Nights Burn With Regret — by Nathan Perez 159
Chapter 159
Chapter 159
Hades
I pressed my thumb against the scanner beside the door. The familiar click, followed by a soft ding, echoed through the quiet hallway as the lock disengaged. The door slid open smoothly, revealing darkness inside.
I raised an eyebrow slightly as I reached out and flipped the switch. Light flooded the hallway, but Violet wasn’t there.
“Princess?” I called out, my voice calm, even though something was already starting to feel off.
No answer.
I stepped inside and let the door close behind me, the sound echoing too loudly. My eyes scanned the living room on instinct. Everything was neat and arranged, and somehow that made it worse. I shrugged off my suit jacket and tossed it onto the couch, loosening my tie as I moved deeper inside, checking the kitchen, then the hallway.
I pushed open the bedroom door.
Empty.
I stopped in the middle of the room, my hands slipping into my pockets as I stood there, frowning slightly.
“Where is she…” I muttered under my breath.
It was late. Violet was never out this late without telling me. If she planned to stay somewhere else, she always let me know. She didn’t disappear like this, and she didn’t forget to call.
I pulled my phone out at once and dialed her number, my jaw tightening as it rang, then went straight to voicemail.
I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering long after the call ended. A strange, unfamiliar tension curled in my chest.
Without warning, my father’s voice surfaced in my mind.
“Nobody will ever truly love you. Who would love a devil like you, Hades?”
I frowned, irritation flashing through me as I exhaled slowly and ran a hand through my hair.
What the hell was wrong with me? His words had never mattered before. Not once in my life had I cared what he thought of me, or what anyone thought of me. So why now? Why did that voice choose this moment, of all moments, to crawl back into my head?
₹
I already knew the answer, even if I didn’t want to admit it.
Something inside me was afraid, afraid that Violet would see me the same way. Afraid that she would look at me one day and decide I was a monster, that I wasn’t worth staying for, that staying with me was a mistake.
I had built walls so high and so thick that no one had ever managed to get through them before. And yet she had torn them down effortlessly, without even trying, leaving me exposed in ways I had never been before.
She made me feel things I didn’t recognize, things I had never allowed myself to feel. And one of them, perhaps the most dangerous of all, was fear.
Fear of losing her.
Once, my world revolved entirely around me, around power and control and ambition. Now, without me even realizing when it happened, she had become the center of it all. And standing alone in this quiet house, with her absence pressing in on me from every direction, I understood just how deeply she had claimed a place in my life.
21:14 Tue, Jan 13
Chapter 159
I frowned slightly, forcing myself not to spiral further, and let my thoughts run wild.
I was about to turn and leave to look for her when something on the bed caught my attention. A small piece of paper lay neatly on the sheets, almost innocent in how easily it could have been missed. I slowed, then stepped closer.
I picked it up and unfolded it.
[Things I have never said thank you for.
One, thank you for saving me from drowning, and for giving me the courage to break up with my crazy ex.
P.S. Look for more notes.]
I stared at the words longer than I meant to, my brows knitting together in confusion.
What was she doing?
I glanced at the note once more, then stepped out of the room, my curiosity fully stirred. This time, I scanned the living room more carefully, and that was when I noticed another note taped neatly to the wall. I walked over, pulled it free, and read it.
[Two, thank you for always saving me when I’m in danger.]
Something shifted inside me. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, like the first crack in ice before it breaks completely.]
I clenched the note in my hand slightly, before moving forward again.
I took the stairs two at a time, and halfway up, another note caught my eye, secured to the railing as if it had been waiting for me.
[Three, thank you for saving my brother and giving me an opportunity.]
My steps slowed. The air felt warmer, and yet my hands were cold. That unfamiliar feeling returned, stronger this time.
I continued upward, drawn forward by something I couldn’t ignore.
At the door leading to the balcony, I saw the last note, placed carefully at eye level. My fingers hesitated for just a second before I took it down and unfolded it.
[Thank you for being born.]
て
My heart skipped a beat. Then another, and another.
I actually felt it, pounding violently in my chest, so loud and fast it almost amused me. I had faced many things without flinching, yet a few words written in her handwriting had reduced me to this.
I stood there for a moment, staring at the door, before finally reaching for the handle, and opened it.
The cool night air rushed in, carrying the soft scent I had come to associate only with her. Standing on the balcony was Violet, the city lights glowing faintly behind her. The wind played with her hair and dress, making her look unreal, almost like a vision I had imagined rather than something real. She held a small cake in her hands, her familiar doe eyes fixed on
She smiled, and held the cake out toward me.
“Thank you for everything, Hades,” she said, “And happy birthday. I’m happy to have met you.”
For a few seconds, I just stood there, staring at her like my body had forgotten how to function. The wind brushed past us, the small cake trembling slightly in her hands, and still I didn’t move an inch.
21:14 Tue, Jan 13
Chapter 159
Her smile slowly faltered.
She shifted her weight awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck, her eyes darting away from mine before coming back, uncertain. “A-are you annoyed that I bothered you with the notes?” she asked softly, her voice hesitant. “I’m sorry, earlier this evening Alec told me it was your birthday, and I wanted to try my best to make it special. Even though, I was kind of angry that you didn’t tell me yourself.”
She gestured toward the table behind her, where food had been carefully laid out. “I made everything myself. I even baked the cake.”
I still didn’t say anything.
The silence stretched, and I watched her shoulders drop slightly as doubt crept into her expression. She let out a quiet sigh, her fingers tightening around the cake.
“I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry, Hades. I—”
I didn’t let her finish.
I crossed the distance between us in two long steps and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into me with a force that surprised even myself. She gasped, the plate tilting, and the cake slipped from her hands, falling to the ground with a splat.
“Hades, the cake-” she started, panicked.
I didn’t care.
I lifted her chin with my fingers, forcing her to look at me, my grip firm but reverent, like she was something fragile and priceless all at once. My voice came out rough, and raw, stripped of all the control I prided myself on.
“Fuck,” I muttered. “At this point, I can no longer live without you, princess.”
Her face flushed instantly, heat blooming across her cheeks, her lips parting in shock. She looked at me like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
I didn’t give her time to think.
I kissed her deeply, pouring everything I couldn’t say into that kiss, the fear, the need, the gratitude, the devotion I had never allowed myself to feel before.
Even if the world hated me. Even if it branded me a monster.
I would accept it all. Because she was the first person who was happy that I was born.
田
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