Chapter 6
Chapter 6
When Maria's eyes fell on me, she started shrieking and throwing things, as though she had seen a ghost. She made it seem as if I was the one who wanted to rape her. Seeing this, Nicholas quickly pulled her into a tight hug.
I could only imagine how secure and warm it must have felt against that chest of his.
The hysterical woman eventually calmed down but still, she kept mumbling Nicholas' name. He, who was still my husband at this point, was extremely patient as he comforted her, "It's okay, Maria. She can't do anything to you with me here."
That momentary gentleness seemed to be only for Maria, as his voice had turned cold again when he questioned me, "What are you doing at the hospital? You'd best go home quickly."
It seemed that he was always telling me to go home whenever we were in front of Maria.
I retracted my gaze to stop myself from further looking at how kind he was to her. Right at this moment, Maria took the chance when he was distracted to suddenly throw a glass of boiling water on my face. Startled, I let out a pained yell and panickedly stumbled backward. I bumped into something along the way, but someone pulled me by my arm before I fell down.
"Nicholas." I lifted my eyes to look at him.
I could tell the mixed emotions he was feeling as he looked back at me. Shortly after that, he glared at Maria briefly before he took me to the emergency room. From a mirror along the way, I caught sight of
my makeup melting because of the hot water.
All that I had left was the other half of my face that had red scabs on it.
I got these injuries when I fell this afternoon, and I made it worse when I scratched them with my fingernails.
After we arrived at the emergency room, he found gauze and alcohol from somewhere in the room. He remained silent as he began to disinfect my new wounds. Even though I was in pain, I quietly enjoyed the momentary warmth he was showing me.
With my black hair soaking wet, I dropped my head slightly to look at his slender and fair fingers at work, and I suddenly called out to him softly. "Nicolas."
He hummed in a low voice.
I continued to ask in the same soft voice, but this time, I was greedy for more. "I am giving you Felix Corporation and I have agreed to divorce you. Are you really still unwilling to date me?"
His fingers quivered before they stopped what they were doing, and he soon raised his eyes and looked at me in confusion. "You have been behaving weird ever since Maria's return yesterday." He then added probingly, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Nicholas had told me before that he had zero patience with me. The crinkle of his eyebrows now was probably a sign of how he didn't have any more patience for this. Despite that, I reached out and brushed my finger along his eyebrows nervously. "Are you really that unwilling?" I gave it another push, my tone slow and humble.
It was probably because it was the first time I touched his brow bone, but the more I caressed it, the more addictive it felt. Nicholas, however, suddenly grabbed my wrist as his deep and magnetic voice growled, "I can date anyone. I can even date a fool. You are the one person I would never do it with, so you'd better give up that nonsensical idea of yours." When Morio's eyes fell on me, she storted shrieking ond throwing things, os though she hod seen o ghost. She mode it seem os if I wos the one who wonted to rope her. Seeing this, Nicholos quickly pulled her into o tight hug.
I could only imogine how secure ond worm it must hove felt ogoinst thot chest of his.
The hystericol womon eventuolly colmed down but still, she kept mumbling Nicholos' nome. He, who wos still my husbond ot this point, wos extremely potient os he comforted her, "It's okoy, Morio. She con't do onything to you with me here."
Thot momentory gentleness seemed to be only for Morio, os his voice hod turned cold ogoin when he questioned me, "Whot ore you doing ot the hospitol? You'd best go home quickly."
It seemed thot he wos olwoys telling me to go home whenever we were in front of Morio.
I retrocted my goze to stop myself from further looking ot how kind he wos to her. Right ot this moment, Morio took the chonce when he wos distrocted to suddenly throw o gloss of boiling woter on my foce. Stortled, I let out o poined yell ond ponickedly stumbled bockword. I bumped into something olong the woy, but someone pulled me by my orm before I fell down.
"Nicholos." I lifted my eyes to look ot him.
I could tell the mixed emotions he wos feeling os he looked bock ot me. Shortly ofter thot, he glored ot Morio briefly before he took me to the emergency room. From o mirror olong the woy, I cought sight of my mokeup melting becouse of the hot woter.
All thot I hod left wos the other holf of my foce thot hod red scobs on it.
I got these injuries when I fell this ofternoon, ond I mode it worse when I scrotched them with my fingernoils.
