hapter 0583

Julian immediately took another step backwards, adding more space between him and me. We both nervously glanced at Nicholas who mostly seemed confused by his own reaction. He cut off his growl with a sharp grunt.

"Sorry," he said.

"Don't worry," I replied.

"It's my fault," Julian said.

"No," Nicholas quickly corrected. "I don't know what came over me."

"I knew this game was a bad idea," Bridget says, rising from the couch. "I tried to warn everyone, but no one takes me seriously."

I distinctly remembered Bridget championing the idea for charades so much that she took to mostly organizing it herself. Now, suddenly, when something had gone wrong, she didn't want anything to do with the idea?

"We should definitely stop," Bridget continued, "I, for one, am out totally." She looked around at everyone, expecting them to agree.

Maybe she wasn't wrong in this instance. The joyful mood I had been attempting to cultivate seemed utterly at waste now, with only thick tension in the air.

Jessica worried her bottom lip. Veronica looked down at her lap. Julian apologized. Nicholas said, "I'm the one at fault."

Everything really did seem like it was falling apart.

Then Elva raised her head, looking up from her coloring books. She spotted the empty spot between Nicholas and Jessica on the couch.

"Can I be on Nick-lass's team?" she asked.

And just like that, the entire mood shifted. The tension broke and everything brightened. Jessica laughed. Veronica's lips twitched in an almost smile. Julian smiled outright. So did Nicholas.

"Of course you can," Nicholas said. He glanced at me. "If it's okay with your mom."

Elva turned her doe eyes on me. It would have been fine with me anyway, but having her look at me like that would have melted even my coldest moods.

"You can," I told her, and she cheered. Cóntent belongs to NovélDráma. Org

Bridget said. She placed her hands on her hips. "This unbalances the teams." "I

narrowed her eyes. "With Elva on my team, we now have four, compared to your team's three." "My team' she says," Julian scoffed.

Elva volunteered to take your place,"

thought we were quitting

child," Julian told her. "Just sit this

into her line of sight, blocking her from seeing my child and looking

me.

care. Not anymore. The moment she pushed me off that boat was the moment she forfeited any right to my feelings. I should have stopped

for a long time. It was past time that I believed

snapped. Then she turned at stormed off towards the

she was gone, the fun

pick out her word. I decided to stay with her, while Julian returned to his seat beside Veronica. Neither of them seemed to care that I was technically helping the

I think,

and looked at it. Then she showed it to me. The word was

than a thing. It would be a trickier word to try to act out. But

her place in front of her team. I stood nearby,

"Timer!" she called.

counted down from three, then said,

over to me and hugged me. Tears welled in my eyes at once, but I

Jessica called.

with her noodle arms around my neck, then she let me go. Turning, she rushed across the room to Nicholas, where

seat, in time to catch Elva's hug. He wrapped his arms around her in

"Family," Nicholas said.

her head a

Nicholas considered.

Jessica asked, slightly taken

click within Nicholas. An understanding

"Home," he said.

heart hammered in my chest. How

leaned back. "You

right there in the living room. Elva so wanted Nicholas to

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255