Chapter 1278

Chapter 1278:

? ? ? ? ?

“This guy must have some serious mental issues,” Derek muttered under his breath. Taking advantage of the moment, he grabbed a rock, jumped up, and threw it at Jarrod's head.

From the hillside, Nicole's voice pierced the air. "Jarrod!"

She had also noticed Jarrod's alarming behavior. He seemed to be having a seizure. In such states, he would become alarmingly violent, attacking anyone nearby without acknowledging them.

That's why Nicole insisted on claiming custody of Austin. Jarrod was clearly unfit to be a father. Austin, fragile as he was, would never be able to withstand a blow from Jarrod.

At this critical moment, Nicole couldn't allow Derek to kill Jarrod. If Jarrod was incapacitated or worse, she knew she would be Derek's next target. A man blinded by rage wouldn't hesitate to take a life or two. It would all be the same. And in her current vulnerable state, she was no match for a deranged man.

Nicole's scream brought Jarrod back to consciousness, but it was too late. The rock Derek threw crashed into Jarrod's face.

Immediately, blood began to flow down Jarrod's handsome features.

However, despite having his face covered in blood, he remained impassive, his expression even more sinister.

Derek, realizing that his attempt with the rock had had little effect and had only made Jarrod look more menacing, felt a wave of fear wash over him. How could someone not react to a rock to the head and instead appear even more intimidating?

Derek knew he had provoked someone too formidable and needed to escape immediately. He dropped the rock and scrambled up the slope, attempting to flee.

But before he could get far, he was roughly grabbed by the neck and immobilized.

“Ah! Let me…let me go!” Derek howled, his face etched with terror, as if a ghost had grabbed him from behind.

The next instant, Derek fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Poof!" The impact nearly took the life out of Derek and blood splattered everywhere.

Before Derek could even cry out in pain, Jarrod, towering like a mountain, was already crouching over Derek, delivering punch after punch to his face. Each punch was forceful, each blow drawing more blood.

Derek's face was a bloody mess, a horrible sight. His screams diminished from loud moans to weak whimpers as he seemed almost lifeless.

Witnessing the brutality, Nicole turned around, her voice shaking as she pleaded: “Jarrod, stop. “You’re going to kill him.”

At that moment, Jarrod seemed to hear nothing else. He clenched his fists tightly and punched Derek's face again and again with all his might.

Derek's teeth were broken and he was nearly suffocated to death.

This time, Nicole called out her name again: “Jarrod!”

Jarrod's fist that was about to smash Derek's face stopped an inch from Derek's face. Then, he turned and fixed his eyes on Nicole.

Jarrod's face was covered in blood from her and Derek. Although he was still handsome, the blood gave him a sinister and terrifying appearance.

The most horrible thing was Jarrod's bloodthirsty eyes. He said blankly, "Do you want to keep it and use it to kill me?"

Nicole felt a lump in her throat and no words came out. In fact, she didn't want Derek to die. Because if he did, it would be even difficult to find evidence.

Plus, she knew that Jarrod's partners would probably kill Leighton, too. If that was the case, it would be difficult for her to get custody of Austin.

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