Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival - Chapter 288

Chapter 288: Deal with her once and for all
Noah closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

His trembling hand reached forward, and he placed it on the top of the table to support his swaying body. This had to be a joke——-this had to be a cruel joke.

Anyone——Anybody, could they be kind enough to tell him that it was just a dream?

“Wh——what have I done?” Noah breathed heavily as his face scrunched up in pain and dejection. The memories of the past kept flickering in front of his eyes one by one.

Maybe the lord above himself wanted to torment him. Because Noah started remembering every atrocity he had committed against Ariana.

The day he left Ariana alone in their wedding hall as soon as the wedding proceedings finished.

How he never appreciated her efforts. How he refused to wear the clothes she picked or the food that she cooked and how he never stood up for Ariana.

And that night….where he kissed Ariel in his drunken haze.

“God, what should I do now,” Noah groaned with a painful sigh. Because letting go of Ariana was not an option, it was never an option. He would never accept it.

On that crazy night, he believed he was just snatching a little bite of the forbidden fruit that had tormented him for years.

Never did Noah believe that a few seconds of forbidden pleasure would turn his entire life into a shitshow.

Noah sank to his knees slowly. He opened his eyes and looked down at his trembling hands. Before placing them on the floor.

As much as he hated to admit it, Brandon was right.

He ruined his life with his hands, if he had noticed the signs earlier then maybe his life wouldn’t be in this mess. But his hatred for Ariana was too strong.

No matter what he could never place Ariana and truth in the same sentence.

For he had seen life vanish from his grandmother’s eyes just because she saved Ariana.

But she saved my life —-

Noah’s shoulders shook with grief, but no tears fell from his eyes.

Ever since he was a child, he was taught to be calculative and ruthless, his father often told him that emotions were signs of weakness. Especially in the business world.

Thus, there was no place for emotions in his upbringing.

What his father wanted was a perfect heir who would raise the Nelson corporation to new and greater heights.

Killian never wanted a son but a man who was well-rounded in all aspects, one who was elegant intelligent and wise.

His father wanted to make up for the humiliation that he had to face by marrying his mother, who took unspeakable risks to marry into the Nelson family.

As for his mother —— Noah sucked in a breath. He loved his mother, but he would never forgive her for scheming hard and long all for the sake of climbing in the bed of his father.

It was she who made that shameless decision and yet, it was him who had to pay for it.

All his life, he walked a path which was specially curated for him without making a mistake. Because he had to be perfect, there was no way anyone would have accepted less than perfection from him.

He was Noah Nelson, after all.

The name —-Nelson amounted to something, while he was nothing.

So, while his mother pretended to be an elegant and gentle woman forgetting her shameful past, Noah had to face all the criticism including hers as well.

Because Mia Nelson was his mother, Noah had nevertheless listened to her. He couldn’t live his life in a manner which would lead his parents to be criticized any further.

For his father, he was a perfect heir and for his mother, he was her salvation.

No one—— absolutely no one had loved him for being just Noah and not Noah Nelson.

Only the little girl who had protected him in exchange for a little candy truly cared for him. She did not care about Noah Nelson but cared for the big brother who had bought her candy.

“So how can I let her go, Brandon?” Noah mumbled as he stared at his empty hands. “She is the only one who loves me.” Without her, would he even have anything left?

The reason he had been so hung up on Ariel was because he truly believed her. For him, Ariel’s existence was like a beacon of hope. A constant reminder of how someone loved him as well.

That he wasn’t as unlovable as he expected and believed.

And now that hope —— was crumbling. If he wanted to function properly—- he had to snatch his only hope because, without her, Noah didn’t believe he would remain quite the same.

Nicolai could live without Ariana but he could not.

*****

“Has Mister Nelson contacted you?” Ariel’s manager Riley walked inside the ward. Her wasplike eyes were framed by round glasses, and at that moment she was frowning heavily.

Ariel had just taken a bite out of her fried chicken when he heard Riley’s words. She rolled her eyes and threw the chicken leg in the bucket. “No, I didn’t. How did you relay the news to him, though? He never called or texted me.”

Riley’s frown, if possible, turned even more tense. She strode inside the ward before coming to a stop on the side of Ariel’s bed. “I am your manager, Ariel. Not your nanny who needs to take care of every little thing of yours.”

“Come on, Ri. You are overreacting,” Ariel licked her lips as well as her teeth to get rid of the meat that was stuck in between. She wiped her lips with a tissue and then balled it up with her finger.

Only then did she turn to look at Riley and say to her, “Noah is not going anywhere alright? I have him right in my palm. He must be busy with something, you know how he is, right? Hot one second and cold the next.”

“Take a chill pill. He is obsessed with me, just give him a few days he will come wagging his tail.”

Riley frowned upon hearing Ariel talk about Noah like he was her pet dog and that too so confidently.

“I hope your words will stand correct at the end of the day, Ariel,” said Riley. “The only reason I picked you over your sister was because of your connection to Mister Nelson.”

“Without him—— I will be the bearer of bad news here, you have nothing.”