<b>Chapter </b>18
“Bitch! Don’t you darey a hand on his facel Alicia yelled, rushing to attack Reba, but Harvey stopped her by extending his right arm.
Reba and Harvey stared at each other in silence, unaffected by themotion around them. Strangely, Reba didn’t detect any anger on her ex–husband’s face, even after she had pped him so hard.
“Becky? Let’s go!” Nichs pulled Reba’s Hand, guiding her into the car. Even as Reba sat down and fastened her seatbelt, Harvey kept watching her with his indescribable expression that made Reba shudder.
“Are you okay?” Nichs asked, reaching out to touch Reba’s cheek. He did it deliberately, ensuring Harvey could see their intimacy through the open car window.
Reba took a deep breath and nodded, not saying a word. As Nichs’s car sped away from the museum suddenly, Reba felt tight in her chest, the same feeling she had experienced when she first separated from her ex–husband. She realized how much she loved that arrogant man and how impossible it was to rece him, no matter how hard she tried.
“Hey, don’t worry about them, okay? Alicia and Harvey are a perfect match–a snake and a devil. I know you’re angry and hate them, but don’t let yourself get drawn into revenge; it’s pointless. Let’s finish our work here and get back to LA as soon as possible.” Nichs said earnestly. He even smiled when he said that.
Reba felt a surge of emotions but managed to keep them in check. She gave a small, expressionless nod and checked her phone before saying, “I’ll stay here for about a month. I have some projects toplete, and the contracts are too valuable to turn.
down.”
“What? A month? But-”
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“Nic, I know this sounds harsh, but I really want to focus on my career. I told the start that starting a new rtionship would be hard for me. You encouraged me to try with you, so I did, and I’ve been trying to fall in love with you every day, but I can’t…” Reba closed her eyes with her left hand <b>as </b>her head throbbed suddenly. Nichs stared, shocked. “What do you mean? Are you breaking up with me?” he hissed, pulling the car over suddenly, causing Reba to grip the dashboard to avoid hitting her head.
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“You’re wasting your time with me, Nic. I want to feel the same way about you, but I can’t,
way even a spark. My heart is too broken to love anyone else. You don’t have to
wait for me! It’ll take years, God knows how long, and you don’t deserve to wait without certainty. So let’s end this here, please…” Reba finally found the courage to express feelings she had held back for months.
“How could you?” Nichs shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing. “This is all because you saw Harvey earlier, isn’t it? Do you still love that arrogant man after what he had done to you? Where’s yourmon sense?”
Reba sighed deeply.
“It’s not about Harvey, okay? It’s just me. I don’t want to give you false hope and make you wait. You deserve someone who truly loves you. I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but for now, I think staying friends is best. I’m burdened by trying to love while I’m still so hurt,” she said honestly, hiding the fact that she also distrusted Nichs after receiving an email from Lucy.
Nichs’s face turned red, his jaw clenched, and disappointment was evident in his eyes. For a moment, Reba thought he would explode and yell at her, but his response surprised her.
“Alright, <b>I </b>won’t force you into a rtionship. But I don’t want things to change between us. I don’t want any awkwardness, so can we stay like this?” Nichs said, extending his hand to hold Reba’s cold fingers.
“Stay like this?” Reba asked, confused, because she truly wanted to end <i>it</i><i>. </i>
“I mean, can we stay good friends-”
“Nic, of course, we’ll still be friends. Ending ourmitment doesn’t mean we’re enemies, but we can’t stay like this. I need to move out of your apartment,” Reba interrupted before Nichs could misunderstand her again.
Nichs swallowed hard, shocked. He turned to face forward, driving in silence, not responding to Reba’s words as if they were too painful to acknowledge.
“Nic, I’m sorry-” Reba felt a sudden pang of guilt. She knew she should be grateful and reciprocate Nichs’s kindness appropriately, but she was too tormented to continue.
“No, don’t <b>be </b>sorry,” Nichs finally spoke, sighing deeply and nodding. “I respect your
decision. So, do you still want to have dinner with me, or should I take you to your hotel?” he asked without looking at her.
Reba exhaled in relief as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She smiled slightly, pushing aside her suspicion about Nichs’s involvement with Alicia. “Of course, I’ll have dinner with you! This dress is too good to wear for just a short while; I’ll keep it on as long as possible!” she said cheerfully, trying to dispel the awkwardness.
Nichs nodded, smiling thinly, keeping his focus on the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, silently channeling his anger.
After enjoying dinner and a few sses of wine, the tension between them gradually eased. Reba felt morefortable talking with Nichs as a friend, without any
pressure.
“Ah, this is so nice! Finally, I can really talk to you!” Reba said, swirling her wine ss.
Nichs frowned slightly, “What do you mean? Haven’t we-
“Well, ever since you showed interest in me, I’ve honestly held back and unknowingly built a wall between us. But now, I feel morefortable,” Reba interrupted honestly. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.
Nichs’s good reaction had significantly reduced her suspicion towards him.
Nichs gave a faint smile, lifting the wine bottle <i>to </i>refill Reba’s ss while ignoring his own.
“You’re not pouring your ss?” Reba asked, her face slightly flushed.
“No, I’m driving.”
Reba nodded. “Alright, this will be myst ss before we go,” she said, sipping her wine slowly.
Meanwhile, Nichs watched the woman he had admired for so long, feeling intensely angry that he couldn’t have her. But he knew forcing her wouldn’t change anything between them. He racked his brain, looking for a way to make her his forever.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you back to your hotel,” Nichs said, helping Reba who was slightly drunk, up from her chair.
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Reba frowned. She did feel a bit drunk, but she was still fully conscious. She lightly pped her cheeks, trying to stay alert, and sat beside Nichs while scrolling through her phone to keep herself awake.
Nichs started the car and drove towards the hotel. Once they arrived at the lobby, he turned to look at Reba deeply.
“Becky, can I ask you for one thing?”
Reba looked up. “Okay? What is it?”
“Can.l–kiss you onest time?” he asked.
“What?”
“Please? I promise our rtionship will be nothing more than friends after this,” Nichs said, his eyes dim as he looked at Reba’s pink lips.
Reba nodded stiffly<i>. </i>Nichs quickly leaned in and kissed her passionately. He knew that not far from them, someone was watching.