Jarrod's lips curled into a bitter, self-mocking smile. It was such a one-sided agreement, and yet, he had no choice but to accept. He had brought this upon himself. Selfishly, he wanted to keep the baby as it was the connection between them, and this was the only way.

Jarrod signed the document swiftly and said, "Rest assured, once the child is born, I will set you free."

Jarrod genuinely believed letting Nicole go would also be freeing himself. He would spend the rest of his life protecting her and their children. It was how things should be. It was just that his realization came too late.

"If there's nothing else, let's leave it at that," Nicole said as she prepared to leave first.

Jarrod watched as she walked out the door, feeling as if his heart sank further with her every step.

Outside, as Rhett went to get the car, Doreen suddenly appeared in front of Nicole.

"Nicole!" Doreen yelled. Her clothes were disheveled, and she looked oddly unkempt. Even her expression had a strange feeling to it. But the worst part was the purple bruises littered her skin, telltale signs of abuse and mistreatment.

Nicole's brows furrowed. She didn't know what Doreen had gone through.

She stood still, waiting to see what Doreen was up to.

"I hate you! You've ruined my life!" Doreen screamed, echoing Hallie's words.

Nicole couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "Why is it always someone else's fault when something bad happens to you? That's pretty convenient, never blaming yourself for the consequences of your own actions."

Nicole was baffled by how Hallie and Doreen thought. No wonder they weren't capable of empathy. She continued, "Just because Roscoe didn't love you, you resorted to all kinds of dirty means. You went as far as conspiring with Miguel to drug and trap Roscoe. Do you really not know how that wedding came about?"

As far as Nicole knew, Doreen was not only aware of the scheme, but was also a part of it.

Nicole couldn't quite get it. Did Doreen truly love Roscoe? Or was it just some sort of deranged and twisted obsession? Whatever the answer was, it was terrifying. A love that would rather destroy than let go had no happy ending.

"Do you know that you had almost killed Roscoe? After you two got married, not once had I talked to Roscoe. Everything you did was out of fear that your wrongdoings would be discovered. Stop lying to yourself. You can't hide your filthy deeds under noble pretenses!"

Nicole laid bare all Doreen's crimes without holding back. Doreen and Hallie were two peas in a pod, sharing the same traits.

At her words, Doreen turned hysterical. “You're lying! I love Roscoe. If it weren't for you, he would have loved me! So what if I manipulated him into marrying me? No one else can love him as much as I do. You have no right to question that!"

Nicole chuckled sarcastically and questioned, "Your so-called love is actually hurting Roscoe. What kind of love does that?"

"He belongs to me! I fell for him on our first blind date. If he didn't like me, why would he attend?" Doreen retorted, her logic twisted.

As Doreen's arguments became increasingly outlandish, Nicole grew perplexed. Something seemed fundamentally wrong with Doreen.