Trouble in Paradise (Arianna and Nicholas) novel Chapter 454

Douglas awkwardly found an excuse and slipped away. Watching his retreating figure, I couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. If I could, I would love to escape too. If someone could give me the answer, I would want to know what to do.

When I told Yasmine that I planned to cover up for Claudia, my heart felt empty. "Yasmine, just do as I've said."

I rested my hand on my belly. "I'm planning to go abroad for a while to focus on my pregnancy."

Yasmine was taken aback and instinctively asked, "Do you have to go that far?"

I nodded. "Deena invited me to stay with her. She said she would help look after me. Besides, I need a break from everything here."

A bitter smile formed on her lips. "Even the child you're carrying is his. If I were you, I wouldn't just leave like this!"

Yasmine grew more agitated. "You've done so much for him, swallowed all these grievances on your own. Ari, do you still love him? Don't lie to yourself!

"If I were you, I would stay. I would stay by his side and watch him recover. I know what love is. It's not always about who's right or wrong. But I would never give up on everything and slink away."

I smiled, listening to her passionate words as though she were telling someone else's story, not mine.

When I decided to leave, I knew I had done everything I could. He was no longer the person I cared about. Fate would take its course. What happened next was up to him.

Yasmine was getting carried away. She kept urging me to win Nicholas back, but I knew she was just venting. If it really came to that, she would be more stressed out than me.

"I don't love him anymore, but I loved him for over a decade. I don't want anything to happen to him, that's all."

Thinking of what Nicholas had just said to me, I spoke indifferently, "We're divorced, and he doesn't need me anymore."

…

Nicholas returned to his car, his body trembling uncontrollably. The emotions stirring within him were manifesting physically. The only way to soothe them was through a violent release.

In the past, he wouldn't hesitate to grab something sharp and plunge it into his forearm. But now, he couldn't do that anymore.

He rolled up his sleeves and looked at the crisscrossing marks on his arm. A fierce determination burned in his eyes as he vowed to watch them scab over and heal.