Trouble in Paradise (Arianna and Nicholas)
Chapter 0201

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. Nicholas shot a nonchalant look at me. He crossed his legs and said, "You can clear out all your stuff from the place while you're there."

I glared at him. His scowl was darker than a thunderstorm. I wondered where he expected me to take them.

"I will send someone over tomorrow, and-"

"That won't do. You must clear everything out today. I will not allow your stuff to stay in my place for even a second longer."

I took a deep breath and sarcastically said, "Oh, you're so impatient that you expect the impossible, huh? Then are you annoyed with me being here? How about you just stop the car now and kick me out?"

Nicholas turned his head to look at me. His gaze brimmed with cruelty, and it was as if he wanted to tear me up limb from limb. He scrutinized every single inch of me, and his expression showed that he was extremely serious as he uttered, "You're annoying." His expression was too serious, so much so that it was hurtful.

He was the only son of the Hawk family, so he had been spoiled rotten since he was a kid. On top of that, he showed signs of being autistic when he was a boy, so it was only natural that everyone was protective of him. His feelings were their top priority. Nicholas didn't think about how I'd feel at all and would not hide his discontent for my sake.

Nicholas Hawk. That was the name I had spent years carving into my brain. Yet, in the end, his verdict for me was that I was annoying.

"As if you don't annoy me?" I complained.

I had to admit that he hurt my feelings. Being stubborn and lying was my last attempt at being dignified.

I stuck to the car's door as much as I possibly could and then closed my eyes. I prayed that I would be at the Coral Villa when I opened my eyes again. That way, I could leave quickly after retrieving the documents. "Mmm..."

My body was instantly locked into a strong embrace. A slightly icy tongue slipped into my mouth...