novelxo Chapter 13
Chapter 13
His body was warm, carrying a strong scent of alcohol, his hot breath lingering by her ear. He's been drinking?
"Nash," Nina called out. But Nash wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his head in her hair, and said in a low voice, "Don't move, let me hold you for a while." Now Nina didn't move. She didn't quite understand why he drank so much.
Under the covers, Nina lay for a long time, her body almost stiff, wondering when he would get up. But he showed no intention of getting up, just lingering on her, greedy. He wouldn't mistake her for Miranda again, would he?
Nina called out again, "Nash..."
"I just want to lie like this for a while, Nina."
Hearing this, Nina fell silent again. The fact that he called her name meant he didn't see her as another woman. She rarely saw him in this state, feeling a bit at a loss.
But her heart softened, fearing he would fall asleep like this, fearing he would catch a cold. She nudged him, "Don't sleep like this. Either take a bath or cover yourselfproperly..."
Nash rolled over, and with a lift of his hand, Nina and the blanket were in his arms. He held her tightly, her nose filled with his breath, alcohol, and his fresh scent.
At the same time, she was flustered, her eyes meeting his. He hadn't closed his eyes, his deep gaze fixed on her, brows slightly furrowed, as if not too pleased. Why did she have to speculate whether he was happy or not? Was she thinking too much? She didn't want to pay too much attention to him.
Nash's hand caressed her forehead. The
warmth of his large palm made her feel unfamiliar. She tilted her head slightly, causing Nash to pause, and he asked carefully, "Does it hurt?"
Nina felt a sourness in her nose, perhaps from too much grievance, unable to withstand his concern. "Why are you asking these questions?" Her words carried a tone of complaint.
Nash patted her back as if to soothe her emotions. "I won't let you go to such dangerous places again in the future."
Was he really concerned about her? Just a moment ago, he was saying their
marriage was just a transaction, telling her not to overthink.
Nina couldn't help but look at him again. This time, he had closed his eyes, but his hand continued to comfort her. In that moment, Nina felt like he belonged to her. Only when he was drunk did their relationship become closer, like an ordinary couple.
Nina lifted her hand, wanting to touch his face, wanting to get closer to him. But her hand stopped in mid-air, and ultimately, her rationality dispelled her impulse. Because she knew very well, this was just a fleeting moment, and
tomorrow morning, everything would return to normal. He was Nash, and she could only be Nina. Her hand fell back down.
She pressed her face against his chest, feeling his heartbeat and hearing his steady breathing. He must have fallen asleep. She finally spoke, relieved, "Nash, if I were the one you loved, even just a little bit, I would be very happy." 1
She was actually very easy to please but the idea of receiving Nash's love feels like an extravagance to her.
Eventually, Nina closed her eyes too, hoping time could stop, so she wouldn't have to wake up. However, dreams had to end.
Waking up the next day, the bed was cold, and Nash had already left early.
Nina got up and found a note on the bedside, with a few lines written in a sprawling hand: "I've gone to the office.
Stay home and rest. Remember to eat well."
Next to it was a bank card. Nina picked it up, remembering the two hundred thousand he spent on Miranda yesterday. Did he think that she knew about his spending so he planned to compensate her this way? She didn't know what Nash was thinking. Loving Miranda while not divorcing her, what was the point? In fact, divorce meant starting a whole new life, and it had drained all her courage.
Nash would never know why she fell in love with him, why she willingly stayed by his side for seven years. Her beautiful youth, her happiest moments, were all spent on him.
Thinking about breaking away made her heart ache. She had spent all her courage, only to leave with nothing in the end.
People should stay awake and not sacrifice everything for a man. One-sided infatuation always ended up being ridiculous. Nina put the bank card away in a drawer and didn't take it out again. Yvonne also messaged her, saying her art exhibition was starting today and asking her to come and support her. Despite Yvonne's sometimes unreliable advice, she worked hard and was a somewhat famous painter and fashion designer.
