My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 90

Chapter 90: The art exhibition

Ethan wasn’t happy at all. “Nicholas! That Baker again?” he hissed. “I am warning you, Ava…Don’t get close to him. You don’t know what he has on his mind.”

Ava didn’t like the way Ethan always opposed Nicholas. She couldn’t understand why he had disliked Nicholas so much.

“Ethan!” She interrupted him, desperation creeping into her tone. “I know you are worried about me, and I appreciate that. But I can take care of myself. Nicholas is a friend. He helped me when I needed the most. I know how he is. So don’t be concerned. Even if he has hidden motives to hurt me, I can deal with him on my own.”

She pushed herself up on her feet. “I’m a bit tired. I’ll go freshen up first. Stay for the dinner.” With that, she grabbed the shopping bags and sauntered into her room.

Ethan remained seated there, seething in rage silently. “What is so good about Nicholas?” he muttered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ava arrived at the art gallery. She was a bit overwhelmed as she looked around the different types of paintings. She knew very little to no about them. The admirers whispered at each other as they inspected each painting with interest. But Ava couldn’t find the familiar person she sought to see.

‘Maybe I am a bit early,’ she thought as she tried to focus on the paintings.

A portrait depicting a woman standing in the middle of meadows with her back facing the lookers drew her attention.

Ava moved in closer to it and looked at it with interest. Even she could tell the artist had added much details to craft that portraits – the woman’s poised posture, the way she held her Fedora hat delicately between her thumb and index finger, her flowy summer dress, and the fading afternoon sunlight.

Ava’s head tilted to the side as she watched the woman in the portrait keenly, willing to see her face. For a moment, she had an impression that the painting became alive and the woman’s dress seemed to flow in the air.

“Do you like it?” A soft, familiar voice from behind broke the spell.

Ava spun around, her gaze landing on Nicholas’s smiling face. She beamed at the sight of him, feeling a wave of relief washing over her.

Nicholas’s heart fluttered and fluttered. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Ava’s smile was the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed in his life. This was the moment he would never forget in his life – the most happening moment he would cherish forever.

All the words he thought he would say evaporated at that moment. He kept smiling foolishly at her.

“You are finally here,” Ava chirped. “I’ve been looking for you. It’s a bit awkward for someone like me who doesn’t know anything about – art!” She chuckled awkwardly. “I think I came a little early.”

Nicholas shook his head. “No, you came at the right time. Sorry, I wasn’t there to receive you at the entrance. Actually, I was busy with the organizer.”

“Oh!” Ava was perplexed as to what he was doing with the organizer. “Is the organizer your friend?” she asked curiously. This was what she could think, never crossed the idea in her mind that he could be an artist.

“Yes, the organizer is a friend, a good friend,” he replied with a sweet smile. “Actually, I’ve been working with her for years now. She is the one who gave me the opportunity for the first time to display my work in her art gallery five years ago. Since then, I haven’t looked back. She is like my mentor.”

Ava’s mouth fell apart as she listened to him. With each word, her surprise deepened. She had thought Nicholas liked art but had never imagined that he was an artist.

“I am – surprised!” Ava’s lips stretched from ear to ear. “You turned out to be an artist. Show me your paintings.” She grew excited.

Nicholas nodded to the painting Ava had been watching so eagerly. “This is one of my finest works.”

“Really?” Ava gasped, her eyes moving to the painting. “It’s your work!”

“Why? You don’t like it!” Amusement made his tone light.

“I like it,” she exclaimed. “This is so beautiful – so lively. For a moment, I felt like she would turn toward me and smile. Look at her.” She gestured toward the woman in the painting. “I can literally feel how her dress is flowing in the air.” As she turned to look at him, her eyes gleamed with mischief. “Who is she?”

Nicholas looked down at his shoes, smiling sheepishly. He had made this painting keeping Ava in his mind. “My dream girl.”

“Dream girl?” Ava grew intrigued. “Well, well – you should call her right away.”

‘My dream girl is right in front of me,’ he mused but didn’t say out loud as Ava wasn’t thinking about starting a relationship now.

