Without saying another word, Nicole brushed his hand off, ready to walk away.

As she moved to leave, Jarrod caught her wrist. He cleared his throat, his voice rough. “I messed up before. I'll make it up to you."

Nicole laughed mockingly. "Make it up to me? How, Mr. Schultz? Can you undo death or heal the wounds those events carved into my heart?"

Those were things no one could do.

Jarrod, his voice filled with emotion, said, “Suggest something I can do right now..."

“Just go to hell!" Nicole said sharply. "That's what you can do."

Jarrod felt as though he'd been stabbed in the heart, the pain overwhelming. Though known for being unfeeling, he was at a loss for words.

He whispered, “You know that's not something I can do..."

"Stop talking about making it up to me if you can't actually do anything!" Nicole scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. “The only way you could make it up to me is if you died a thousand times, leaving not even an intact body behind.”

Nicole's words cut like a knife. Her gaze was heavy with unhidden disgust.

Even after she left, Jarrod's face was still ashen.

When Alec approached Jarrod moments later, Jarrod was still standing there alone, staring at the wall, his hand pressed against his chest as if in deep pain. None of the bodyguards dared come close or say anything comforting.

For Jarrod, these moments of solitude and pain had become all too familiar. Lost in his thoughts, he'd feel a sharp pain in his body that no doctor could explain. Being the cause of Jarrod's remorse and pain, only Nicole could have the way to treat him.

After stepping out of the elevator, Nicole raised her eyes to the white ceiling above. A headache pounded at her temples, blurring her vision. She regretted letting her bitterness and anger show so openly.

It had been a rash decision.

At times, her deep-seated hatred felt beyond her control. It was like a ghost was haunting her, slowly tightening its hold on her neck, making her relive her past. This led to countless nights without sleep, filled with excruciating pain. And the source of all her agony was Jarrod.

It was five whole years. From her initial despair and thoughts of ending it all to slowly finding her way back to a somewhat normal life and work.

Five years could change a lot of people and a lot of things. To others, she seemed to have changed.

But Nicole was the only one who knew her heart hadn't healed. It was decaying. Though she was alive, she felt like a walking dead. She took loads of antidepressants not because she wanted to live, but in the hope that she could die someday without any regrets.

As she turned the corner, the bright lights ahead were overwhelming.