"You know very well in your heart, don't you?" Nicole sneered, her resolve hardening. "I won't relinquish custody of my child. I'll gather all the evidence I need and see you in court!"

Jarrod almost laughed at the challenge. "Suing me? Nicole, you're in over your head."

But Nicole merely smiled, undeterred. "Life is a constant battle, Jarrod. Remember the glory you once claimed? Look at you now. This is my victory."

Jarrod's face turned pale. Nicole's words emphasized how the Schultz family's fortunes had waned since the heights he had once restored upon his return.

The Schultz Group, rocked by Nicole's relentless maneuvers, had slipped from the top ten, leaving Jarrod desperate for an alliance with the Hampton family to reclaim their former glory. Yet, with billions still at his disposal, squashing Nicole seemed as effortless as crushing an ant underfoot.

Reading the contempt in his eyes, Nicole retorted boldly, “Even a starved camel is larger than a horse, and even if you're now a hundred, a thousand times stronger than me, I fear you not. I have nothing to lose.”

Tragically, both her child and her ailing mother were under Jarrod's control. Nicole had tried to persuade Dora to leave with her, but Dora, lost to consciousness, refused to abandon the sanctuary of the sanatorium. That sanatorium had become a fortress for her unresponsive mother.

Left with no other option, Nicole braced herself to meet the challenge, even at the risk of failure. After all, what more did she have to lose? She knew Roscoe shared her resolve.

“Roscoe and I are serious. I've accepted his proposal. In my heart, he's already my husband," Nicole declared with conviction.

With those words, she vowed never to step into the Oasis Apartment, this prison.

Suddenly, a muffled "Bang" echoed ominously.

Jarrod's face flushed with rage as he threw the lamp beside him forcefully.

It crashed into the mirror-like TV wall, emitting a thunderous crash as both the lamp and the LCD TV shattered into pieces.

After letting off steam, Jarrod left the chaos of the room behind.

Nothing, and no one, was beyond his control.

Nicole fled the Oasis Apartment and took a taxi, as if running away.

The driver glanced at her disheveled state. "Where to, miss?" he asked.

"The hospital," Nicole answered firmly.

The driver wasted no time, getting her swiftly to the hospital.

Nicole exited the taxi and made her way directly to Roscoe's ward Leila had mentioned before.