“Who are you calling?” A female voice drew their attention.

They turned around and looked behind, only to see a middle-aged woman approaching them with a smile on her face.

“Who is it, Nicholas?” she asked, her eyes moving to Ava.

“This is Ava,” Nicholas replied, “my friend. And Ava, this is Sasha, the organizer of today’s event.”

“Hello, Sasha.” Ava smiled, stretching her hand toward her.

“Hello, nice to meet with, dear.” Sasha shook hands with her.

“I’ve been working with Sasha for the past five years.” Nicholas couldn’t stop expressing his gratitude to her. “She helped me a lot to rise in this field. Because of her, I develop connections with several other organizers worldwide. Now, my work is displayed in various events throughout the world. It’s all possible because of Sasha.”

Sasha laughed softly. “He is exaggerating. It’s his talent that makes him successful. He still displays his work in my show is an honor for me.” She reached out and gently squeezed Ava’s arm. “Enjoy yourself, dear.”

With that, she walked away.

Nicholas and Ava looked at each other, smiles blossoming on their faces. “Let me show you other paintings.” He led her to the next painting. Before he could explain, a booming voice came from behind, interrupting them.

“You lied to me!”

They both turned around and saw Dylan approaching them.

Ava’s pulse rate quickened instantly at the sight of Dylan. She had lied to him. At the time, she had thought that he wouldn’t appear at the art exhibition since she had turned his invitation down. But how wrong she was?

If she had known that he would come to the exhibition, she would have requested Lola to accompany her.

“Why?” Dylan growled. “Because you wanted to have fun with him!” He drew her closer to him by her arm, his eyes ablaze.

Ava gasped, momentarily speechless as to what she should reply.

“She came here because she wanted to,” Nicholas protested. “You can’t dictate over her.”

“You!” Dylan held out a finger, his eyes full of warning. “Don’t open your mouth while I’m talking to my wife.”

“You are forcing her,” Nicholas retorted vehemently, “and I’ll always speak up to defend her.”

“She doesn’t need that,” Dylan hissed, dragging Ava along with him.

Nicholas stepped forward hurriedly and stopped them. “Don’t make a scene here,” he snarled. “She is no longer your wife. She can be with anyone she likes.”

“Is that so?” Dylan sneered, glancing at Ava. “You didn’t tell him yet! It’s okay. I’ll tell him.” He lifted his chin arrogantly as he met Nicholas’s gaze head-on, wrapping his arm around Ava and drawing her closer to his chest. “She agrees to work on this marriage. And I believe we will sort out our issues during these three months. We aren’t divorcing.”

“What?” Nicholas felt as if someone had punched him hard in his chest, his surprised gaze moved to Ava. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “Is it true?”

Ava hesitated for a while. She had never thought of reconciling with Dylan. It was just to see if he had been planning anything against her father. But she wouldn’t say it out loud.

“We decided to work on our differences,” she said slowly.

“I can’t believe this.” Nicholas shook his head in a daze, his heart aching. “How – how could you trust him? He hurt you, controlled you, and most importantly, never trusted you. Yet, you still give him a chance! He can hurt you again. How could you trust him?”

“Enough!” Dylan snapped. “Who will she trust other than me? Don’t even try to get close to her.”

Nicholas, however, wouldn’t pay attention to him. His focus was firmly set on Ava. “Did he force you? Did he threaten you? If yes, say it. Don’t hesitate. I am here to help you.”

Ava opened her mouth to respond, but Dylan’s angry roar interrupted her.

“She doesn’t need your help.” In a flash, he threw his fist at Nicholas.

Ava’s eyes widened in shock. She reacted quickly and shrugged his hand off, freeing herself from his grasp. The next minute, she spun around and stood in front of Nicholas.

Dylan’s fist paused just a few inches away from her face. Ava squeezed her eyes shut, her heart thumping to her mouth. She slowly opened her eyes and saw his fist trembling right in front of her face. When she met his raging eyes, she felt her stomach dropping.