Trouble in Paradise

Nicholas was more resourceful than I imagined. Just as my mom had said, it seemed like he had been waiting for me all along.

After my conversation with my mom fell apart, he began to act without any reservations.

I toyed with my phone, considering calling him, but then I dismissed the idea. What could he possibly say? He would only mock my weakness with a smug expression.

As I toyed with my mouse, I stared unwillingly at the documents Silas had just sent me. Claudia and her friend, Brittany Quirk, shared the same family name and were close friends after meeting in college.

Brittany took all the blame for the Incident, Insisting it had nothing to do with Claudia.

Brittany, who was also a university student, came from a broken family with divorced parents. Lacking familial affection, she subconsciously sought to compensate through other means.

Claurida's friendship filled that emotional void for her.

I didn't know whether Brittany confessed voluntarily or if Nicholas offered some condition to buy her youthful years which made her willing to spend several years behind bars. By admitting guilt, her life would be half-ruined. I continued scrolling, but there was no good news in the documents. Even Marcelo, who had previously supported me, changed his testimony.

He claimed he had never been in contact with Claudia, only with Brittany. Because both of them shared the same family name, he had always referred to them as "Ms, Quirk" without distinguishing between them.

The entire situation had an air of flawed rationality.

The most dramatic twist was that Silas, who had been helping me with this matter, could no longer assist me. The reason was simple-Pete was his employee, and he had given the order not to help.

I couldn't help but think back to the figure who stormed out of my holding cell a few days ago. It all seemed like a hallucination.

The person who had shaved his head for me wasn't Pete. He had once again become the man who constantly opposed me.

I wasn't used to calling Pete. Our WhatsApp chat history had been stagnant for years.

Back then, I had just married Nicholas and was immersed in blissful fantasies. Pete would always send me examples of unhappy marriages from the internet, which was annoying.

I found it unlucky and, wanting to please Nicholas, I had no hesitation in blocking Pete's number then.

Féeling somewhat anxious, I send him a message, hoping to arrange a meeting. I was afraid that he would reject me.

To my surprise, he responded with a video call. I hesitated for a moment before answering. In the video call, his hair had been neatly styled again. Perhaps it was his leisure time, as he wore a black sweatshirt.

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His short, fluffy hair had an almost unreal, hazy quality under the neon lights, making him appear quite different from my previous impression of him.

He was wearing a pair of diamond earrings, and his lips were also a vivid red.

Neves were slightly reddened from drinking. His

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "Ms. Ari, If you want to talk about Silas with me, then there's no point in meeting. We can save each other the time."

His cold voice was somewhat muffled by the surrounding noise, but the tone clearly conveyed his

sarcasm.

I squinted slightly and suddenly smiled. "Pete, I can handle my own matters. The main reason I sent you a message is to thank you. Since there's no need to meet, I'll just say thank you here, and we can go our separate ways. He suddenly yelled loudly to someone beside him, "Keep it down! Can't you see I'm on the phone?"