Rift in the perfect picture

Chapter 0355

+25 BONUS

The once gentle night had grown suffocating with the tense standoff between the two men.

Pete glared at Nicholas. His breathing turned heavy the moment Nicholas casually draped his arm over my shoulders. He expected me to pull away, but I didn’t

Pete’s face paled. “You two…”

I turned my head to see Nicholas staring coldly at Pete. The situation was undeniably awkward.

I softly asked, “How have you been lately? Are you doing okay?”

The arm around my shoulders tightened suddenly. Nicholas raised his hand in front of me and asked in a strange tone, “Can’t you tell who’s worse off right now?”

Pete’s eyes flared with anger. Nicholas’s actions were only adding fuel to the fire.

I pushed his arm away. “Don’t do this. Let me talk to Pete for a moment.”

“We’re not done here. The blood is still coursing through my veins. It’s not the right time for you to be

talking to another man.

Nicholas lifted his gaze, glaring at Pete. He coldly uttered, “Get lost!”

Pete clenched his fists tightly, barely containing his anger. “Nicholas! Don’t push me too far!”

Nicholas took a step forward, completely blocking Pete with his chest. His voice was dark and menacing. “Yeah, I’m picking on you.”

I

my

“Enough!” I bent down to grab my shoes by the door.

“I’m going outside for a few minutes to talk to him alone.” Seeing Pete again had caught me off guard, and we never really had a proper goodbye.

“No.” Nicholas refused without hesitation. His voice turned icy. “It’s dangerous to go out at night.”

“What danger could there possibly be if she goes out with me?”

“It’s dangerous because she’s going out with you!”

The tension between the two escalated once again.

I tugged at Nicholas’s shirt from behind, pulling him back slightly. When I looked up, I met Pete’s heartbroken eyes.

“Ari, you… Why are you with him again? He’s not a good man. Don’t let him fool you.”

Nicholas pressed his lips together and snorted coldly. He pulled me into his embrace as if staking his

claim.

“If I weren’t a good man, you would still be locked up at home by your family.”

Pete gritted his teeth. “Nicholas, aren’t you afraid I’ll spill all the shady things you’ve done?”

My heart skipped a beat, fearing that the emotions I had just stirred would soon face another storm.

12

Chapter 00355

+25 BONUS

“Those were your choices. Don’t try to pin them on me now.”

Despite his words, his demeanor had changed significantly. His voice held a diffident tone.

“Stop arguing!” My voice trembled. My heart felt like it was hanging by a thread.

Before Pete could say anything, tears streamed down his face. He choked up, lowering his head to gather

himself.

It took a full half minute before he finally calmed down although his eyes remained misty. He looked at me with deep sadness.

He said, “You told me countless times not to seek revenge for you and not to confront Marcus because of you. But I refused every single time.”

“Yes…”

The moment I responded, Nicholas wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me tightly against him. It was as if he wanted to merge our bodies into one.

Hearing me admit it out loud didn’t make Nicholas feel any better.

Pete continued, “Being with you was all I ever wanted, more than anything. Did you ever wonder why I was so stubborn about it?”