In the hospital, Nicholas Hawk stood out conspicuously in the crowd with his tall stature and long legs."You don't need to be here. Go home," I heard him say as soon as I squeezed through. The bag in my hand left my grasp.Nicholas' stepsister was admitted to the hospital late at night. It seemed m
My gaze fell on Nicholas' pants draped over the bed. The loose waistband was twisted into what looked like a crying face. The black phone peeking out from one corner seemed depressing.In our married life, I valued both love and privacy. We respected each other's personal space and never touched eac
Nicholas had his phone propped up on the watch display cabinet and nestled between two watch boxes. One hand gripped the edge of the cabinet, while the other moved swiftly below his waist. Not far from him lay the gray bath towel he had kicked aside. Although most of his body was obscured, it was e
I used to love watching melodramatic TV shows, so I had a pretty good idea of the destructive allure of first love in a man's life. The more unattainable she was, the more he wanted her. For Nicholas and Claudia, societal norms meant they could never be together. The Hawk family was too prestigious
I rubbed my forehead as tears brimmed in my eyes. I looked up and realized that I hadn't bumped into a wall. Instead, I bumped into Nicholas' solid chest."I wouldn't go bankrupt even if I had to employ a billion housekeepers like Wendy to keep you fed," Nicholas said. Nicholas hid his emotions wel
"Clearly, he doesn't love me," I thought when I heard Nicholas say those words. It seemed that once I saw things clearly, I could find evidence of how he didn't love me everywhere. Nicholas had no patience left for me. I fixed my gaze on Nicholas as if trying to see through him. However, I looked
Frances was delighted. The family was having a harmonious dinner at the table when she went to her room and returned with a pair of emerald earrings for me.I held the earrings obediently and praised them effusively until I noticed that Claudia's expression had darkened. At that moment, I placed the
If the entire family knew about Nicholas and Claudia's affair, then I was merely used as a shield to maintain the Hawk family's reputation!I accepted the gift quietly and exchanged a few pleasantries before seeing her out. With my trust in Nicholas broken, I could no longer trust anyone else wholeh
The next day, I woke up alone in bed. Before I could even piece together my missing memories from last night, I felt an overwhelming urge to fall back asleep immediately.My head throbbed, but I still remembered today's schedule. Douglas and I were supposed to meet with the person in charge of the s
The next day, Douglas and I attended a dinner party. It wasn't for anything specific—just a chance to meet people and network.It had been ages since I drank this formally. With me being a new face to most, curiosity brought a steady stream of people holding up their glasses to me.Tonight, I didn't
I wasn't sure if Nicholas had ever studied parenting, but he was doing a great job.He gently patted Tabitha's back, waiting for her to fall completely asleep in her crib before setting the storybook down. Then, he quietly slipped out of the room.I followed him downstairs and saw him off at the doo
At work, I found myself distracted. Douglas had spoken to me several times, but I hadn't heard a word. Even though I was confident in my confrontation with Claudia, I had to admit that her words had affected me.Who was Nicholas really doing all this for? Claudia claimed it was for her—that he stood
Not only did I want to slap Claudia, but I wanted to do it in front of everyone."Claudia, back when you were in school and I visited you, you had someone slap me across the face. That first slap was payback. This one now? It's the interest."The moment I finished speaking, I delivered another slap
The person was crying. "All the rumors about me online are fake! They're nothing but lies spread by Ariana. She is jealous that I'm the sister of the CEO of Hawk Corporation."She's always been jealous of my identity. She doesn't like how Nicholas treats me, or the closeness we share. "When I lived
We froze momentarily upon seeing each other. Douglas awkwardly greeted me, saying, "Ms. Jones.""Nicholas, what are you trying to do now?" Upon seeing him, I couldn't help but feel my anger rising. Did he really think that what was online could make up for everything? What he did was childish, utte
Nicholas still had a bit of conscience left. He knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't argue when I told him to leave again.He silently got dressed, packing all of his belongings into the bag. As the door closed behind him, a barely noticeable sigh lingered in the air, unable to fade away.I went b
Nicholas pleaded, "Ariana, don't kick me out. I've missed you so much, and I've thought about you every day for the past three years."He suddenly seemed to recall something. He strode to the bed, snatched up his phone, and began tapping rapidly on the screen.A moment later, he flipped the screen a