Rift in the perfect picture

Chapter 0403

Since the start of the new year, Nicholas and I had been living in the manor.

Daniel’s study had a much sterner atmosphere than Nicholas’s. The dark, wooden interior made the

person sitting in the main seat appear all the more imposing and oppressh

Nicholas had lost quite a bit of weight, and his cheeks were sunken in as he furrowed his brow. The cigarette, which he hadn’t touched in ages, was unlit and hung awkwardly from his lips.

He looked at me and gave a faint smile.

“You’ve funneled every penny of available funds from Jones Corporation to Pete under the guise of a partnership. Do you even realize that, if this gets out, I won’t even have to lift a finger? You’ll be the one in trouble first.”

Nicholas never quite understood how to create a family of his own.

At first, he thought having Claudia was enough. He doted on her endlessly, hoping to fill the void of the family he never had through her. But things didn’t turn out as he expected.

After getting married, the idea of family started clashing in his mind. Should he prioritize his sister or his wife and child?

In the early days of his marriage, his bond with Claudia was undeniably stronger. He almost lost her because of the wedding. He blamed everything on me.

Luckily, I played my part well. I molded myself into the right” shape, slipping into the gap between Nicholas and his version of “family“, creating a fragile equilibrium.

Nicholas was content with that for a few years. But last year, I began to change. I started pulling away, a shift Nicholas couldn’t accept. My departure shattered his illusion of family.

He began to feel dissatisfied. I was forcing him to choose between her and Claudia. It was a nearly impossible dilemma for him.

But at the end of the day, Claudia was just his sister. She had her own life to live; her own relationships to build. She would eventually marry and move on.

Nicholas realized he wanted a normal marriage, a wife, and children. He wanted a real, complete family. He believed he had fallen in love with me and gave me everything he had to offer.

But now, it was all slipping further and further away. His mother was gone. His father was gone. The child he never got to meet was gone.

My thoughts were always on another man. He was left constantly guarding against this man for fear of losing more.

He couldn’t understand it. Was he not deserving of a family?

He pounded his temples in pain. When he opened his eyes again, they were reddened.

“I’m your husband, I just lost my dad. Do you feel even the slightest bit of sympathy for me?”

I looked at Nicholas’s defeated form, feeling nothing but calm inside.

+25 BONUS

Chapter 0403

“Adults can’t expect others to feel their pain,” I replied coldly. “I’ve lost my parents too. They can’t stay with

you forever. There’s always a day when they’ll leave.”

He was a grown man. Shouldn’t he be stronger than me? I felt no sympathy for him.

Who was there to sympathize with me? Who cared about my child? Where could I vent the bitterness that had built up inside me?

“You’ve always had incredible self–control,” I continued.

“I’m sure this will pass soon enough.”

I slowly walked over to him and placed the documents had prepared in front of him.

“Daniel has passed away. Since you have some time, let’s talk about us. Let’s get divorce, alright?”

I had lost track of how many drafts of the divorce agreement had been written. But now, as I placed it in front of Nicholas again, I felt utterly calm.

Nicholas couldn’t believe what was happening now. He rubbed his eyes, picked up the papers, and read them over and over. It seemed impossible to him that I would bring up divorce at a time like this.”

“You’re leaving me too?” he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.