Trouble in Paradise (Arianna and Nicholas)
Chapter 0557

Chapter 0557

Resigned, I shut my eyes as a deafening noise erupted from the balcony. The sound of shattering glass followed immediately, sharp and grating.

Nicholas appeared in my line of sight, his gaze dark and menacing. Glass shards fell from his clothes as he strode forward. He shook his jacket irritatedly before finally yanking it off and tossing it to the ground.

"You..." I barely managed a syllable before my vision blurred completely.

I vaguely remembered resisting his touch with every fiber of my being when his restrained voice questioned harshly, "If I don't hold you now, should I wait until it's time to collect your corpse?"

That damned man...

Nicholas carried me into the bedroom and gently laid me on the bed. I felt the mattress sink sharply beside me as he sat down and called the doctor.

His deep voice rumbled as he described my condition. "Yes. She has a fever. She drank last night and probably caught a chill."

As he spoke, his hand gripped mine tightly. In my daze, I almost thought his body heat was higher than mine. Once the call ended, he began arranging for the broken glass to be replaced, cleaners to come over, and food to be delivered. Only after ensuring everything was taken care of did he set his phone aside.

"You're in poor health and still drink excessively. No more of that from now on."

I couldn't help but retort, "I didn't drink that much."

The more I thought about why my body had become this fragile, the more aggrieved I felt. Tears spilled uncontrollably.

"Can't take a single word of criticism?" Nicholas sighed as he pulled a tissue from the bedside table to wipe away my tears.

I shut my eyes, unwilling to engage with him any further.

He brushed my cheek lightly and softened his tone. "Get some rest. The doctor will be here soon. You don't need to worry about anything."

I shook my head slightly. At that moment, I wasn't even sure if my gaze toward him was pleading for him to stay or to leave.

He loosened his tie and shifted closer, wrapping both me and the blanket in his arms. "I should've stayed when you were drunk in my arms last night. If I had, you wouldn't be suffering like this now."

Frowning slightly, I realized that he really had been with me last night. Weakly, I murmured, "Thinking that way is wrong."

If he had stayed, I might've been in an even worse state.

As the realization of my own thoughts hit me, I froze completely. My mind must have turned to mush to entertain such nonsense. A wave of heat surged through me, and my body felt even more feverish.

I squirmed a little and snapped, "Go away. I'm uncomfortable with you hugging me like this."

Nicholas immediately stood and walked to the bathroom. Moments later, he returned with a damp towel and lifted the blanket.

"What are you doing!" I glared at him, alarmed.

"Stop acting like I'm some criminal. I already saw everything last night," he said nonchalantly.

Before I could protest, he yanked the blanket off and grabbed my hand, pressing the cool towel against my skin. It

was then I noticed I wasn't wearing the clothes I'd worn out to dinner with Douglas.

A flush crept across my cheeks, both from embarrassment and anger. "Nicholas, how could you? Don't you know that we're already..."

Before I could finish, he cut me off. "Yes, I'm completely in the wrong. I wiped your face, cleaned your body, and changed your clothes last night. I didn't even know how I was able to restrain myself. Truly, it was all a grave mistake!"