Trouble in Paradise

Nicholas's gaze sharpened after he had just calmed down. I stood still, but my hand secretly tightened around my purse behind my back. It felt like my only source of security under his piercing stare.

"I really don't remember. Besides, my phone doesn't even work here in the country. Once Douglas helps me get a new SIM card-" I hadn't even finished speaking when Nicholas interrupted me. "Are you going to make the call yourself, or should I do it for you?" His brow furrowed, and his expression visibly darkened.

He should have been confident, believing I wouldn't forget anything about him. But now, doubt flickered across his face. If someone truly wanted to forget, how could they possibly remember?

Nicholas realized that if what I said was true, the only explanation was that I had chosen to forget him, and that hurt more than the idea of me simply forgetting with time.

He remembered every little detail about me, down to the baby hairs on my forehead. He had even instructed a tattoo artist to ink my portrait onto his skin. So, how could I not even remember his phone number?

He wanted to ask me these questions, but he swallowed them all down. He had already made too many mistakes in front of me today, losing his composure too often.

So, when I repeated that I really didn't remember, he finally gave in. After all, who would dig deeper when they've forgotten? It would only embarrass him further. Nicholas never thought he would say such distant words to me in this lifetime. "Here's my business card."RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

I took Nicholas's business card and quickly left Coral Villa under his disdainful gaze. It wasn't until I got into the car and left the area that my muddled mind started to clear. Seeing Nicholas for just a few hours stirred more emotions in me than the past three years combined. Now, I was so exhausted that I felt dizzy.

The business card felt particularly stiff in my hand, leaving a painful impression on my palm that I could hardly bear.

I opened the car window, wanting to throw the card away. After all, I hadn't truly forgotten his number.

A strong wind rushed in through the gap, making the card tap against the window with a tapping sound.

The driver noticed and reminded me, "Miss, it's not a good idea to throw things out of the window!"

I felt a wave of guilt, closing my eyes wearily as I pretended to doze off. The wind cleared my head a bit, but memories still flooded my mind uncontrollably.

Eight years ago, I had an arranged date with Nicholas. He sat across from me as he fiddled with his business card and smiled in a way that was almost too perfect. He said, "Ms. Jones, I probably don't need to introduce myself, do I?"

1 thought he had a bit of a sense of humor, but I didn't laugh back then. I was too busy trying to appear

reserved as I nodded.

At the time, he was direct, saying he was meeting me with marriage in mind. That was exactly what I wanted to hear. In just the span of a single meal, we went from strangers to being closely bound together.

I never imagined that after all these years, life would boomerang back and hit me square in the chest.

The introductions we should have

had could never be avoided, but memories couldn't be erased. Even if he reached out and said his name was Nicholas Hawk, we could never pretend like nothing had even happened.

We weren't meeting for the first time, nor could this be considered a reunion.

I tossed his business card into my bag and followed the addresses I had already researched, visiting various daycares for Tabitha. By the time I got home, it was already evening.

The living room lights were on. Pete

was lying on the floor, trying to mimic Tabitha's movements to make her laugh, but Tabitha wasn't having any of it. She wouldn't even look at him.