was as if a string in Roscoe’s heart had snapped. He felt like he was on the brink of recalling something he’d long forgotten. What was it…
“Wow! It’s no surprise we’re all here to see this. Roscoe’s really considerate,” Vicki added.
Doreen was ecstatic, paying no mind to Roscoe’s shocked look. She slipped the ring onto her finger and embraced Roscoe once more, brimming with emotion.
Vicki wiped her tears and said to Jarrod, “Doreen’s happiness is contagious. I’m genuinely happy for her.”
Jarrod stayed silent, eyeing Nicole. He noticed every detail, even the way she squeezed her hand. He almost scoffed inwardly. Nicole never begged him over Austin’s custody, seemingly indifferent to her own son. Yet, here she was, so invested in Roscoe. It was absurd!
Since things were heading this way, Jarrod decided to push it further.
He clapped his hands, rose to his feet, and announced, “Roscoe, I’ve just learned that your family wants to advance the wedding to just ten days from now. Congratulations. I’ll organize the best team for a lavish wedding ceremony!”
It all happened so quickly and unexpectedly.
Roscoe was in shock, feeling like his heart was being torn apart. He felt like he knew it was all wrong, but couldn’t protest. It was like being trapped by an invisible force, unable to break free, yet unwilling to surrender.
Doreen’s friends sprayed champagne wildly in celebration.
Nicole got drenched in champagne and wine, but she wasn’t in a celebratory mood like everyone else. She felt an indescribable chill within.
Nicole didn’t know what to say. While she hoped Roscoe wouldn’t reclaim the fragments of his memory loss, it was evident Doreen wasn’t the right match.
If Roscoe ended up with Doreen, he’d be under the thumb of the Watts family and Doreen.
Nicole could already see Roscoe’s pain and struggle when Doreen was around, and what about the future? If one day he remembered the past, it’d bring even more suffering. Knowing Roscoe as she did, she pitied him. Though it hadn’t occurred yet, if Roscoe remembered, it’d be devastating for him.
After the chaos, everyone had knocked back quite a bit, with Roscoe being pressured to drink a lot. Jarrod and Vicki had a few glasses too.
Doreen and her friends had the most and were nearly passed out.
Doreen embraced her friend, mistaking her for Roscoe, and showered her with affection. “Roscoe, I… I love you so much,” she stammered, her words trailing off into a mix of emotions. “You mean… You’re… I just love… But it seems like you don’t care about me.”
She let out a nervous giggle. “But, hey, you’re still here with me. You’re still mine…”
With that, Doreen wrapped her arms around her friend and planted a ki*s on her friend’s cheek, her breath coming out in an eerie, wailing sound that made Roscoe frown.
Roscoe didn’t even glance her way, feeling increasingly uneasy. He pressed a hand to his chest and stumbled out of the chamber.
Nicole watched Roscoe leave, stunned. It seemed like nobody else had noticed Roscoe’s departure. With mixed feelings, she followed Roscoe out, catching sight of his figure disappearing around the corner.
As Nicole rounded the corner, she spotted a dark figure smoking by the window. The dim lighting made it hard to see, but she could make out a faint silhouette.
She hesitated for a moment before gathering her courage to speak.
“Roscoe?”
The silhouette seemed to freeze, as if acknowledging her presence.
Nicole asked, “Are you sure about marrying Doreen? Take your time to think it over! And if… If you’re hurting, it’s okay to…”
Her words trailed off as she noticed the silhouette turning around, a familiar and daunting visage. It was Jarrod.
“And then?” Jarrod sauntered closer, his tone dripping with condescension.
Before Nicole could utter a word, Jarrod seized her chin, forcing her face upward. With a sneer, he taunted, “Then you want him to be with you?”
“Umm…” Nicole let out a faint sound of discomfort as his grip tightened, furrowing her brows.
Ignoring her discomfort, Jarrod inched closer, compelling her to retreat until her back met the wall. “Nicole, you’ve got some nerve, trying to lure Doreen’s fianc?. You ought to seek my permission first.”
Anger clouded Jarrod’s rationality. Fortunately, he had ordered his bodyguards to monitor Roscoe. As soon as they spotted him emerging from the chamber, they swiftly escorted him to the hotel.
Jarrod glanced at Nicole, her face smudged with cake, resembling a mockery, yet she made no effort to tidy her appearance. Instead, she hastened to locate Roscoe. Did she have any clue how ridiculous she appeared?
Jarrod chuckled coldly. “Roscoe’s Doreen’s man now. You used to preach about morality and fairness. What’s your game, acting Like some brazen mistress?”
Through gritted teeth, Nicole rasped, “I didn’t!”
Nicole fixed Jarrod with a searing glare, her anger simmering just below the surface.
“You’ve harmed Roscoe, and you’re fully aware of it! Stop acting like you have the right to judge others while you wallow in moral decay!”
Jarrod’s expression shifted to a menacing scowl as he seized Nicole by the neck, his jaw clenched tight with fury. “So, I’m the villain, and Roscoe’s the angel, huh?”
Gasping for breath, her cheeks flushed with intense anger, Nicole struggled under his grip.
Jarrod’s voice dropped to a venomous whisper. “You think Roscoe is decent, Nicole, but I’ll open your eyes to his flaws.”
Releasing her suddenly, he watched as she crumpled to the ground, her breaths shallow and desperate. “I’ll show you how a man can devolve, becoming even more despicable than me.”
Then, Jarrod spun on his heel and strode away, leaving Nicole writhing in rage and confusion on the cold, hard ground. Her mind swirled with turmoil, unable to make sense of Jarrod’s cryptic threat.
Nicole knew this circle would do anything to tarnish Roscoe, coaxing him into regrettable deeds that would haunt him forever. They would abandon him to wallow in his remorse.
Nicole sat on the gritty pavement, the skin on her neck burning from Jarrod’s cruel grasp.
Abruptly, a pair of pristine white high heels halted before her.
Vicki looked down, her chuckle icy as her eyes gleamed with disdain.