Nina went to the event to distract herself. She brought a bouquet of flowers, and Yvonne, who was entertaining guests, immediately excused herself and came over. "Hi, my darling!" She gave Nina a hug. Nina hugged her back and congratulated her. "Congratulations."
"What's there to congratulate? It's just routine," Yvonne said, taking the flowers. "I'm really happy you came. You're always so busy with work; I never expected you to come to my art exhibition." Nina felt a bit embarrassed. "It's my oversight."
"Don't worry about it. You're my best friend, and I understand," Yvonne reassured her.
Indeed, Nina was very busy with work. She only had time to occasionally catch up with Yvonne. She realized she had never attended Yvonne's professional events before; this was her first time. Yvonne asked again, "How's the divorce going?"
Thinking about her divorce agreement, Nina quipped, "When you bring that up, are you trying to get me divorced, or are you trying to get me beaten up?"
A "You got hit? Nash is even an abusive
man. You should hold him accountable!"
Yvonne exclaimed.
"I think you're just teasing me," Nina said. "No smart person would sign such an agreement, and how could Nash agree to it?”
Yvonne pursed her lips. "I just want to stand up for you. In this marriage, he walks away unscathed, ready to enjoy himself with other women, while you've lost so many years of your youth. Even if you divorce, he should cough up something! If he had any conscience, he wouldn't let you suffer financially."
Feeling unhappy about the topic, Nina > interjected, "Let's not talk about this
today. Didn't you invite me to witness your achievements? Let's talk about something cheerful. I know my limits."
"Okay, as you wish," Yvonne smiled. " Don't worry, I'll always be here to help you through tough times."
Her words warmed Nina's heart, and she smiled and nodded.
Today, with journalists present to cover Yvonne's art exhibition, she had to go for interviews and couldn't accompany Nina all the time. Nina wandered around alone. Suddenly, she saw a figure approaching with a few people. "Miss Lewis, welcome. It's an honor to have you here," greeted the person in charge of Yvonne's company.
"Where's that? I'm here out of
admiration, and I truly appreciate Miss Turner's artwork," replied Miranda politely.
"It's our pleasure to have you here. Miss Turner is currently giving interviews, so please wait a moment," the person said.
Nina glanced at Miranda, subconsciously sizing her up. She noticed a small scar on her arm, covered by foundation. If she remembered correctly, Miranda had just gone to the hospital yesterday. She had thought it was a much larger wound. Seeing Miranda being protected by Nash and looking nervous, Nina felt she might have overreacted.
Just as she turned to leave, Miranda spotted her and immediately interrupted her conversation with the others, calling out, “Nina.”
Nina looked up and saw her approaching. "You're here too."
Nina didn't say anything, and Miranda
continued softly, "Why aren't you at work? You're here at the art exhibition. Did Nash allow you to come to a place like this?"
"My affairs don't concern you," Nina responded calmly.
Miranda said, "No, I just didn't expect to run into you in this kind of setting, and you're alone."
She deliberately reminded her that she was alone and then mentioned Nash, implying that no matter what Nina did, Nash wouldn't be there with her.
Indeed, Miranda was very confident, as Nash never accompanied her.
Suddenly, another person approached, saying, "Miranda, you look so beautiful today. That dress is stunning. Where did you buy it?"
Miranda smiled happily and replied to the woman, "Isn't it beautiful? My boyfriend picked it out specially for me."
"Oh, I think I saw it in a magazine. It costs over two hundred thousand, right?"
Miranda blushed and nodded. "Mm."
"Your boyfriend treats you so well. Spending over two hundred thousand on a dress, he must spend a lot of money on you usually.”
Miranda glanced at Nina and said, "Of course, my boyfriend loves me, so he's willing to spend money on me."
This unconsciously reminded Nina that the over two hundred thousand spent by Nash on Miranda was for the sparkling white dress she was wearing, making it suddenly seem much more glaring.