Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival - Chapter 61

Are you hatching an egg?
Ari almost dropped her phone as soon as she finished reading the message that was displayed on the screen. Her gaze fell on her feet in the middle of looking at the screen and soon, that dark inky water started to bubble from the ground. It started to swallow her, first it engulfed her feet, then crept up to her calves and slowly to her knees.

Little by little, vein-like tendrils started to ooze out of the dark and sticky swamp. Slowly, those tendrils strapped around her entire body in a vise, as it started to pull her down, into the dark swamp. Into that endless hole that Ari always wanted to avoid.

Why…

Why…?

Why me…?

“Miss?” A confused voice snapped her out of her daze, and Ari jerked her head.

The blank mud that was covering her slowly started to dissipate into thin air and Ari released a puff of air before she turned on her feet and stumbled out of the alley.

“Hey, miss! Take your cotton candy!”

“Miss!”

But Ari couldn’t focus on the voice that was calling her, she was more concerned about the message that was displayed on the screen. The murky overcast sky rumbled as if sensing her already low mood.

Once Ari was out in Main Street, she breathed out and calmed her beating heart. Even though her heart was in no mood to listen to her, Ari pretended to be fine, as she always did, before pulling out her phone once again. Her hands were shaking as she tapped on the screen and opened the messaging app.

She swallowed hard before tapping on the message that she had received just a few minutes ago.

[Your divorce proceedings have been finalized, please collect your divorce decree at the following address.]

“Ha…haha…ha…” Ari covered had face before crouching on the side pavement. Her laughter soon turned into low sobs as she realized that Noah had actually submitted the divorce papers and that was not all, he had also rushed the proceedings even though it should have taken a week at least.

The clouds overhead crackled with lighting, and the wind also picked up its pace. And it was not long for rain droplets to fall on Ari’s face and onto the pavement right next to her.

“Mom, what is that lady doing?” One of the children who was being carried to a shop by his mother pointed at Ari and questioned.

The woman turned to look at Ari, whose shoulders were shaking and then sighed before patting the back of her child. She said, “Leave the nice lady alone, Jonathan. She must be playing with rain.”

“I want to play too.”

“Oh no, you don’t! Do you still remember the cold that you caught three months ago?”

Everyone ran past Ari, some stared at her with pity, while some seemed to be laughing at her. The rain started to get even more intense, even those people went running to hide from the rain.

Only a pair of feet made their way towards Ari, who was getting doused in the rain.

Ari raised her head when she did not feel the rain droplets hitting the top of her head even though the sound of rain was getting louder and louder.

Her blue eyes met with the amused red ones, and she questioned in horror, “What are you doing here?”

Nicolai was dressed in a leather jacket and pants with no shirt on, it showed off his toned body and tattoos. Even the last time, his shirt was rather short, which made Ari question if he had a problem with shirts. Her cheeks were slightly red when she caught Nicolai staring at her when she was staring at his toned front. But then again, it was not her fault when he was showing off his body.

The stupid glint that flashed in his eyes the last time when they were alone, rushed into those glowing reds once again. “Well, hello to you too. I am sorry, but this question should be mine, what are you doing sitting on a pavement? That too with rain falling on your head. Are you laying an egg? This seems a bit too freaky…. ”

Ari bit back a curse as she attempted to get up. However, she had been kneeling on the pavement for a long time because the second Ari stood up, she stumbled forward. Her hands instinctively reached to catch the first thing that she could catch and a second later she fell to the ground but at the same time, she heard a loud tearing sound echo in the surrounding.

Horrified, Ari looked up and found a large tear in Nicolai’s jacket. Nicolai was also looking at the tear, the two of them stared at the tear for a while before Nicolai released an annoyed sigh.

“Man, this is why I hate helping anyone,” Nicolai stated as he took off his jacket and then threw it on the ground.

“What are you doing?” Ari questioned horrified, she immediately picked up the jacket from the ground and patted the water off it. “It can be fixed with some stitches.”

Nicolai looked at her as if she had grown another head. He retorted with an equally alarmed voice, “You want me to wear a jacket with stitches? Everyone would start questioning me about the bankruptcy of my family.”

“Sorry to tell you, but I have no intentions of making such degrading rumours fly. I have a reputation to keep, alright?”

Ari huffed while holding the jacket. She rolled her eyes and stated, “I am so sorry. I did not know that just a few minor stitches that would be impossible to notice unless everyone has a microscope built in their eyes, would affect you so badly, Mister De Luca. I grew up in a house that even used waste to make ——”

“You are bleeding,” he interrupted as he pointed to the small scratches that she had received after falling on the ground. “I think we need to pay more attention to buying bandages, as we cannot whip them from the waste. But of course, if you can whip one from the leaves or the trash can, be my guest.”