Chapter 23

In the bathroom, Nicolas closes his eyes, trying to focus on the sound of the gurgling water around him. He knew that if he responded to Ruby right now, all the effort he had put into calming down would be in vain. "I have to calm down... I can't let this control me," he muttered softly, reassuring himself.

Ruby continued to stand in front of the bathroom door, waiting with a mixture of annoyance and disappointment. She felt that all her attempts and plans to get close to Nicolas always ended in vain. "Why can't you ever understand, Nico? I just want to make you happy, why is it always so hard?" he whispered to himself.

After a few moments of soaking, Nicolas began to feel the effects of the drug slowly wearing off. With a calmer breath, he got out of the bathtub, grabbed a towel and dried himself off. He knew that talking to Ruby was inevitable, but he had to control himself.

As soon as Nicolas opened the bathroom door, he found Ruby still standing there, looking