Trouble in Paradise

Nicholas knew that chasing after me would be futile. All he would catch was destined to be nothing but emptiness.

At first, he merely thought this city's temperature felt colder than in Radiant City. But now, he understood that this damp chill that seeped into his chest and lungs, making him shiver, was called loneliness. This winter, without me, felt especially cold. But at that moment, I felt like I was burning up.

After leaving the hospital, I returned to the detention center once more. I could only get the same reply as before-Yasmine hadn't requested a lawyer and refused to speak to one.

Before meeting Jasmine, I had believed his lies, but now, I definitely didn't!

"Is it that she doesn't want to see me, or are you not letting me see her? Make yourself clear!"

That one sentence was all it took for them to detain me on charges of obstructing official duties. When two strong and tall officers lunged at me, I didn't resist. I figured this was Nicholas's way of helping Jasmine teach me a lesson.

The officers said that unless someone bailed me out, I would have to stay here for 12 hours and pay a fine upon release. For a moment, I couldn't tell if I was here to save someone or waiting to be saved.

Before they confiscated my phone, I was granted a chance to make a call.

I didn't expect Pete to miraculously appear and bail me out. I just wanted to reach him, but the call didn't go through. My heart sank as they took away my phone.

Maybe... something had happened to Pete too.

I mentally went through my limited list of friends-Douglas, Silas, and Neal. But somehow, 12 hours didn't seem worth the trouble of dragging them into this.

Besides, showing such a pathetic side of myself to others had never been my strong suit.

I thought I would be stuck here until noon the next day. Yet, an officer soon entered, bending down and apologizing repeatedly.

"It was all a misunderstanding."

There was when I realized Nicholas had come.

I was led to a quiet, enclosed space. Shortly after, Nicholas walked in. He had one hand in his pocket, the other holding my phone. He still had that air of superiority, but unlike before, this time his eyes were actually on me. I gave a bitter smile. "What more do you have to say to me? You even came all the way here."

This wasn't exactly a nice place, yet this was my second time being here because of him.

Nicholas handed me my phone. "You've called Pete so many times but never thought to call me, not even once."Content © provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

I snatched the phone from his hand, noticing how his arm slowly dropped to his side, his clenched fist trembling.

The door behind him wasn't fully closed. A gust of wind blew in, carrying with it a bitter hint of tea from his clothes.

"Every day, you two video call for over an hour." His voice was filled with accusations. "Three days ago, you two were on a call for six hours and 15 minutes. Did you need to hear his voice even while you're sleeping?" Nicholas laughed and shoved his clenched fist into his pocket. He tried to restrain himself but couldn't help gritting his teeth. "You're such a lovely couple, aren't you?"

If Nicholas hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have realized how long Pete and I had been on calls.

All the new home decor had been coming in these past few days. I would often stay on the phone with him while setting things up. Although he was busy and rarely spoke, he would occasionally call my name. I had just gotten used to having such a noisy presence in my life, and now I couldn't reach him.

I looked up, staring straight into Nicholas's angry eyes. "What did you do to Pete?"