Rift in the perfect picture

Chapter 0164

Refreshing? Indeed, Nicholas had finally turned passionate after being indifferent for so many years, Surely the tim

me felt unique and refreshing to him.

spent with

A self–deprecating smile crossed my face. Every time I forced myself to not be overwhelmed by my feelings, Nicholas set up traps. he considered to be “quite good” and “refreshing” to lure me in.

If I were to be lured in, so be it. We were adults, after all. I could just treat everything as a game, but I couldn’t accept that it was all for Claudia’s sake.

Nicholas toyed with me for Claudia’s sake, simply finding me to be quite refreshing in the process. It turned out that he could be even more pretentious than I was.

I thought I had orchestrated a meticulous scheme. I got together with Nicholas to provoke Claudia as I wanted to bring her to justice, but his scheme outsmarted mine. His chivalry, gentleness, and confession toward me were all part of his scheme.

Since I didn’t have genuine feelings for him either, I figured I should be unfazed. It was only fair. But why were waves of anguish crashing down on me now? It was as if I could hear my flesh and veins being torn apart within my body.

“Really?” Jasmine’s coquettish voice rang out. “Claudia is your sister, but you’re sending her abroad for a woman you find refreshing to be with?

“Perhaps you might be interested in her now, but who knows if you’ll shift your interest to me afterward? You’re such a jerk!”

When did Nicholas have such a close female friend? I wasn’t even aware of her existence despite having followed him around for so

many years.

longer

Why Nicholas’s rosary beads were on Jasmine’s bag mattered. What mattered was that not only did he deceive me, but he also invited others to gloat at me.

He was even worse than Pete, who had bullied me since childhood.

Pete was an asshole, but he would never trick me.

Nicholas was ruthless indeed. What seemed to be sweet and heartwarming moments from our time together left me battered and bruised after the facade was ripped away.

Laughter and chatter reverberated across the ward, and I found myself losing the courage to listen to their conversation.

Unaware of how hard I was tugging at my dress, I accidentally. ripped apart its exquisitely crafted hem. The abrupt sound of fabric. ripping echoed in the corridor.

The hospital corridor was so quiet at dawn that even the smallest. noise couldn’t be hidden. Silence enveloped the corridor, and the laughter in Nicholas’s ward ceased)

“Who’s outside?” Nicholas demanded. “Come in!”

I flinched, and tears suddenly streamed down my cheeks out of fear.

The cold tears snapped me back to my senses. I didn’t cry when my mother passed away, nor did I cry when my mother–in–law, who had cherished me dearly for four years, bullied me. But I couldn’t stop my tears from flowing right now.

Mortified, I blinked desperately to hold back my tears. The last thing

wanted was to show up defeated front of Nicholas.

I must’ve looked like a fool after realizing that I had been thoroughly deceived–an idiot who was still moved by his confession hours ago.

couldn’t stay any longer. As I pivoted, the tremor in Nicholas’s voice was so palpable as he called out, “Ariana?”