Pete must have hated me deeply. But to my surprise, he stayed by our side throughout Mom's cremation.Nicholas said Pete needn't trouble himself with his family matters, but Pete shook his head. "I want to bid my farewell to Mrs. Jones."I sighed inwardly and shifted my gaze from Pete to Nicholas. S
The house had changed once again since I left.On the coffee table was a bag of half-eaten potato chips, and magazines were scattered messily on the couch. One of the magazines, open to a page, featured a close-up of a male celebrity's face.I peeked over and saw a young-looking guy I didn't recogni
"It doesn't matter." I caressed Nicholas' cheek and asked wearily, "Where are you planning to sleep tonight?"As soon as the words left my mouth, I was stunned for a second. I realized how much it sounded like I was asking an ancient emperor where he wanted to stay.I couldn't help but laugh, but Ni
Nicholas stormed off in anger. I got out of bed, took another shower, and dried my hair. By 3:00 a.m., he still hadn't returned. I wasn't waiting for him. I just couldn't sleep.Coral Villa was quiet at night without the presence of housekeepers. But I wasn't afraid. I slipped on a coat and went dow
The next morning, I woke up in the guest room. I reached over to the space next to me, only to find that it was cold. I got up and freshened up. Well aware that it'd be an uphill battle to break through Nicholas's walls, I wasn't in a hurry. I was naive in the past, thinking that I could take on t
No one was home. I went back to the bedroom to get changed before heading out to meet Nicholas. Once I opened the wardrobe, I realized my clothes were crumpled and shoved into a corner at the bottom, while Claudia's clothes were hung neatly. Nicholas's clothes were right next to hers.Only then did
A man shouldn't be pampered. They'd only learn to cherish things once they were sated every once in a while. Early the next morning, I specifically instructed Wendy to tell Nicholas that I prepared breakfast for him and Claudia. Then, I took my bag and left. I had no idea what kind of consensus Ni
Plenty of luxury cars zoomed down the bustling streets below my high-end apartment complex. I scanned the streets, trying to search for Nicholas's car, but it was nowhere to be seen. I should've been unbothered, but a voice inside me still pierced through my facade. "You still care about him, Aria
"Nich…" As Nicholas leaned in suddenly, I immediately fell silent. I did not doubt that if I said even one more word, his lips would press down without hesitation.Our faces were inches apart. The intimate sound of our breaths tangled, slipping directly into each other's ears. The faint scent of tob
We spent too long on the road, and it was already 11:00 p.m. when I reached home. I politely thanked Nicholas and got out of the car, waiting for him to leave. However, he also got out of the car. "Let me walk you in."I glanced up at the short distance ahead, wondering what there was to walk me in
"But Claudia begged you. I heard her." I casually spoke, lightly tapping the screen with my fingers.It didn't matter how many times Nicholas tried to bury the trending topics surrounding Claudia online—I'd find a way to bring it back up. It was better to confront him than to keep lingering in unce
Some things wouldn't change whether spoken aloud or left unsaid. Nicholas didn't understand. He had already explained himself. What more did I want from him?The hope in his eyes dimmed as he said, "You clearly care about me, so why won't you let me get close?"No matter how good-tempered Nicholas w
I stayed silent, feeling dizzy the moment Nicholas held my hand. The words I didn't want to hear, the topics I tried to avoid, slipped so easily from his lips. "Ariana, I truly didn't know you were carrying our child. I thought the baby was gone back in the hospital..."His Adam's apple moved as he
"Where's Tabitha? I'm here to take her home," I looked around and asked.Nicholas replied, "I've put her to sleep. Could she stay with me for a few more days?""This early?" Nicholas nodded as he looked at me. His voice was heavy like something was weighing him down."She usually doesn't fall aslee
Claudia had left, yet it still felt like someone was standing there. The tension of a silent standoff stirred something deep within me. But under the cover of darkness, whatever I couldn't hide would still remain unseen."Was it you?" Nicholas's voice carried no hint of emotion, and his gaze was unr
The journey from Jay Caldwell & Co. to Coral Villa wasn't long, taking less than half an hour.I kept refreshing the webpage, watching the situation unfold. The trending topics about Claudia and Nelson continued to drop in popularity. Someone was clearly working to bury the story."Tell the PR team
In Nicholas's mind, it seemed like I still loved him because I had his child.I could clearly feel that from the moment I revealed that Tabitha was his daughter, he became much softer."We're here," Douglas reminded me in a low voice, snapping me back to the present.Today, I was meeting with Yasmin