Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival - Chapter 284

Chapter 284: The past
Sensing a gaze pointed at the top of her head, Ariana turned to look at Nicolai. She blinked her eyes before questioning, “Why are you looking at me like that, Mister de Luca?”

‘Because you are the one I have been looking for all along,’ Nicolai swallowed those words as he would rather not scare Ariana off.

For some reason, he had a feeling that Ariana would go into flight or fight mode if he were to remind her of that incident.

He hadn’t known Ariana for too long, but he knew that Ariana did not fend well against emotional turmoils.

“You scared me there for a second, Pallas,” Nicolai said to her with a teasing grin on his face. He leaned to the side and bumped his shoulder against Ariana, “I thought that you were going to agree with that Preppy boy’s offer.”

“Even if I did not agree to be with him, it doesn’t mean that I will agree to let you in my bed, Mister de Luca,” Ariana pushed Nicolai off her.

“I never said that, I am just glad that you did not jump into his arms since you loved him and shit,” Nicolai reminded Ariana of the things that she had said to shut him out of her world. “For a second I thought you would accept him with open arms.”

Ariana stiffened upon hearing his words. Indeed, she had once believed that she loved Noah, but as she recalled the indifference when he asked her to return with him, Ariana felt a bit uncomfortable.

What she felt for Noah —— was that even love?

And if that was love, how come it frizzled so easily?

The more Ariana thought about it, the more she realized that maybe she only loved Noah because she saw him as a saviour who could save her from her mother and her toxicity.

As he was the only one who had treated her kindly, she had accepted her feelings for him as love.

‘But what if it was never love?’ Ariana thought while biting her lower lip. What if she just wanted a man who could save her from that hellhole?

“Yeah, you must think of me as someone cheap,” Ariana curled her lips in mockery. “I claimed that I loved Noah, but it only took a few weeks for me to move on as if he and I never shared a past.” Nicolai didn’t say anything to refute her and Ariana misunderstood that he agreed with her.

“Don’t call yourself cheap, Pallas,” Nicolai suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence that had stretched over the two of them and inside the car.

Ariana turned to look at him and heard him say, “You are some motherfucking Goddess of patience. If I were in your place, I would have shot him dead before shooting myself in the head for all the trouble that he had put you through.”

“But I——”

“You don’t feel the same? I got it and believe me I understand it as well,” Nicolai spoke patiently, his eyes softening. “If you still loved him after catching him kissing your sister, I would have kicked you in the ass, and believe me I do not hit women.”

“There is nothing wrong with you or your reaction. You are doubting yourself just because you no longer feel the same for him? I say that only proves that you have enough self-respect, something many lack,” Nicolai raised his hand and placed it on top of Ariana.

“Never cry for a man who doesn’t know your worth, Pallas. In fact, no one should cry for anyone who doesn’t care about whether you live or die.”

With her head slightly lowered due to the weight on it, Ariana blinked her eyes. Her lips slowly curled up as she chuckled and said, “Aha ha, is that right, Mister de Luca?”

Suddenly, the pressure that was coming down on her shoulders eased up a little and Ariana could once again breathe freely.

Indeed, what was wrong with being uncaring towards them who had never cared for her? Why should she feel guilty over it?

Nicolai watched Ariana laugh, and his own lips curled in a smirk.

He wanted to ask whether she remembered saving him back then or not. But when he thought of her condition, he shook his head and cleared his thoughts.

Nicolai’s thoughts went back to what happened that year.

‘But I promised my friends that I will resolve those poopy heads!’ A young Nico spoke angrily to his mother while waving his tiny fists. ‘They dared to look down on me and Kay. How can you ask me to stay back and lie low? I am not a coward, and I am not a bastard!’

‘I will have them pummeled to the ground for calling me a bastard without a father.’

His mother sighed for the tenth time that day, and Little Nico knew that this sigh like every other sigh was because of him.

‘Nico, I know and understand what you are saying, but you also need to listen to your mother,’ Inez said to Nicolai. ‘The Serpents are on the lookout against us, we cannot let you go outside currently.’

Nicolai knew that the Serpents were targeting their familia but he had been embarrassed and humiliated by those boys, so how could he accept lying low? How could his mother ask him something like that?

‘You want me to let go of those idiots who called me a bastard? Who cares if I do not have a father? Who wants it anyway!?’ Nicolai questioned his mother with anger brimming in every word. He was a child, but he had his pride.

Inez pursed her lips and pinched the bridge of her nose. She crouched down and then placed her hands over Nicolai’s shoulders before saying, ‘Nico, Mom understands your feelings, and you don’t have to worry about these things anymore. Those bastards will pay for embarrassing you, can you just trust your mom once?’