Trouble in Paradise (Arianna and Nicholas) novel Chapter 488

Claudia had been watching my every move out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't until I finally left the villa that she slowly sat up from Nicholas's lap.

Jealousy almost drove her mad. Her mind screamed that she wanted to kill me, over and over again.

If Nicholas hadn't been drunk tonight, she would never have gotten this chance. She could never have imagined that even when he couldn't open his eyes, he could still show a deep affection that she had never expected to see.

Why? Why did just the thought of me leaving again cause Nicholas, who once choked her and called it her punishment, to crumble so easily?

Nicholas had completely forgotten about their childhood bond. His mind was full of me.

Claudia was losing it. The jealousy was driving her insane. Everything she saw today had pushed her emotions to the brink of breaking. But when she noticed that I had left Coral Villa without fully closing the door, the temptation was irresistible.

Although her jealousy consumed her, she didn't regret it. She couldn't resist the urge to see Nicholas.

After I had left earlier in the day, she had slipped into the villa through the slightly ajar door. She knew that Nicholas had developed a drinking habit over the years.

It wasn't until she was sure he had drunk enough that she dared to come out from where she had been hiding. For almost eight hours, her legs had gone numb from standing still.

Claudia staggered toward Nicholas. When she lost her balance and fell in front of him, her mind was filled with fantasies.

"Nick," she called out. She was hoping that Nicholas would protect her like he used to. When she was young, she always knew that with him around, she would never fall.

However, reality was cruel. She fell to the ground with tears streaming down her face, while Nicholas remained indifferent. He couldn't even sense there was anyone else in the room.