Chapter 1284

Chapter 1284:

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Nicole was deeply unconscious. Since losing custody of Austin, her sleep had been unstable, and this comatose state seemed to be her body's way of forcing a stop to recover. Otherwise, her body would not have been able to withstand the strain.

Jarrod felt uneasy at Nicole's deep sleep. I feared that it would continue like this.

During this period, he repeatedly asked the doctor to check why Nicole had not yet woken up.

The doctor described it as the body's self-healing process, explaining that his prolonged lack of proper rest had necessitated such deep sleep, which was actually beneficial.

Jarrod was unsure of the veracity of the doctor's explanation, but he had no means of confirming it.

Later, his phone range. It was Alec.

Jarrod listened and, after a long silence, replied with cold firmness: "You handle it."

As fate would have it, Nicole began to slowly regain consciousness at that moment, her mind clouded as she caught the word “handle it.”

Handle him… Handle who? It seemed like Derek had been taken care of.

After ending the call, Jarrod turned to see Nicole staring at the ceiling with wide, haunted eyes, her silence eerie.

For Jarrod, however, his awakening was a pleasant surprise. Especially since the sight of her in a coma had deeply disturbed him.

“You're awake,” Jarrod whispered softly as he reached out to check his forehead for fever. The doctor had told them to keep a close eye on her temperature as soon as she woke up and to call immediately if she had a fever.

As soon as the doctor's hand touched her forehead, Nicole slapped it away.

In a cold tone, he said, "Don't touch me with those filthy hands!"

Jarrod froze, his voice rough with disbelief. “What?”

Nicole stood up and walked away, her voice weak. “Get out of here.”

She couldn't stand to be around him. His presence always reminded her of her failures. She felt vulnerable and close to her limit.

She couldn't give up, though. Even after a brief escape into unconsciousness, she knew she had to face them. Now, it wasn't just Jarrod. It was "them."

Nicole realized she had to be cautious around Vicki, whose words still lingered in her mind, disturbing her deeply.

Female intuition was often eerily accurate. Nicole didn't believe Vicki's threats were just noise. The calmer a person seemed, the more drastic their possible actions could be.

Nicole feared that during a disagreement or if provoked, Vicki might take it out on Austin. Jarrod was even more fearsome than Vicki, and both of them posed unpredictable threats to Austin, keeping him from falling asleep with worry.

Even though her life was in danger, Nicole never gave up on the idea of ​​​​claiming custody of Austin. But right now, she was simply too exhausted to deal with Jarrod, the source of all her misery.

“Do you even understand what you're saying?” Jarrod's face paled with fury. He had saved her, and lack of gratitude was one thing, but speaking to her like that when she woke up was more than she could bear.

Patience was never Jarrod's strong suit.

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