Nights Burn With Regret — by Nathan Perez 161
Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Violet
Hades killed our mother. The only woman who ever loved us.
Roman’s words echoed in my mind for what felt like the hundredth time today.
I froze.
For just a second, the world around me faded as those words echoed in my head, over and over again. My gaze lifted on its own and found Hades. He was already looking at me, blue eyes soft with that familiar longing that always made my chest ache in a way I couldn’t quite explain.
It wasn’t the look of a monster. It was the look of a man who wanted, who cared, who stayed by my side.
I shoved Roman’s words to the back of my mind, forcing them down before they could take root.
If I said I understood what was going on between him and his family, I would be lying.
I didn’t know what had happened in the past to break the bond between the brothers, or how much of the truth I was missing. I knew Roman, he was honest, and he wouldn’t lie to me. And I knew Hades too. He wasn’t a saint, and he wasn’t innocent, but he wasn’t a monster either. At least, not to me.
And more than anything, I trusted him. Or maybe I wanted to trust him so badly that I refused to believe that was all there was to the truth.
So I wouldn’t jump to conclusions. I wouldn’t let someone else’s pain define him in my eyes. When things were better, I would ask him and listen to his side of the story. Maybe there was a misunderstanding. Maybe there was a truth neither brother had been able to face yet. Maybe one day, they would forgive each other. I didn’t know. But tonight wasn’t for questions.
Tonight was for him.
I smiled at Hades, gently squeezing his hand before he could notice the hesitation in my eyes. “Forget about the cake,” I said lightly, as if nothing was wrong at all. “We can still celebrate without one. Come on.”
I tugged him toward the chair, and to my surprise, he followed without resistance, obedient in a way that still caught me off guard.
Hades Sinclair, the man everyone feared, sitting because I asked him to. My lips curved into a wider smile as I pulled out one of the party hats from the table and placed it carefully on his head, adjusting it until it sat just right. Then I grabbed another one and put it on myself, resisting the urge to laugh at how ridiculous it was.
I picked up a single candle from the table, lit it with the lighter, and held it up in front of him. The small flame flickered between us, casting soft shadows across his face.
He leaned back in the chair, studying me like I had grown a second head. “What are you doing?” he asked, confused.
“You have to make a wish,” I said, smiling as if this was the most normal thing in the world, “and then blow out the candle.”
His eyebrow lifted slightly. “Why?”
The question was simple. And yet, it made something in my chest sink painfully.
Why?
I stared at him for a moment, my smile faltering just a little before I caught it again.
Chapter 161
What kind of childhood had he lived that something like this was foreign to him? For a man who seemed to know everything about power, control, and the darker sides of the world, he looked completely lost over something so small. Blowing out a candle. Making a wish. A silly tradition children learned before they even understood what wishing really
meant.
I leaned closer, and his gaze snapped to mine at once. “It’s just something people do on their birthdays. You blow out the candles and make a wish. Since you ruined the cake, you’ll have to do it without one.”
I held the candle steady between us, the flame trembling slightly, and waited, hoping that, just for tonight, he would let himself believe in something as simple as a wish.
Hades glanced at the candle and nodded slightly. “I see.” His tone was flat, almost bored, like this was just another meaningless fact filed away in his mind. But when his eyes shifted back to me and caught the barely contained excitement on my face, something subtle changed. A corner of his mouth twitched, and he leaned forward toward the small flame.
“Wish for something, Hades,” I said, unable to stop myself. My voice came out firmer than I expected. “And close your eyes when you do it.”
He looked at me again, and then let out a quiet chuckle under his breath, clearly amused by how serious I was being. “Alright, alright,” he said indulgently, as if humoring a child. Still, he closed his eyes.
For a moment, he was completely still. There was no smirk, or teasing, just the faint rise and fall of his chest as he made a wish. When his eyes opened again, he leaned forward and blew out the candle in one smooth breath. The flame vanished instantly.
I smiled, genuinely satisfied, and set the candle down on the table. “So,” I asked, tilting my head at him, “what did you wish for?”
He shrugged lazily, one arm slipping around my waist as if it belonged there, his touch warm and far too distracting. “Don’t you want to know?” he said, that familiar dangerous smirk already spreading across his face.
I rolled my eyes.
“Let me guess,” I scoffed. “You wished to have your dessert right now.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I almost cursed myself. Heat rushed to my face, and I knew I was blushing hard.
His smirk widened instantly, pleased. His hand tightened briefly at my waist before he squeezed my ass, and I sucked in a sharp breath despite myself, mortified by how fast my body reacted.
He leaned closer, bracing one hand on the table as he lowered his head, looking at me from beneath his lashes.
“Don’t you think your mind is a little perverted? I never said anything like that.” His voice dropped. “But if you’re already thinking about it, I won’t pretend I’m not tempted.”
My face burned. I slapped his hand lightly where it rested on me and immediately stepped back. “Keep your hands to yourself, Hades,” I snapped, though my voice lacked any real bite. I pointed pointedly at the food laid out on the table. “We’re eating. I made a lot.”
I sat down beside him, trying very hard to regain my composure. All of a sudden, the memory of him touching me under the table in front of other people flashed through my mind, and I shot him a warning look. “I’m serious, Hades Sinclair. No touching.”
He laughed quietly, clearly entertained. “Okay, Violet Sinclair.”
I smiled despite myself and slid one of the plates toward him. “You must be hungry.”
He studied me for a moment, his teasing expression fading into something unreadable. “I am,” he said finally. “Thank you for everything, Violet.”
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