Rift in the perfect picture

Silence fell on the other end. I was afraid that hearing my name would affect Nicholas‘ mood, and I was worried he would refuse to speak with me.

So, I got up and walked toward Claudia. “I’ll speak to him.”

I stretched my hand out toward Claudia.

Claudia glanced at me before bidding Nicholas farewell flirtatiously. “Nick, I’ll hand over the phone to Ariana now. You two can speak to each other.”

Nicholas felt his heart beat rapidly as it was the first time I had voluntarily taken the initiative to talk to

him.

He wanted to smile, and he tried hard to lift the corner of his lips. Perhaps it was because he had been taking antidepressants for some time now, but he felt like he had lost his ability to smile.

“Nicholas,” I called out.

“Yes,” Nicholas answered steadily after successfully calming his turbulent emotions.

paused momentarily. I wasn’t shocked to hear his cold and indifferent voice. The stark contrast in treatment was just too big.

I smirked mockingly and asked calmly. “When will you return to Radiant City?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Nicholas froze. “Do you-”

He was wondering if I had missed him. He had even had the thought that if I had admitted to missing him, nothing would stop him from appearing before me, not even his sickness.

He had often wondered if I was his antidote. In his heart, I was his antidote just like how I was his poison.

But before he could finish his question, I interrupted him and said, “You should come back sooner so that we can get on with the divorce.”

All of the words were stuck in Nicholas‘ throat, and his expectant and hopeful gaze immediately dimmed. He felt a sharp pain in his heart. The pain was so intense that he had to bend over.

But at that moment, I could only hear his annoyed sighs before he asked coldly, “Did you want to talk to me just to ask me this?”

He sounded angry, but I could not understand where his anger had come from.

He asked again, “Is that all you have to say to me?”

“What else is there for me to say?” I asked again. “Do we have any other things for us to talk about?”

The beeping sound due to the call being hung up answered me instead of Nicholas’s voice.

Claudia was delighted by the turn of events and snatched her phone back before strutting out of the meeting room gleefully.

“Is there a chance that Mr. Hawk doesn’t want to divorce you?” Douglas asked suddenly after listening to

our short conversation.

I shook my head and walked out with him. “He just doesn’t want to hear

my voice.”

“Don’t be mad…” Douglas said, trying to comfort me. However, those words of comfort just felt baseless.

I shook my head again. “I’m not mad. I’m used to it.”

Feelings and relationships have always been a troubling thing. Douglas couldn’t understand how things had turned to such a point, so he just gave up thinking.

Once we reached the lobby, he bid me goodbye and said, “I’ll arrange for someone to keep an eye on Frances. Ms. Jones, you would not have to worry about that.”

I nodded. “Inform me once she falls for the bait. We’ll take action once the time is right, but before that, Nicholas and I must get a divorce.”

No one, not even Nicholas, could stop me from sending Frances to jail!

Douglas had offered to drive me before heading to the office, but I rejected his offer.

I went to the hospital I had visited during my pregnancy. I wanted to get as much information as I could before sending it to Deena.

I wanted her to help me check if those records could prove that my miscarriage had happened due to the effects of the “herbal tonics” Frances had given me.

Not long after we went our separate ways, Claudia received a call from a place on the outskirts of Radiant City. A doctor’s anxious voice sounded from the other end.

“Ms. Claudia, please come over quickly. Mr. Hawk has hurt himself again…”