Chapter 153 Chapter 153
When he stormed out of the room, he thought about giving her the cold shoulder for a few days. But he didn't last even an hour. He tried to read some documents, but the letters danced in front of him, forming Caroline's sad face.
He never imagined that one day he would become so pathetic and dependent on a woman's smile.
Caroline looked at him, a little lost and touched. “When I sent you the message, were you already coming to look for me?”
“Hmm.” Nicholas nodded, brushing his nose against hers. “So, honey, don't you think we're telepathic?”
She murmured, confused, “But... why? Weren't you still angry?”
Nicholas knew what she was asking. He sighed, defeated by his own affection.
“My love, I couldn't bear it.” The man's voice was low, almost a plea. “Ignoring you hurts me more than it hurts you. It was punishment for myself, not for you.”
He rested his forehead against hers.
“Can we make up? Let's pretend this fight never happened. Let's not bring up Edward anymore. Even if you still have feelings for him... I'll swallow it. I won't get angry anymore.”
He looked at her with fierce, sad determination.
“You can continue to like him if you can't forget him now. I can handle it. We still have a long way to go, Caroline. And I'll do whatever it takes, day after day, to become the only person in your heart.”
Caroline's heart skipped a beat. Was he willing to accept being second best, as long as she stayed?
That was too much. She couldn't let him think that.
“I don't have feelings for him anymore,” Caroline declared, her voice firm and clear.
She held Nicholas's wrists, looking deep into his eyes.
“From the moment he cheated on me with Claire, Edward died to me. I liked him before, yes, but that's in the past. Ashes.”
“Caroline...”
“He threw away ten years of our relationship for an affair with my sister. How could I still like a man like that? He's trash to me now.” She took a deep breath, needing him to understand. “Nicholas, believe me, okay?”
Sincerity shone in her eyes.
“I admit... at first, I thought about divorcing you.”
I didn't think a loveless marriage could last, and I was afraid. But...
She paused, biting her lip, her face flushing slightly.
“But what?”
Nicholas's eyes fixed on hers, hungry, eager. His hands squeezed her shoulders involuntarily.
“What do you think now, Caroline?”
The anxiety in his voice was palpable. The powerful Wolf was there, vulnerable, waiting for his wife's verdict.
Caroline pursed her lips, pondering deeply. After a moment of silence, she raised her eyes, shining with new determination.
"Now, I'm not going to think about divorce anymore. Nicholas... I'm going to really try. I want to accept you and this marriage. I want to make this work, no matter what the outcome.
“The outcome will never be bad.”
The man pulled her into his arms the moment the last word left her mouth. The embrace was tight, desperate, and full of relief. Caroline could hear his heart pounding against his chest, much faster and stronger than before.
“My love, trust me,” he whispered against her hair. “I promise, by all that is sacred, that you won't regret it.”
He pulled back slightly to look into her eyes, his emotions overflowing.
“Thank you for making this decision. I'm so happy, my love... Thank you so much.”
He held her face with extreme care, as if she were a rare and fragile jewel that could break at any moment. He leaned in and placed soft, devoted kisses on the corners of her eyes, drinking in the tenderness of the moment.
“Thank you for forgiving me and giving me this chance. I will prove that I deserve you with every action I take.”
Then the man took her lips in a kiss.
It wasn't aggressive, but deep. Caroline felt the gesture reverberate in her heart.
It was cozy, sweet, and incredibly comforting. All the sadness, indignation, and confusion that had tormented her minutes ago dissipated like smoke in the face of his kindness.
Moved by a sudden impulse, Caroline hesitantly reached out and embraced his waist.
Nicholas's body instantly stiffened at her touch. He pulled back a few millimeters to look at her, surprised and delighted.
“Darling...”
Caroline suddenly felt shy.
She was rarely so proactive.
The only other time she had taken the initiative was that quick kiss in the car. Other than that, she had always been passive.
Now, embracing him of her own free will made her feel vulnerable and a little embarrassed.
Under the scrutiny of those deep, dark eyes, which seemed to see into her soul, she felt her cheeks burn.
“I...”
“Hmm.”
Before she could stammer out any explanation, Nicholas didn't give her a chance. He captured her lips again.
This time, there was no restrained gentleness. It was intense.
It was a voracious, almost suffocating kiss that stole all the air from Caroline's lungs.
Her heart was pounding wildly, and she felt her legs tremble, needing to lean on him to keep from falling.
When they finally separated, they were both panting. Nicholas caressed her hot cheeks with his thumbs, his eyes shining with satisfied possession.
“And you don't have to worry about Sheila anymore,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“I made everything very clear to her. I believe she won't do anything irrational from now on.”
Caroline, still trying to catch her breath and leaning weakly against his chest, looked up.
“Y-You cleared things up with Sheila? What did you say to her?”
Nicholas's gaze softened, though there was an underlying firmness.
“I wasn't overly direct or cruel. After all, she's a girl and we grew up together. I had to preserve her dignity. But... I assure you she understood exactly what I was getting at and where she stands.”
“... All right, then.”
Caroline wanted to say that, deep down, she wasn't that bothered by Sheila. After all, no matter how much the other girl liked Nicholas, it was a one-sided and sad love.
But she didn't dare say that out loud.
They had just sweetly reconciled. It would be stupid to ruin the mood or make him think she was indifferent again. Besides, the previous fight had been terrible. She never wanted to see that dark and hurt side of him again.
“If she, or anyone else, causes you trouble in the future, you need to let me know immediately,” Nicholas instructed seriously. He thought for a second and added, with unwavering loyalty, “And don't worry about ‘ruining’ my relationship with anyone. Caroline, you are my wife. If they don't respect you, then the relationship I have with them is worthless to me.”
Caroline's heart skipped a beat.
Was he saying he would be her shield against the world? That he would choose her over any friend or old connection?
She couldn't hold back the smile that blossomed on her lips as a feeling of sweetness and security flooded her chest.
“Okay. I understand.”