Rift in the perfect picture

Chapter 0370

“It’s not that!” I pushed him away and crouched down again to continue packing

I felt a burning gaze on the top of my head as Nicholas stared hard at me. Under his scrutinizing gaze, I could not even lift my head.

I was afraid that the moment I looked up, I would reveal even more emotions. I had agreed with Yasmine to arrange frequent business trips for me. She would gradually increase the duration from one day to three days and then even longer.

I wanted Nicholas to get used to days without me, but not this frequently. I was worried he would get suspicious.

But after coming back today, hearing his call with Daniel and the sight of Claudia in our marital home made me not want to stay a second longer.

In this situation, whether he was suspicious or not was no longer my concern. I just wanted to leave quickly.

“When do you leave? Nicholas asked

“Early tomorrow morning” He asked, and I answered. We were like a pair of strangers with an unspoken understanding each with our own protective barriers in this small space.

“Hmm. Then there’s no rush to pack Nicholas crouched beside me and took my hand. “You can pack later. Come on. I’ll make dinner tonight. You can be my assistant. Tell me what you want to eat.”

I tried to pull away but I could not break free. Looking at our joined hands, I smiled helplessly. “Nicholas, you don’t need to do this. I’m not upset with you. I really do have work, so you don’t need to lower yourself and cook personally.”

I

I paused and smiled at him. “Can you let go? I’ll come out once I’m done packing. I don’t like staying in the closet. It’s too cramped.”

Nicholas’s eyes dimmed. He slowly released my hand. “You say you’re not upset? You clearly said before that you liked every part of this house!”

I looked up at him. “That was before. I used to like you too, but not anymore.”

I continued packing without pause. “I don’t even like the ‘1 point‘, ‘2 points‘ system anymore.”

I

Thinking back to when Nicholas proposed the points system, I found it laughable.

Not a single point could be accumulated. My heart could not serve as a container for points. So, no matter how many points were gained in the process, they would all be lost.

“Ariana?” Nicholas’s eyes were pained, and his voice was uncertain. “You must be angry, so let me say it again, I called my dad just because I didn’t want him to worry.

“As for Claudia, if you don’t want to live here, we can move again. You don’t need to be angry with me

over this!”

“Yeah, indeed there’s no need.” I pressed my lips together before explaining to him, “When I say there’s no need, I mean you don’t need to act so deeply in love in front of me.

Chapter 0370

+25 BONUS

“The funniest part is that we clearly have the simplest cooperative relationship, yet you insist on putting on a show for me. Between us, you can’t even keep your script straight.”

“What cooperative relationship are you talking about?”

I spoke slowly, enunciating each word. “You and me! You help me solve Yasmine and Pete’s troubles while I stay by your side! It’s that simple.”

I looked straight into his eyes. Then, I took his hand and brought it to my lips, kissing the back of it. “I’m by your side. It doesn’t matter why you want to keep me here, nor who else is around you or who you’re with.

“I don’t care, so there’s nothing to be angry about. You don’t need to pretend to be sick in front of me anymore. It’s unnecessary.”

Nicholas raised his hand and thumped his chest twice. The sour and bitter feeling felt strange to him. His expression changed drastically.

“I really did relapse. I’m not lying to you. It’s just not serious enough to need you watching over me constantly. I can ensure my own safety, but I truly need you.”