Chapter 422

Chapter 422 The Confession of Nicholas

“So, you’ve been back for a while already, huh? And here I thought I was the first one to see you. You know, I’m pretty disappointed that you didn’t notify me the moment you got back.” Even though Ronan looked sad after hearing my response, he gave a half-smile.

“I had to meet with Michael because of work. Even if we didn’t bump into each other today, I planned to contact you soon anyway. It’s just that fate put us together before I could do that.” Seeing Ronan’s downcast eyes, I could not help but shake my head helplessly. He’s the same as he was a year ago. Still the same old Ronan.

“So, you still remember me then? I thought you’d long forgotten about me.” Ronan’s smile grew wider after listening to my explanation. The man’s mood seemed to have gotten much better.

“Of course! How could I forget you? You’re one of my best friends!” I teased him before laughing at him.

Then, we chatted until the sky turned dark. Since I did not drive there, Ronan offered to send me back to my apartment, and I accepted.

I reckoned after a year, his feelings for me would have changed, so I decided it was no longer necessary to keep my distance from him deliberately.

On the way, Ronan asked me a lot of questions. Most of them were about why I left a year ago and how I could just leave my child.

I avoided answering any of those questions because I did not want to be reminded of my painful past. The past should stay in the past. I don’t want them to affect my current life.

After taking a hot shower, I slumped into my bed and quickly fell asleep. Since returning to the country, I haven’t had the time for a good sleep because of all the things I had to do.

The following evening, I arrived outside the restaurant Nicholas and I agreed to meet at. He told me he had something to say to me, so I took him up on his invitation.

It turned out that the restaurant he had booked was one frequented mainly by couples on their date nights. Hence, I hesitated to go in and wondered if it was appropriate for me to meet Nicholas there.

I knew how he felt about me, but the feeling was not mutual. On top of that, I had a hunch that he would say something I would not want to hear.

I was still wondering if I should just turn around and leave when my phone suddenly rang. It was Nicholas calling.

“Hey, Anna. Do you have trouble finding the place?” Nicholas decided to check in since it was way past the time we were supposed to meet.

“I’m just outside the restaurant, actually. I’ll be right in.” With that, I decided to stop thinking about leaving and simply walked in.

Nicholas chose the table near the window because it was much quieter there, and I appreciate it.

When he saw me walking in, he smiled warmly at me and said, “Honestly, I thought you were going to stand me up.”

“Well, I’m a woman of my word, and I did promise to meet you here. What makes you think I wouldn’t turn up?” I responded to him snarkily.

Instead of saying anything else, Nicholas picked up a bouquet on the chair next to him and handed it to me. “Here, this is for you.”

There was a gentleness in his eyes as he gazed at me with a soft smile.

The bouquet was comprised of crimson red roses, and they looked magnificent.

However, I was well aware of what it meant when a man gifted a woman roses, so I started to panic. “Uh… What’s with the gift?”

I did not accept the flowers because I knew what Nicholas was trying to express. Suddenly, I regretted agreeing to meet with him.

“I have my reasons for asking you out, Anna. There’s something I have to tell you.” After seeing my response, Nicholas’s face hardened, making him seem sterner than usual.

“Nicholas, what do you say we have dinner first? As you said, it’s quite late, and I’m pretty hungry.” I could guess what he would say next, but I did not want to hear it, so I quickly changed the subject to deny him the opportunity.

“Can you just listen to me for a brief moment before we have dinner, Anna? I’ll try to keep it short,” requested Nicholas with his eyebrows slightly furrowed. It seemed my attempt to change the subject was futile.

I lowered my head and avoided eye contact. At that moment, I desperately tried to find a way to turn Nicholas down. At first, I thought I could bring myself to accept him, but I quickly realized that Michael was the only person I want to be with.

Even though Nicholas was by no means inferior to Michael, I just did not have feelings for him. To me, Nicholas was just a friend and a business partner.

“Anna, I’ve been by your side for the past year, so I know how much you’ve grown. Things haven’t been easy for you, but still, you’re doing everything you can to get your child back. I know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself, but don’t you think it would be nice to be loved and cared for by a man?”

There was a moment of silence after Nicholas made the suggestion.

Not knowing how to respond to him, I gritted my teeth and remained quiet.

“It must be tiring for you to face everything alone, and it breaks my heart to see you so. Be mine, and I’ll take care of you. I can protect you. Heck, I’ll even make sure that you get your kid back. You can trust me.”

Nicholas confessed with so much sincerity that it was almost impossible for anyone not to be moved by him, and I was no exception.

Not only had I been through a divorce, but I also had a child with another man, so I was deeply touched that Nicholas would want to be with someone like me. However, I could not be with him because he was nothing more than a friend and business partner to me.

“Please don’t say anything like that, Nicholas. We’re just friends,” I reminded him with my head still lowered.

This was exactly the situation I wanted to avoid, but it happened anyway.

“No. If anything, I should’ve confessed to you sooner. I waited too long when I should’ve just told you my feelings a year ago. I wanted to give us more time, but then I realized I might miss my opportunity to be with you if I don’t do this soon.”

Seeing how insecure Nicholas was only made it more difficult for me to turn him down.

I had always known how Nicholas felt about me, but I never said anything to clear things up between us, and I regretted it. I should’ve made it clear that I only wanted to be friends with him back then. But now that we’ve reached this point, I have no choice but to reject him directly.

“I’m sorry, Nicholas. But you’re just a friend to me; nothing more. I just don’t feel the same way about you, so there’s no way—”