Trouble in Paradise (Arianna and Nicholas) novel Chapter 570

Nicholas' expression was devoid of emotion, his voice chilling like ice.

"No, I want to say this. I know she wants to see you, but more than that, she's scared. I understand that fear—that crushing loneliness that magnifies when you're not there for her. She hasn't been sleeping well, plagued by nightmares and crying nonstop…"

He paused briefly before continuing, "Tabitha must be missing you terribly right now."

"Nicholas, are you even human? You're her father too! How can you be so heartless?"

I slapped the umbrella out of his hand, glaring at him with all the hatred I could muster.

The rain intensified. The moment the umbrella hit the ground, the growing puddles shattered our reflections into countless fragments under the relentless downpour.

Nicholas lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought. His voice, laced with a faint choke, broke through the rain.

"When I fell behind you, did you care? You didn't give a damn whether I lived or died. So tell me, why should I care? Does it even matter if I do?"

Suddenly, he grabbed my shoulders with a force that rattled my very core. "Ariana, tell me—does it even matter if I care?"

The pain in my chest was suffocating. I used every ounce of strength to shove him away. "Don't say those things to me!"

Why should I care about him? When I was on the brink of death, who cared about me?

I once thought there was some misunderstanding between us, that we could clear the air. For Tabitha's sake, I was even willing to try and get along with him, or at least fake it.

But reality slapped me in the face. One should never believe that someone's rotten nature could be corrected. Nobody had that kind of power, at least not me.