Trouble in Paradise



Chapter 0548

Nicholas pleaded, "Ariana, don't kick me out. I've missed you so much, and I've thought about you every day for the past three years."

He suddenly seemed to recall something. He strode to the bed, snatched up his phone, and began tapping rapidly on the screen.

A moment later, he flipped the screen around, and a photo I knew all too well flashed into view.

The brightness of the phone screen was blinding, and my vision blurred. Memories and reality fought in my mind, and the pain left me numb all over.

"Ariana, I'm not lying to you. I wanted you even in my dream. Just looking at your photo gives me feelings. I always think back to when you wore this outfit, and I-'

"Nicholas," I interrupted him softly. "Didn't you say this photo was deleted? Why is it still here?"

I stared at Nicholas, wanting to hear any explanation he might give.

He opened his mouth but didn't manage to utter a single word. "I..."

"Nicholas, do you know what this photo has done to me? If it weren't for the explicit content being flagged by the internet, my chest wouldn't be reduced to just a line in the photo."

Though I knew the photo must have been leaked by Nicholas, I had always assumed that Claudia used some trick to get her hands on the deleted photos. I never once held Nicholas accountable for it.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

"So, it tums out that my explicit photo, circulating everywhere, was partly thanks to you..."

Even when I believed in the love between Nicholas and Claudia, I never imagined Nicholas would deceive me over something like this. I leaned against the door for support, feeling like I was about to collapse.

"So this is what you call love... Do you have any idea how many men across the country have seen this photo? Do you really think I don't care?"

"Don't worry. I've taken care of your photo. Besides the one I'm holding, there won't be any backups out there. Even if someone downloaded it, it's useless. I've destroyed every copy."

Nicholas' dark eyes suddenly turned cold, his voice sending a chill down my spine.

"Ariana, it's my fault for not handling it properly. I care more than you do. I will make this right."

"It's been so long, what can you even do now? Should we drag it all back into the spotlight for everyone to relive?"

The pain from his rough kiss still lingered on my lips. I couldn't even force a smile. "I don't need you to make things right. Just delete the photo."

Nicholas tightened his grip on the phone, his hand instinctively moving behind his back.

He was clearly deeply attached to that photo. The moment he realized that his feelings for me weren't just emotional but physical as well, it all stemmed from that picture.

"Do you remember how we almost went further that day? But Claudia pushed me so hard that I didn't have time to finish what we started. I ended up using your photo to handle on my own, and it became something I couldn't live without.

"In the days when you weren't around, I'd look at the photo every month to... I can delete it, but only after you come back to me. I'll keep it safe until then. I never make the same mistake twice."

I forced a smile. 'Do you think that makes you sound devoted? Like you're saying something sincere and logical?"