Trouble in Paradise

Seeing things like this again, Nicholas no longer felt anger or hatred. He was just confused.

He had tried so hard to hold the family together, but everything had gone wrong. His mind told him he should react, but it was hard for him.

I leaned wearily in my seat, propping my chin on one hand. I looked at him and waited for his reaction. Finally, he lifted his head from the folder and stared at me blankly.

I didn't know how much time had passed. Nicholas had always been decisive and daring, but the silence between us lasted at least two or three minutes.

His hands trembled as he pushed himself up from the table. He didn't spare me a glance as he walked out.

Before leaving, he said, "I won't interfere in Frances's matters anymore."

To me, it sounded more like he was saying, "She is no longer my mother". It was almost like he was fleeing.

Frances might have taken the blame for Claudia, but her crimes went far beyond that.

I understood Nicholas's feelings, which was why I chose not to tell him about Frances giving me birth control medication. If he knew that we had lost our child because of it, I feared he would bear even more.

I thought that was the end of it, but then Nicholas spoke again. He stood at the door, gripping the handle so tightly his knuckles turned white.

His voice was firm as he warned me, "Do whatever you want with Frances, but stay away from Claudia!"

I looked up in surprise and saw the rage in his bloodshot eyes.

"I'll keep her in line. I won't let her bother you." He struggled to speak in a normal tone, but he didn't realize his voice had risen considerably.

"Ariana, I know you hate me enough to want to drive everyone around me away, but Claudia is all I have left. If you've got a problem, come at me instead!"

He tilted his head slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing anxiously. He spoke softly but firmly. "Even if it costs me my life!"

At that moment, I felt like a massive wall was rising inside me, suffocating me until I could hardly breathe.

And what about the child in my

belly? Nicholas was ready to sacrifice himself for a sister who wasn't even related by blood, yet he didn't care at all about his own flesh and blood.

I stood up, breaking through that barrier with sheer will and striding toward him.

"Claudia is all you have left?" I grabbed his tie and brought him close to me. Looking into his eyes, I asked him through gritted teeth.Belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

Nicholas was caught off guard. He let out a muffled sound as I tugged on him. The next second, anger flared in his eyes as he ripped his tie from my grip.

Closing his eyes, he straightened his collar and spoke in a sorrowful tone. "Yes, we're divorced, aren't we?"

What else did he have besides Claudia?

At that moment, the wall inside me

collapsed and crushed me, but I stayed on my feet. I wasn't going to let him know what I was thinking. I would never let my child call him

"dad".

"Fine." I turned away with a bitter smile. "Nicholas, you would get what you deserve!"

Nicholas's face flushed with heat, his pride being ground into the dirt by my words. He silently vowed to stay alive, fight his illness, and make me regret ever saying that. One day, he would find a way to punish me for this.

I waved him off. The only sound left behind was the creaking of the door as he left.

He hadn't gone far when Claudia caught up to him. "Nick, are you okay? Did Ariana hurt you?"

"What else could she do to me..." Nicholas paused, a thought suddenly striking him. He finally understood why I had said he would get what he deserved.

The wheels of fate were turning. Once, I had begged him not to hurt the people around me. Now, he was the one on the other side.

Nicholas suddenly reached out and fiercely pinched his forearm. The flowing blood numbed him, but his mind became clearer.

He realized that I had once been driven to despair by him. What else had he done to me?

He now understood that truly loving someone meant one wouldn't want to hurt them. Just as he would rather pay with his life than use force to subdue her again. And now he understood he once didn't love me, and now I no longer loved him.