To others, Jarrod was a hero, but to her, this notion was Laughable!
How he had mistreated her⦠He had degraded her, forcing her to entertain corpulent businessmen as if she were their mistress, often dealing with multiple men simultaneously.
He had slapped her, compelled her to jump into the ocean as if she were fish food, and even when she was wracked by sickness and her body was frail, he showed no mercy.
The flood of horrific memories overwhelmed Nicole.
The man praised by others was nothing but a demon to her, a true embodiment of hell, cloaked in a haze of deception!
Unbeknownst to Nicole, in the five years she had been absent, Jarrod had indeed attempted to live up to the virtuous image others saw in him, and he rather enjoyed the role.
Yet, Jarrodâs obsession was deep and long-standing.
In his interactions with Nicole, he had always behaved unusually.
He could not tolerate Nicole not loving him, nor could he handle her loving someone else.
When Jarrod learned Nicole might have feelings for others, he felt so enraged that he wanted to destroy everything, including both their lives.
Thus, there were no purely good or bad people.
One viewed as virtuous by some may be considered wicked by others.
âs BunnyBookery Nicole, unsure how long she had been soothing herself, felt her heartbeat slow to a more normal pace.
She slowly got to her feet and called Roscoe, but there was no response, even after the third call.
It was unlike Roscoe to vanish without leaving a message.
A sense of discomfort began to tighten around Nicoleâs heart.
At that moment, the loud noise of the crowd filled the hall.
Nicole noticed the woman she had talked to earlier emerging, signaling that the court session had ended.
How had the hearing finished so quickly? Nicoleâs discomfort intensified.
She hadnât felt this disturbed since the day her father had leaped from a building.
âMissâ¦â The woman noticed Nicole, approached her with a warm greeting, and asked with concern, âHow are you feeling now? Any better?â
âMuch better.
â
âThatâs wonderful to hear,â the woman responded.
âYou seem so much better now that the good news has come.
â
The woman joined her hands together, a habit she picked up from spending much time around the temple.
Still uneasy, Nicole asked, âGood news⦠What good news?â
âOh, you havenât heard?â the woman said, her face lighting up with happiness.
âNew evidence has emerged.
Someone had framed Mr.
Schultz.
He didnât even handle those contracts.
â
The woman clasped Nicoleâs cold hands, her voice filled with excitement.
âMr.
Schultz has been cleared of all charges.
â
Nicoleâs body went rigid, her hands turned even colder.
Clearedâ¦
She had thought of many possible outcomes, even speculated about Jarrodâs future after being released.
Considering Jarrodâs wealth and the nature of his alleged crimes involving financial contracts, Nicole figured he might just pay a fine and serve a few years at most.
But she never expected his release to happen so soon! It was too quick, beyond belief.
In just a few days, Jarrod was free and untouched by the charges.
The woman, assuming Nicole shared her joy, smiled and said, âYouâre happy too, right? Would you like to meet Mr.
Schultz? Heâs over there receiving congratulations from many people.
Let me take you to him!â
The woman led the unresponsive, zombie-like Nicole through the crowd, oblivious to Nicoleâs daze.