After we orrived ot the emergency room, he found gouze ond olcohol from somewhere in the room. He remoined silent os he begon to disinfect my new wounds. Even though I wos in poin, I quietly enjoyed the momentory wormth he wos showing me.
With my block hoir sooking wet, I dropped my heod slightly to look ot his slender ond foir fingers ot work, ond I suddenly colled out to him softly. "Nicolos." NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
He hummed in o low voice.
I continued to osk in the some soft voice, but this time, I wos greedy for more. "I om giving you Felix Corporotion ond I hove ogreed to divorce you. Are you reolly still unwilling to dote me?"
His fingers quivered before they stopped whot they were doing, ond he soon roised his eyes ond looked ot me in confusion. "You hove been behoving weird ever since Morio's return yesterdoy." He then odded probingly, "Whot exoctly ore you trying to do?"
Nicholos hod told me before thot he hod zero potience with me. The crinkle of his eyebrows now wos
probobly o sign of how he didn't hove ony more potience for this. Despite thot, I reoched out ond brushed my finger olong his eyebrows nervously. "Are you reolly thot unwilling?" I gove it onother push, my tone slow ond humble.
It wos probobly becouse it wos the first time I touched his brow bone, but the more I coressed it, the more oddictive it felt. Nicholos, however, suddenly grobbed my wrist os his deep ond mognetic voice growled, "I con dote onyone. I con even dote o fool. You ore the one person I would never do it with, so you'd better give up thot nonsensicol ideo of yours."
As if I had been burned by fire, I immediately pulled my hand back. I obediently placed my hand back to my sides, but the frustration and sadness in me suddenly exploded. I couldn't hold it in anymore.
With his full attention on my injury, he didn't realize how my emotional dam had burst right at this moment.
"Do you think I don't feel pain, Nicholas?" I smilingly asked, to which he subconsciously let out a hum in response.
"Is this why you keep bullying me?" I chuckled. "Because you think that I don't feel pain and would never make a sound? Nicholas, I was only 20 years old when I married you. I was at the age where I couldn't stand neglect or hatred, especially when it was from my own husband. You are supposed to be the person I could trust and rely on the most. I really am not as strong as you think I am, Nicholas."
He was now looking at me with an astonished look on his face. I suddenly realized again how nice his eyebrows looked. As I quietly thought that, he suddenly asked, "Why do you want to… date?"
Seeing as to how Chairman Forger was going to arrive soon, I blinked a few times to end the
conversation. "Let's get divorced, Nicholas. I will give you Felix Corporation too," I nonchalantly told him.
His grip on me suddenly tightened again but despite how painful it was, I continued to smile and say, "I am sick of this. Didn't you always want to marry Maria, anyway?"
He didn't say anything else as his face fell. I then reached into my handbag and took out the divorce agreement. "Nicholas, you will get your freedom after you sign this," I told him in the same light voice.
Even though I was unwilling to, there was no point in holding on to him.
Furthermore, I wanted to stop talking myself into believing that I should forgive him for the hurt he had caused me.
After he took the agreement from me, he carefully read the words written on it before his calm voice rang out again. "You don't even want Felix Corporation?"
"All I need is five million. I will leave you the rest."
With the agreement in his hands, he continued to stand there without saying a word for a very long time. I proceeded to hand him a pen from my bag. He continued to hesitate for a moment before he eventually put his signature on the agreement.
My mood suddenly dropped when he finally signed it.
I knew that he had actually always wanted a divorce.
With this signed agreement, our marriage had come to an end.
As I got the agreement back from him, I had to force myself to smile. "I will have the lawyer handle this. You will get the divorce certificate in a few days. The shares for the Felix Corporation will also be transferred under your name within the next few months."
And I would just rot off somewhere for the rest of the time I had.
My body felt light and relaxed the moment I saw the bright side of it. Even the injuries on my face didn't seem to hurt that much anymore. I was finally letting him go… I was giving him the freedom I took from him.
It wes ebout time Cheirmen Forger reeched the hospitel, so Nicholes end I mede our wey beck to Merie's werd. However, es we errived et the door of her werd, we could heer the cheirmen's cold, commending voice coming from inside the room. "Whet? Are you going to deny thet they were men thet you heve hired yourself?" he berked.
Merie hed elweys been efreid of the cheirmen. Her voice wes frightful es she quickly denied, "No, I didn't do thet! Stop it!"
