âFirst, thereâs Roscoe.
Whoâs next? Who else have you been in touch with? Let me thinkâ¦â Jarrod pondered aloud, his tone deliberate.
âJamie? Or perhaps Ethel? Or maybe Jemma?â
With each name he listed, a wave of dread washed over Nicole.
âWhat are you talking about?â Nicole asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
âWhat do Ethel and Jemma have to do with any of this?â
Jamie had caused harm and perhaps deserved her consequences.
But Ethel⦠Jemma.
.
What involvement did they have in any of this?
Jarrod smirked and said, âIf youâre certain theyâre uninvolved, you shouldnât have brought up death.
You donât want to be Austinâs mother or my wife, but youâd prefer death?â
None of it made any sense.
Nicole struggled to comprehend Jarrodâs words or understand his sudden descent into madness.
âJarrod, whatâs wrong with you?â she pleaded.
Recently, Jarrod had shown signs of change, but within just ten days, he seemed to revert to his previous, monstrous demeanor.
Jarrod didnât respond directly.
Instead, he locked eyes with her intensely.
âNicole, think carefully about how you can make me trust you again, or Roscoe will be the first I go after.
â
With those words, Jarrod let Nicole go, causing her to collapse to the ground, and then he walked away decisively.
Though he released her, he didnât grant her freedom.
An assistant quickly came forward to escort her away.
Nicole caught a glimpse through the glass.
The attackers had dispersed, leaving Roscoe alone on the ground, bloodied and bruised.
A passerby was calling the police.
Nicole knew this was merely a warning.
If Jarrod had really wanted Roscoe dead, he wouldnât have chosen such a public setting for the assault.
But still, she couldnât fathom why Jarrod had acted so irrationally.
Was it because she had chosen to save Roscoe over him?
Her instincts told her that wasnât the complete story.
Something else must have triggered his actions.
She had to find out what it was.
As her mind raced with these thoughts, Nicole suddenly realized something and looked up at the assistant beside her.
Nicole gazed at Jarrodâs new assistant and asked with hesitation, âDo you know what happened to Alec?â
The assistant seemed surprised and responded, âYou havenât heard? Alec tried to take his own life again and now he has brain damage from not getting enough oxygen.
Heâs been in the intensive care unit since then.
â
Nicole felt as if her mind had shattered.
Alec tried to end his life again? How was that possible? He was safe before.
Jarrod had previously persuaded him not to go through with it.
How could Alec have tried again, but this time, with even more intensity?
âYou mean⦠Alec tried to end his life again?â Even though Nicole heard it herself, she refused to accept it.
The assistant explained, âAlec took pills as advised.
It was all so sudden.
He appeared normal during the day but then broke down at night.
We found him just in time.
The doctor said a delay of two more minutes and we would have lost him.
â
Nicoleâs mind was a void.
Now it made sense why Jarrod despised Roscoe so much.
Jarrod always saw Alec as family, and Alec kept trying to end his life.
The guilt must weigh heavily on Jarrod.
If not for saving Jarrod, Alec wouldnât have ended up amputated and might not have tried to take his own life.
Nicole was seized by fear.
She realized that Alecâs condition was not going to resolve easily.
Jarrodâs fury today was just the beginning.
It wouldnât be the last or the worst of it.
The storm seemed like it would go on forever.
She felt lost, unsure of her next move.