Love Aint Always Pretty novel Chapter 74

Aboveboard

- being honest or straightforward

74

"W-what?" I asked.

"I just had to marry her cos her mother wants me to. She's pregnant and the man that got her pregnant left her. It's for her image." He answered.

"Bullshit." I spit.

He reaches for my hand. "It happened too fast. Mrs. Devaloines asked me to do it and since she helped me a lot, I couldn't say no. I had to marry her daughter to save their name from embarrassment. In return, they'll be giving me a huge portion from Mrs. Devaloines' properties, a vast percentage on the shareholders for the Devaloines Group and they'll clear my name from what I had done on the past."

My brows are creasing and I just don't know what to feel. I'm happy about what he said, confused cos I can't believe it, and sad cos I'm with Damon.

"It's a fake wedding." He says.

A fake wedding?

"We have a signed contract. We'll divorce after three years." He says.

"Why are you saying this to me?" I asked.

"Because you need to know."

I paused and laughed humorlessly as I shake my head sideways.

"And what? You want me to wait for you for three years? You expect me to wait for you?! Nick I have dreams! So many dreams and I'm already starting at Devaloines without my dad's help. This means a lot to me and you know that. If you forgot, you were the one who left me! You fucking left. Now you want me to wait?! For you?!" I yelled.

I started dressing up and put my underwear and bra over my body.

"I left you because your dad always downgraded me. I felt bad about myself. I thought he was right. Im not good enough for you. Now, I'm doing this because I want to show your dad that you deserve me. I'm going to win you back so I want you to wait for me." He says.

I turned to him. "By marrying a rich woman?! That's how you want it Nick? That's your solution?! You think money is so important to me!?"

"Because if I was rich your dad would let me marry you! He would respect me. He would look at me as one of you guys and not just some ex-convict." He screeched.

I paused.

"I wanna marry you so bad Savannah. You're the only woman who I see walking down the aisle for me." He says.

My heart leaps.

"Savannah if you just know what I've been through when I left you and how miserable I was when I did that to you, how painful it was seeing you with other men!" Nick's voice shakes.

"Your father's words runs through my head all the time even until now. I was so down when he looked at me like that. I did everything I could to be rich even if it's in a wrong way! I love you Savannah. I fucking love you so much that's why I'm still fighting for us even if you're not anymore! I'm still hoping!" He says and I could see his tears filling his eyes.

I'm also starting to cry but I'm biting my trembling lip hard. I shake my head, he's doing this for me.

"I want to prove myself to your father and your mother that an ex-prisoner like me could run a huge conglomerate like Devaloines Group. I wanted to show them that my past doesn't make me who I am now. That it wasn't me." He says.

"But you left me Nick. Seven months you were gone and I have heard nothing from you." I sobbed.

"Savannah I had a reason why I accepted your father's money and I had to stay away from you or else he'll file a case against me. He'll put me back to jail if I won't stay away from you." He speaks.

"What?! My... My dad said that?"

He nods.

Oh god I couldn't believe this. How could my own father do this? He told me that Nick accepted the money right away. Oh god. They all lied to me. All of them.

"I didn't tell anyone about this. Nobody knows why I did what I did before. Alec and Tracy doesn't even know. But I did this for you.... And for Tracy." He says.

My brows furrowing. "Tracy?"

"I needed the money for Tracy."

"Why?" I asked breathlessly.

"She was diagnosed with cancer on December." He says.

I gasped.

"The day before the holiday break. She had throat cancer. She needed surgery right away. I was scared Savannah. I had no choice. I really needed the money to save her. Your dad even gave us the best surgeon, he said it was his friend. Doctor Robinson." He cries.

I covered my mouth with my hands and now it all makes sense. She got so thin all of a sudden before. Tracy had cancer and I didn't know about it. Nobody even dared to inform me. I was so naive about all the things that happened around.

"Does Tracy know where you got the money from?" I asked.

"She found out." He says.

That's why Tracy was blaming herself when she visited me in New York two years ago. That's why she kept saying she was sorry.

He walks towards me and wraps his arms around me tightly. I was letting him hug me while we were both on our underwear.

"I really didn't mean to leave you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Savannah. It took me two years to tell the truth to you. I needed more time before I could say it cos if your father will sue me if I ever talk to you again, I have the same power as him. I can fight for myself." He says.

I shake my head. "This is too much for me in the morning. I... I need to go." I say.

"Savannah please say you believe in me."

I look at him and his eyes tells me he's saying the truth. "I need to go Nick." I said.

"Let me drive you home."

"I'll take a cab. I wanna be alone Nick. Please." I said.

I grabbed all of my stuff and headed out of his room. All those words he said to me felt surreal. All the things I just found out just now after two fucking years, how could I have been so blind? How could I have been so insensitive about the things happened to me? I'm so mad at myself for not finding out sooner. I'm so mad at Nick cos he didn't say anything to me. I'm so mad at my family cos they lied to me. All of the lied to me.

I got inside the cab and I wanted to get back to our other house here in New York which was two hundred miles from my apartment. Back where my family lives. They need to tell me everything I need to know. They need to tell me the truth. When the cab arrived outside our house, I hurriedly rushed to the front door. The maid opened it and I hurriedly walked inside. My neck is craning as I look around for anyone who's here today.