Chapter 2

My unease reached its peak the day I accidentally saw a blushing lady asking Nicholas for his contact information, and he didn't refuse.

I argued with him, threw tantrums, and demanded he keep his distance from other women.

At first, he just laughed and rubbed my hair. "Relax, don't overthink it. I have no interest in her. I only gave her my contact because there were too many people around at the time. I didn't want to embarrass her. After that, she sent me messages, but I didn't reply to even a single one."

He even opened the chat to show me that the lady had been talking to herself the whole time, and he hadn't responded once.

Still, I couldn't shake my worry. He gave away his kindness too easily to other women.

After I threw enough tantrums, he grew irritated and frowned impatiently. "Olivia, I told you I have nothing to do with them! Can't you just trust me a little? Stop acting like a paranoid lunatic all the time, okay?"

He could never understand the anxiety gnawing at me, or how terrified I was of losing him.

In a reckless moment, I used a pin to poke a hole in a condom. Naively, I thought that if I got pregnant, he would settle down, change his mind about marriage, and finally marry me.

I needed a marriage certificate as a guarantee of our relationship.

But reality had other plans.

When Nicholas discovered I was pregnant, there was no joy but only anger at being "tricked".

His gaze was icy as he said, "Olivia, don't think a baby will make me agree to anything. If you don't terminate it, we're done."

But Tracy stepped in, scolding him, "If you so much as hurt my grandson, you should just leave the Faulkner family!"

Tracy had always dreamed of having a grandchild and had long opposed Nicholas' childfree stance.

Nicholas couldn't refuse his mother.

Then, Tracy held my hand, soothing me.

"Olivia, just take care of the baby. Once he sees how adorable the baby is, he'll change his mind about having no children. I'll talk to him and make sure he marries you as soon as possible."

I truly believed there would be a turning point.

But then Amelia appeared in Nicholas' life.

The first time I noticed a kiss mark on Nicholas' neck, I sobbed and demanded an explanation.

He smiled contemptuously and said in a casual tone, "Weren't you always worried I'd cheat? If I don't prove it, won't you be disappointed?"

From that day on, Amelia became a frequent presence in my life. She sent provocative messages and flaunted herself in front of me.

Whenever I confronted her, Nicholas always sided with her. In a cold voice, he said mockingly, "If you want to stay by my side, you'll have to learn to tolerate Amelia."

Backed up by him, Amelia smiled triumphantly.

I trembled all over, feeling suffocated.

Then, just when I was on the verge of breaking, the chandelier above crashed down without warning.

Nicholas reacted instantly, pulling Amelia out of harm's way. I was slower, which caused my left arm to be scraped by the shards.

With the pain came overwhelming despair and regret.

Yes, I regretted it.

I shouldn't have foolishly tried to use a child to tie Nicholas down. It was my own stupidity that dragged me into this mess.

When I decided on the pregnancy termination, Tracy learned of it and counseled me not to do so. "Olivia, Nicholas wronged you, and I apologize on his behalf. But I've always treated you as my own daughter. For my sake, keep this baby, so I have a chance to hold a grandchild."

She continued, "Don't worry, you won't lose out. If you agree to have the child, I'll give you 20 million. And if you want to leave afterward, I'll help you."

I had completely given up on Nicholas.

Tracy and I agreed not to tell him about this arrangement.

After that, I stopped paying attention to Nicholas and Amelia.

Nicholas thought I had come to terms with everything. He even joked and said, "It's good that you know your place. Stay out of my business with Amelia, and just stay here obediently."

He didn't know that I no longer loved him.

Once the baby was born, I would leave.

Indeed, as Tracy had predicted, after Yves' birth, Nicholas' paternal instincts kicked in. He finally compromised and agreed to marry me for the child.

But I no longer cared for such a dirty man.

The day I left Waterton, I blocked all of Nicholas' contact information.

Goodbye, Nicholas.