Trouble in Paradise (Arianna and Nicholas) novel Chapter 201

I stopped struggling. Nicholas acted as though he was worried that I wouldn't agree to it, so he said, "I have no idea where you put that stuff."

A little after we got married, Nicholas began getting more distant with me. That was why I would stare at our marriage certificate whenever I was home alone.

I would only feel as though the two of us were truly married when I was holding that piece of paper in my hand. I had treated it as a treasure and had taken an extra step to commission an expensive box to keep it safe.

The box had diamonds encased in it because diamonds were said to signify eternal love. Unfortunately, reality was often unpredictable.

I forced a smile to my face and replied, "It's in the bedroom by the—"

Nicholas interrupted me and shoved me into the car. He complained, "You don't need to tell me about it. Just go grab everything."

He spoke in a tone that suggested he was a man who had never been in a position to obey commands.

His tone was nonchalant and showed no concern. It seemed to suggest he was better than that and should not have to listen or remember menial things like that.

My jaw dropped. Nicholas' words were like a bucket of ice water, and they extinguished all the burning emotions swirling inside me. It was as if every additional word I said was an inconvenience to him and was my mistake.

Nicholas was quick to adapt to his new status. At that moment, he and I were "Mr. Hawk" and "Ms. Jones". Hence, it was only natural that he spoke to me as though we were strangers.

I tried to comfort myself by telling myself that I could leave as soon as I retrieved those documents. I kept my mouth shut and said nothing. Being in the same car as he was made me feel pressured.

That particular car was the one he got just so the two of us could be intimate together. At the time, he made an effort to come to me. I could still remember how nervous I felt back then and how his sweat rolled down his chest.

I didn't regret being intimate with him. However, we shared such a beautiful past, so being in that same space with him once more felt like torture. It was as if I had it coming and was torturing myself.

I bit my lips and shifted my gaze away. I also went all out to distract myself with any other thought, but for some unknown reason, my entire body still couldn't help feeling hot. Even my breath was burning.