CHAPTER 3

ARIANA’S POV

"Ariana!" The pool was much deeper than I had expected, almost like a man-made lake, making it difficult for me to stay afloat. Nathan hurriedly shrugged off his suit jacket, ready to dive in.

"Nathan, what do you think you're doing?" Sophia stopped him, pulling at his arm. "Your clothes will get soaked! Let the waiters take care of it."

I struggled toward the edge, looking for something to grab so I could climb out. But the icy water had left my body numb, and my heavy dress was restricting my movements.

"Leave her alone, Nathan. If she hadn't acted so carelessly, she wouldn't have fallen," Sophia muttered.

The waiters rushed over moments later. One of them quickly got into the pool to help me reach the edge faster, and together they pulled me out.

"Here's a towel, ma'am. You can also change into dry clothes if you'd like.".Sophia reached out to touch me, but I immediately shoved her hand away.

"Ariana, what's wrong with you? I was just trying to help," Sophia pouted, her voice laced with fake sweetness. "Look at you, you're soaked. You need to quickly change before you fall sick. Come to the restroom. Let me help you."

If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have ended up in the pool in the first place. "Keep your help to yourself. I don't need it."

"Nathan, did you hear that? I was only trying to help Ariana..." I brushed past her and was about to walk away when Nathan suddenly grabbed my wrist, his grip tight.

"What's wrong with you? Sophia was only trying to help, and this is how you express your appreciation?"

I pulled my hand free from his grip and rolled my eyes. Of course, Nathan hadn't noticed that Sophia tripped me. His love for her had blinded him to the truth behind that innocent face.

"I'm going home. I don't want to argue with you, Nathan," I said wearily.

"You'll leave only when I give you permission."

"Nathan, have you lost your mind?" I asked in disbelief. My soaked dress hugged every curve of my body, leaving little to the imagination, yet instead of letting me leave, he chose to hold me back.

"We need to talk," Nathan snapped, pulling me away from Sophia.

"There's nothing to talk about. Are you sure you don't want to bring Sophia along too?" I mocked. I could tell from her expression that she wasn't happy about Nathan and me having even a few moments alone together.

"Ariana, you've gone too far tonight. You turned a small issue into something much bigger. You're acting so immature. And look at what happened, you ended up embarrassing yourself. Don't you feel ashamed?"

"Sophia tripped me."

"Stop making up foolish stories like that! Sophia would never do such a thing. I know her well. She wouldn't even hurt a fly, let alone another person."

The sound of his harsh voice made my chest ache. It was only then I realized that although Nathan had always been distant, he had rarely ever raised his voice at me. 

What hurt even more was knowing that, in his eyes, I was always the one at fault. My hands trembled slightly as a terrifying thought crossed my mind—what had just happened could have endangered the baby. I put our unborn child at risk.

"From the very beginning, you were the one who treated her badly. Sophia was excited to meet you; she truly wanted the two of you to get along," Nathan said.

But he didn't understand. I had already lost him to her. Given the situation between us, how could Nathan expect us to be friends, let alone become close?

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Apologize to Sophia right now. Tell her you're sorry for how you treated her and promise it won't happen again."

I remained silent, and my defiance made him completely lose his temper. Before I could even blink, I felt Nathan's hard slap land across my cheek.

"I said right now. There's still time to correct your mistake, Ariana. You've upset me tonight with your stupid attitude."

In Nathan's eyes, Sophia was as precious as a diamond, while I was worth less than nothing. I looked straight into his eyes. I didn't care anymore if he saw the tears spilling over my lashes.

"I hate you, Nathan!" I pushed his tall frame with all the strength I had left until he stumbled backward.

"Ariana!" I turned and ran out of the restaurant as fast as I could. One of my heels had broken, and the ankle I had sprained when I fell into the pool was throbbing with pain.

Yet, the physical injury was nothing compared to the unbearable agony tearing through my chest. I wandered down the sidewalk without any destination in mind, finally stopping in front of a closed kiosk to look at my reflection in the dark glass. 

My cheek was bright red and stinging, my clothes were still damp, and my hair was a wild mess. I looked like someone who had completely lost their mind. "Ariana!" A hand suddenly grabbed my arm from behind.

"Lillian?!" I gasped, startled to run into my cousin. "What are you doing here?"

Lillian gently cupped my face, taking in my smudged makeup and the tears running down my cheeks. "I followed you. Shit, you're a mess, Ariana. Did Nathan seriously not even bother to take you home?"

I slowly shook my head. "How did you know what happened?"

"I was at the restaurant with my friends earlier when I saw someone who looked like you rushing out. So I decided to come after you, and then I found you here."

My eyes dropped to the ground. I felt so embarrassed. I must have looked absolutely pathetic.

"Hey, what happened? Did you and Nathan fight? Why the heck are you soaked? Oh, and who was that gorgeous woman I saw with the two of you earlier? I've never seen her before."

"I-I'll explain everything later..." I muttered, not even knowing where to begin. "But please, don't tell anyone about this for now. I don't want to ruin 

his reputation."

Rumors like this spread quickly, and for someone in Nathan's position, it could easily turn into a massive corporate scandal. Even now, I didn't want to be the reason his family's name was dragged through the mud.

"Okay..." Lillian replied, easing my worries with a soft sigh. "But for now, do you know where you're going?"

My phone had died, and I needed to change out of these wet clothes before the shivering got worse. But I had nowhere to go. Going back to Nathan's house wasn't an option anymore.

Was Nathan planning to bring Sophia home tonight? Would they be sleeping in our bed?* I quickly shook my head, pushing the painful thoughts away.

"I'm not sure, Lillian. Maybe I'll rent an apartment."

Lillian let out a breath. "Ah... so it was a real fight. Come on, let's go back to my apartment tonight."