Nights Burn With Regret — by Nathan Perez 158
Chapter 158
Chapter 158
Riley
My mother stayed quiet after that, her lips pressed tightly together as if saying another word might make everything worse. Nora nodded too, a little too quickly, her eyes still swollen and red. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and spoke in a hopeful voice.
“Yes… yes, let’s beg her,” she said. “Maybe she’ll forgive us. She always forgave us before, didn’t she?” Her voice cracked as she continued. “If we go on our knees and beg, maybe she won’t show Matthew the evidence. Maybe she’ll let it go.”
I frowned.
One thing was clear, whatever happened today had something to do with Matthew. That had to be the reason Nora was this terrified. I had never seen her this submissive, and broken before. The girl who used to look down on everyone now sounded like she was clinging to her last thread of hope.
I was about to say something when my father snapped.
“AHH, damn it!” he roared, kicking the glass table so hard it shattered, pieces scattering across the floor. We all jumped back in shock, my h
slamming violently against my ribs. His face was red with fury, his chest heaving as he glared at all of us
like we were strangers.
“Are you all kidding me?” he shouted. “How many times do I have to tell you not to bother Violet and her brother? How many times do I have to tell you to leave my niece and nephew alone?” His voice shook with rage. “Why won’t you ever fucking listen?!”
He ran a hand through his hair, breathing hard, before continuing, his voice low but deadly. “After my brother died. I was responsible for taking care of them. But I was too busy with the hospital. I trusted you,” he said, looking straight at my mother. “I left them in your care, and you took advantage of it. You treated them however you wanted.”
My mother shook her head frantically and grabbed his arm. “N-no,” she said, her voice trembling. “Everything I did was for our family. They were a threat. If I didn’t do something, they would’ve taken everything we own.”
My father laughed bitterly and shoved her hand away. “It was theirs to begin with,” he snapped. “And you know that. I was only the adopted brother. Her father was the true heir.”
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
I clenched my jaw, irritated. I hated hearing that, I hated being reminded that Violet was always above us, that we were always less. But I pushed that thought aside. This wasn’t about pride anymore. This was about survival.
I turned to my father, my voice urgent. “Dad, beg her.”
He looked at me, surprised.
“Violet and Sebastian still have a soft spot for you,” I continued quickly, “You’re the only one she might listen to. Beg her for us. Promise her we’ll never touch her again. Make her forget everything we’ve done.”
He stared at me for a long mome
his expression unreadable. Then he said my name quietly.
“Riley.”
I blinked. “Yes?”
His eyes locked onto mine. “Were you the one who made Sebastian fall out of that window?”
I froze at his question, my breath catching in my throat. For a second, my mind went blank, the room spinning slightly as I
Chapter 158
took an instinctive step back.
“I-“The word barely left my mouth before my father’s voice cut through the air again, sharper and more dangerous than
before.
“Answer my question,” he said coldly. “Was Violet telling the truth? Did you really tell those boys to bully her brother?”
My lips trembled as I bit down on them. There was no way out of this, no excuse left to hide behind. If I wanted his help, I had to tell him the truth.
I nodded my head, whispering under my breath. “Y-yes, I did.”
My father’s jaw tightened, the muscle ticking as if he was barely holding himself together. For a moment, I thought he might explode, and he might finally lose control, but instead, he exhaled sharply, turned away, and dropped heavily into the chair. He pressed his hand to his forehead, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of everything had finally crushed him.
“What have you people done…” he murmured.
My chest tightened, guilt crashing over me all at once. I rushed forward and fell to my knees in front of him, grabbing onto his sleeve like a child.
“I’m sorry, Father,” I cried. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for her brother to fall. I swear I didn’t. I didn’t think they would take it that far.” My voice broke as the words spilled out. “I just wanted to scare her. I wanted her to help me with the exams so you could be proud of me. That’s all. If I knew it would turn out like this, if I knew Violet would change this much, I would never have done it. Please… forgive me. Please help me.”
He looked down at me, his eyes tired, filled with disappointment that hurt more than any punishment ever could. He sighed deeply. “Violet hasn’t been answering my calls,” he said quietly. “No matter how many times I try to reach her, she won’t pick up.”
My heart dropped. I shook my head frantically. “Then think of another way,” I pleaded. “There has to be another way. Father, I’m really scared of her. I can’t even sleep properly anymore. She’s not the old Violet. What if one day she decides to kill me? There’s someone backing her up, we don’t even know how dangerous that person is.”
Nora, still sitting on the chair with her arms wrapped around herself, nodded weakly. “Riley’s right. She’s really not the old Violet. She didn’t hesitate at all when she made me take all the blame. If we don’t do something, she’ll ruin all of us.”
I saw my mother swallow hard, the color draining from her face as she finally started taking our words seriously. My father frowned, staring at the floor as if deep in thought, the silence stretching long,
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
All of us flinched at the sound, snapping our heads toward the door. After a while, my mother forced herself to stand.
“I’ll… I’ll go check,” she said, her voice unsteady.
She walked to the door and opened it wide. A man stood there in a perfectly tailored suit, his expression blank and
unreadable.
“Who are you?” my mother asked cautiously.
“Good afternoon,” the man replied calmly. “I have a message from the Sinclair family.”
Nora was on her feet instantly, rushing toward the door, hope flashing in her eyes. “A message?” she asked breathlessly. “Is it
for me?”
The man glanced at her indifferently, then shook his head. “It’s for all of you.”
Tue, Jan
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