Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival - Chapter 577

Chapter 577: Two step closer to the vault
Her frown deepened as if she still could not understand what he was trying to say but then she looked down on the floor and her eyes, which had that lost look in them, slowly recovered the light. She stepped away from the mess before saying in an apologetic voice, “I am really sorry. I –I had no idea

“You do not need to apologise,” Just tell me why were you tormenting yourself like that, thought Nicolai but of course he didn’t say those words because he knew that Ariana would rather hide than answer his question.

He breathed heavily while eyeing Ariana closely. He needed to keep an eye on Ariana and make sure that she snapped out of whatever daze she was in just a moment ago.

“Sorry—no, what I mean,” Ariana raised her hand and dragged it down her face before saying to Nicolai, “You should go back to sleep; I—uh—I will clean this room up for you. I am sorry…”

Nicolai noticed how she was looking everywhere but at him and he had a feeling that her apologies were not just for dirtying his guest room.

Nicolai’s hold tightened on her hand as he pulled her close to him. He then raised his other hand, which was free, and caught hold of Ariana’s chin. going on?”

“Its nothing,” she said, looking anywhere but at him.

“It did not look like it was nothing,” Nicolai countered.

Her eyes widened just like they did when he reached out to her in public to make his claim on her.

“I just slipped and nothing else,” she forced a smile as she walked over to the corner of the room where the palette was sticking to the wall and wrenched it off the surface of the wall, her eyebrows furrowed when she saw the paint sticking on the wall.

Nicolai watched her silently as she wiped the paint off the wall and then turned around to walk back to the table where the rest of her painting stuff was lying haphazardly. She placed down the palette and stood still without moving, as if she were trying to swallow back the screams that she wished to unleash.

How did Nicolai know that? Because he could see himself in her, there was a time where he too had this hunch and taut back, wishing he could unleash his pain to the world, but he couldn’t because that was not the choice in hand.

There was something wrong with Ariana and the more she tried to hide it, the more he could see the truth. But he knew that there was no point in asking the truth, because even if he demanded it, Ariana would just deflect and avoid him. And if he pushed her too much, this woman would run away and hide like a coward, just like she used to do in the past.

Ariana cleaned the table with a clean rag before turning to look at him.

She smiled at him and asked, “Can’t sleep?”

“Hmm,” Nicolai answered while looking for some sort of answer in her eyes but they were guarded like always. He continued looking at her while Ariana stared back at him with the same wretched expression on her face that she usually had when she was thinking of something.

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to confess but her eyes flashed with another myriad of emotions that were filled with shame and humiliation.

Why? Nicolai trusted the woman enough to know that she had never done anything to let him down, so why did was she looking at him like that?

“Ariana?” He tentatively called her. “Do you want to say something to me, princess?”

She closed her mouth at once before shaking her head as she replied, “Nothing. You go back to the bedroom; I will fix you something to aid with your sleep.”

Nicolai gritted his teeth. He wanted to force her and make her admit what was wrong but he knew that there was no point. Because she was not going to say anything, and if he pushed her, who knows how she might react to his actions?

He turned around on his feet and stormed out of the guest room; he was furious. He knew that he should be used to Ariana shutting him out, as this was not the first time she had done it but he was still pissed off. And not to mention, the entire thing spooked him out.

Like ants crawling on his skin.

He couldn’t help but question what was wrong with her, like what the hell was making her crumble like that because Ariana fucking Ashford wasn’t the one to break down. Was it the drug? But something told him that it was more than just the effect of drugs.

The door behind him opened and Ariana walked inside; she was holding a cup of hot cocoa in her hands and walked over to his side.

“Here, you can drink this; it will help in destressing you out,” she told him.

“Keep it aside.” He glanced at the cup of hot cocoa and didn’t take it right away. He didn’t know why but he was mad, like really mad. How could he not? He was like an open book; Ariana knew even the smallest thing about him and yet he hardly knew anything about her.

And every time he tried to get close to her or to know her secrets, she would push him away.

“Are you angry?” Ariana must have detected the change in his tone because she set the cup down on the cabinet and placed her hand on his forearm. Her eyes searched his face as she asked, “What did I do again?”

“Nothing,”

“Nicolai.”

“I am not lying. You did nothing,” he snapped. “You never do anything; its bad enough that you are hiding me like some dirty little secret but on top of that, you have to hide even the smallest thing about yourself. And I—the idiot is helping you clean your ass even though you killed someone.”

“I took the fucking blame for you but you won’t even open up to me. I just can’t do it anymore.”

Her pupils trembled as she asked, “Are you thinking of leaving me … Again, is that what it is, Nicolai?”