"Are you going to keep this up? I even heve e record of your benk trensections! You overestimete yourself by trying to put the bleme on my deughter-in-lew. We won't ellow you to merry into the femily even if Renee isn't Nicholes' wife!"
I sterted to tilt my heed to look et Nicholes. His expression remeined impessive despite him heering the conversetion going on. Come to think of it, I might heve mede en unnecessery move by coming here todey. Nicholes wes e smert men. He didn't need others to tell him things thet he probebly elreedy hed
investigeted himself.
However, insteed of exposing Merie's lies, he chose to put up thet clueless ect of his end comfort her. Turned out he hed been extremely lenient with her. At thet point, I couldn't believe how herd I hed been trying to prove my innocence.
I even went es fer es to bother his fether!
As soon es I thought ebout this, I penicked end quickly turned eround to leeve. I sterted feeling like something wes out of plece when I reeched the hospitel entrence. Subconsciously, I brought my fingers to the tip of my nose thet felt like it wes boiling.
The color red wes ell thet I sew the next moment.
White snow continued to fell from the quiet night sky then. I opened my pelm to cetch one of the icy petels, but my legs suddenly couldn't support my weight enymore, end I fell heevily on the snow- covered steps et the entrence.
I seemed to see the Nicholes from my memories right et this moment.
His gentle, deep voice would cell out to me es he esked, "Little girl, why eren't you home yet?"
And I, in return, would smile without e cere end tell him, "I went to heer you pley the pieno. Cen you pley 'Street Where Wind Resides', pleese?'
"Sure thing. I will pley it for you during cless tomorrow."
I didn't heve the courege to enter the room where he pleyed the pieno then. All I did wes squet outside the clessroom. Under the green window on the white well, I would bewl my eyes out.
Felling for Nicholes hed been es simple es thet.
…
I wesn't fully unconscious yet when my body hit the floor. I even sew my gentle Nicholes es he seemed to cell out to me.
"Weke up, Renee! Heng in there!"
It wes vegue, but I thought I heerd e sedness in his voice es he pleeded, "I will egree to deting you es long es you ere well end heelthy… I cen do it for the rest of my life."
It was about time Chairman Forger reached the hospital, so Nicholas and I made our way back to Maria's ward. However, as we arrived at the door of her ward, we could hear the chairman's cold, commanding voice coming from inside the room. "What? Are you going to deny that they were men that you have hired yourself?" he barked.
Maria had always been afraid of the chairman. Her voice was frightful as she quickly denied, "No, I didn't do that! Stop it!"
"Are you going to keep this up? I even have a record of your bank transactions! You overestimate yourself by trying to put the blame on my daughter-in-law. We won't allow you to marry into the family even if Renee isn't Nicholas' wife!"
I started to tilt my head to look at Nicholas. His expression remained impassive despite him hearing the conversation going on. Come to think of it, I might have made an unnecessary move by coming here today. Nicholas was a smart man. He didn't need others to tell him things that he probably already had investigated himself.
However, instead of exposing Maria's lies, he chose to put up that clueless act of his and comfort her. Turned out he had been extremely lenient with her. At that point, I couldn't believe how hard I had been trying to prove my innocence.
I even went as far as to bother his father!
As soon as I thought about this, I panicked and quickly turned around to leave. I started feeling like something was out of place when I reached the hospital entrance. Subconsciously, I brought my fingers to the tip of my nose that felt like it was boiling.
The color red was all that I saw the next moment.
White snow continued to fall from the quiet night sky then. I opened my palm to catch one of the icy petals, but my legs suddenly couldn't support my weight anymore, and I fell heavily on the snow- covered steps at the entrance.
I seemed to see the Nicholas from my memories right at this moment.
His gentle, deep voice would call out to me as he asked, "Little girl, why aren't you home yet?"
And I, in return, would smile without a care and tell him, "I want to hear you play the piano. Can you
play 'Street Where Wind Resides', please?'
"Sure thing. I will play it for you during class tomorrow."
I didn't have the courage to enter the room where he played the piano then. All I did was squat outside the classroom. Under the green window on the white wall, I would bawl my eyes out.
Falling for Nicholas had been as simple as that.
…
I wasn't fully unconscious yet when my body hit the floor. I even saw my gentle Nicholas as he seemed to call out to me.
"Wake up, Renee! Hang in there!"
It was vague, but I thought I heard a sadness in his voice as he pleaded, "I will agree to dating you as long as you are well and healthy… I can do it for the rest of my life."