Rift in the perfect picture

Trouble in Paradise

In the hospital, Nicholas Hawk stood out conspicuously in the crowd with his tall stature and long legs.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“You don’t need to be here. Go home,” I heard him say as soon as I squeezed through. The bag in my hand left my grasp.

Nicholas‘ stepsister was admitted to the hospital late at night. It seemed my role was merely to bring some clothes over. I was treated no differently from a maid.

Having been married to Nicholas for four years, I had grown accustomed to his indifference. Thus, I decided to find the doctor myself to understand the situation.

The doctor explained that the patient had an anal fissure caused by sexual intercourse.

At that moment, I felt my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach.

As far as I knew, Claudia Quirk did not have a boyfriend, and yet it was my husband who had brought her to the hospital.

The doctor nudged his reading glasses and looked at me with some sympathy. “Young people nowadays love novelty and seek excitement.”

“What do you mean?”

I wished he would tell me more, but he simply shook his head and ushered me out of the office.

The hospital was bustling even though it was one in the morning. While lost in my thoughts, I bumped into several people in the corridor.

Claudia’s mother, Frances White, had remarried into the Hawk family. After I married Nicholas, Claudia expressed her unwillingness to stay in Hawk Manor, Nicholas‘ family home.

Therefore, she had moved in with us into our marital home.

I had witnessed Claudia planting kisses on Nicholas‘ cheeks countless times. Initially, I thought their sibling relationship. was just affectionate.

But now, perhaps they kissed each other on the lips when no one was around. Who knew?

I dared not dwell on that thought and stumbled to the ward.

Claudia’s pale cheeks were streaked with tears as she clung to Nicholas‘ sleeve. She was murmuring something I couldn’t make out, and she looked pitifully distraught.

The notion of eavesdropping through the walls like what was depicted on TV shows was utterly unrealistic. Modern doors had excellent soundproofing, especially when securely closed.

Nicholas stood with his back to me. His expression was hidden from view and his voice was inaudible. Nevertheless,

one thing was for certain–he must be feeling distressed.

My hand paused on the door handle, but in the end, I let it go.

Rushing in and demanding answers outright would be

irrational. Besides, I wasn’t sure if I could handle the truth.

My marriage with Nicholas had originally been union of two equally powerful families. I had often felt fortunate to live in luxury and marry for love.

But as the four years of marriage flew by, everything changed. With my father’s passing, my family’s fortunes subsequently declined.

I wasn’t cut out for business, so to prevent my father’s hard work from going to waste, I could only watch my mother struggle alone.

On regular days, the company benefited greatly from Nicholas‘ favors.

If I were to barge in and create a scene based on mere suspicion, it might jeopardize what little remained of our already fading marital bond.

With no one at home, I went straight to Claudia’s room. Girls tended to have many thoughts on their minds, and where love was involved, it was hard to keep those feelings bottled up.

Claudia wasn’t an ambitious child; skipping classes in college was routine for her. Whenever she needed money, she liked to cling to Nicholas‘ arm and act cute. She’d say, “Nick, give me money please.”

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Claudia was five feet and two inches tall, making her a rather petite woman. She had a doll–like smile. Nicholas would fall prey to her cuteness, but he wasn’t the only one. Every time she acted cute, even I ended up giving her extra pocket money.

Yet, her room had no books or notebooks. There was only a picture of her and Nicholas on the dressing table, a long–time memory from their childhood.

Claudia had once told me the picture was taken on the day she visited Hawk Manor for the first time, and she had begged to take a photo with her handsome stepbrother.

Back then, Nicholas was already mature and poised despite his tender age. His youthful face, even when he was grumpy, could not hide his good looks. Claudia said it was her favorite picture.

When I couldn’t find anything in Claudia’s room, I went to Nicholas‘ study. I even searched through the contracts in the safe, but still found nothing.

At three in the morning, I picked up my phone and searched online, “How to find evidence of my husband’s infidelity.”

The answers were varied, but none of them applied to our kind of household.

Nicholas had rooms reserved in various hotels, and there would be no records of his stays.

I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Finally, I decided to send a message to Nicholas that said, “Honey, are you coming

home tonight?”

I was acutely aware that I wanted to use his concern for me as evidence that he hadn’t cheated. Subconsciously, I refused to accept the truth, especially considering it involved my sister–in- law.

However, at the same time, I also knew Nicholas wouldn’t come home. Instead, he would stay up all night tirelessly taking care of Claudia.

My heart ached.

To my surprise, five minutes later, I received a reply from Nicholas. It was a simple “Yes,” as emotionless as he was in person.

Strangely, such indifference made me ecstatic.

Propping up my head, I scrutinized myself in the mirror. My bright eyes reflected a sense of innocence that was unfamiliar with the ways of the world.

But at 26 years old, I understood best how this purity and the lingerie I wore could affect a man.

I sat boldly on the couch in the living room, just so Nicholas would see me as soon as he opened the door. With Claudia conveniently absent, I thought I’d add a bit of excitement to the mix.

I waited until five in the morning, but there were no sounds of any cars pulling into the driveway. When I drifted off to sleep, my tears fell onto Nicholas‘ one–word reply on my phone.

I didn’t know how long I had been asleep when someone nudged my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Nicholas‘ enigmatic face before me.

As I sat up from the couch, the blanket slipped off to reveal my body which was carefully dressed to impress. I greeted him. with a smile, “Honey, are you hungry? Would you like me to make you something to eat?”

It had been a long time since we’d been intimate. If a person who hadn’t had sex in years saw me dressed like this and heard my ambiguous words, how could they possibly resist?

“I was caught up with something,” he explained simply. He reached out to carry me upstairs.

I knew what he meant. It was probably because of Claudia. But at that moment, I couldn’t care less. He was merely holding me in his arms, yet I easily felt aroused and cuddled up to him.

I kissed his Adam’s apple, partly playful and partly seductive as I spoke. “Honey, I want you.”

However, he didn’t respond to my advances.

“Put on something. Don’t catch a cold.”

He placed me on the bed and left after saying that. He headed straight to the bathroom.

A profound emptiness flooded into my chest. The more passion I had, the more ashamed I felt.

If he was truly cheating on me, he had enough passion to land

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Claudia in the hospital. Conversely, he didn’t want to touch his own wife.

I felt so overwhelmed that it was hard to breathe properly.

In just ten minutes, my arousal had already faded, but the water in the bathroom was still running.

I spoke through the bathroom door. “How’s Claudia? Do you need me to go take care of her?”

“No need. I’ll go be with her after showering.”

“Don’t you have to work? I could take care of her just as well.”

The rushing water in the bathroom couldn’t drown out his

determination as he replied, “Ariana, she can’t do without me right now!”

I chuckled through my tears as I leaned against the door. Was that really the reason, or was it because he was the one responsible for Claudia’s injury?