I went though the Nicole and MC open relationship debate scenes and build up. You would have to be mental to think Nicole was doing it for the MC and his needs while in Sunset Bay, even the way she phrases things and how she comes to conclusions show she is always putting herself first. Have no idea how the future updates will spin it, if they try to make it seem she was doing it all for MC benefit and she never had any intention of meeting someone, but zero ground work was laid to ever and I mean ever show that so far in game, so it is hard for me to believe that was ever going to be the case, I guess backlash made the dev team start running some defense and hinting at the future.
She even mentions about finding other people and permanently moving on if it happens. Is that how an open relationship works in her mind. Stay together for now and then move on if they find someone more compatible. Anyway, went in with a clear mind to check those scenes. No ground work was ever laid in my mind to show it was about the MC needs and not about hers. She calls all the shots. I would have to admittedly play the early game also again, to see their interactions more clearly with a fresh mind.
If you want something to be believable or have people playing view something a certain way, just lay the ground work. You surely knew as the people making it how you were portraying Nicole as a character, this was not going to endear her to people and how she was acting, possibly.
Obviously the mental thing was a joke in the beginning of this post, you can still freely think how you wish if you believe so far she acts like this is all in MC interests. I can only go on what has been made currently and I don't include the promises of the future development of the game. You can only rate/review what you can see. I am sure something will be written up in time to make it more palatable, probably.
I have not the time at moment to go on, time for sleep. But tomorrow I will go through some choice dialogue she uses and the times it is really all about her and her needs. A more detailed in depth post if needed and give it a full play again taking it all in calmly again, just to be sure. Never hurts to think it over once more and then assess.