Trouble in Paradise (Arianna and Nicholas) novel Chapter 482

Nicholas's voice came to an abrupt halt. I saw his body freeze. It was as if he were a glitched NPC in a virtual world, becoming oddly unreal.

He stood stiffly for a few seconds. His bloodshot eyes were burning with rage and unspeakable pain as he turned to look at me.

Nicholas gritted his teeth and staggered out. Soon after, I heard the sound of something shattering in the direction of the wine cabinet. The noise continued in a messy, cascading rhythm.

I followed him out and found the floor covered with broken glass and spilled wine. The nearby carpet wasn't spared either. Wine stains were everywhere.

Nicholas, who had just been showing off in front of me, now stood there like a lost child. He clenched his fists tightly while staring at the mess on the floor. His arms trembled uncontrollably.

As if afraid of being seen like this, he immediately crossed his arms over his chest. He glanced in my direction and said uncomfortably, "Did I scare you?"

I shook my head, but my eyes stung with emotion.

When I was pregnant with Tabitha, I often thought of Nicholas. I could never understand why a man who was so eager to have a child would abandon both me and our daughter, ignoring us completely. Even when I went into early labor with Tabitha, he never showed up.

Part of my resentment was emotional, but there was also a reluctance to accept reality. I had told him we would wait for him at the place we wanted to start over, yet we kept missing each other. I couldn't accept that he had chosen someone else, only to come back to me later.

I blamed it all on Nicholas's illness. He couldn't leave Claudia. Otherwise, I couldn't explain it to myself or talk calmly with Tabitha about her father.

"Your dad didn't leave you," I would tell her. "He was just very sick."

I had looked it up online. Severe mental illness could manifest physically, and it was happening now. He couldn't even hold onto a glass, spilling wine everywhere.