Nights Burn With Regret — by Nathan Perez 168
Chapter 168
Chapter 168
Violet
識
I smiled and tilted my head at him. “Am I? Alright then, go on. Tell them how annoying I am. Don’t just stand there like a tree. Mom might get annoyed if she saw that.”
Sebastian looked at me for a moment, as if weighing my words, before finally nodding. He moved forward on his crutches. stopping in front of the graves. His shoulders stiffened at first, then slowly relaxed as he took a breath.
“Mom, Dad, Skylar,” he began, his voice quiet but steady. “How have you guys been? Do you know how much I miss you?” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I dream about you almost every day, you know. Sometimes I still think you were really mean for leaving me this early.”
He let out a shaky breath, then added. “But I don’t hate you for it. I really don’t. In fact, the next time we meet, I’ll make sure you don’t leave again. You guys are terrible with time, honestly.”
I smiled softly as I watched him, but my chest tightened when I saw tears gathering in his eyes. He blinked rapidly, yet his voice didn’t stop.
“Even though I don’t hate you, I think you weren’t fair to Violet.” His voice cracked, and the first tear slipped down his cheek. “You didn’t just leave her with the pain of watching you go, you left her with a brat like me.” He gave a weak, humorless laugh, but more tears followed, trailing down his face.
“You see,” Sebastian went on, his words spilling out now, “ever since you left us. Violet never lived for herself. She put herself in this bubble. And even when she had chances to leave it, she couldn’t because of me. She had to grow up so fast, take care of me, and make her whole life revolve around me. His hands tightened around his crutches. “I never understood why. Why she would go through all that trouble just so I wouldn’t suffer the way she did.”
He sniffed, his voice trembling. “Maybe it’s just an older sibling thing. I still don’t fully get it. But now I do know one thing. I’ll take care of her from now on. So don’t worry. I won’t stand still anymore and watch my sister get bullied. I’ll protect Violet, so you can rest in peace.”
I stared at my brother, my vision blurring. I quickly wiped the tear that escaped the corner of my eye, I had promised myself I wouldn’t cry today. Stepping closer, I reached out and ruffled his hair again. This time, Sebastian didn’t complain or swat my hand away. He just stood there, letting me do it.
I let out a small laugh and shook my head. “See you, talking like a man already,” I said. “You’re still young, Sebastian. Try having a girlfriend before you start talking about protecting me like this.”
He frowned at me immediately. “Hey. It’s not because I can’t have a girlfriend,” he argued. “It’s because I don’t want one. You know how busy I am with school.”
I nodded, my smile softening. “I know. And that’s exactly why I’m telling you this now, stop living like a grown-up, and live like a teenager for once. Your sister will be the grown-up.”
He scoffed, rolling his eyes, and I smiled wider. Teasing him like this felt comforting, like we were back to being just siblings instead of survivors holding each other together.
When I turned around, I saw Hades standing a few steps behind us, his hands tucked into his pockets as he quietly watched the two of us. For a moment, I just looked at him, then turned back to the graves and spoke.
“Dad, do you remember when I cried and you told me I was too ugly and that no man would ever marry an ugly girl?” I said. “Well, you were wrong. A man did marry your ugly little girl.”
I walked over to Hades without hesitation, took his hand, and gently dragged him forward. He looked down at me. surprised, but didn’t resist. I stopped in front of the graves and said, “Hades, let me introduce you to my family. This is my father, my mother, and my older brother.” I squeezed his hand. “And guys, this is Hades. My husband. Your son-in-law, and
21:15 Tue, Jan 13
Chapter 168
brother-in-law.”
1,465 tounrand
My lips curved into a proud smile. “I’ve always wanted to brag about this one day. I really wanted to prove you wrong.”
I turned to Hades. “My family can be annoying, but I hope you don’t mind them. They’re your family now, too.”
He froze at that, like the word family had hit somewhere deep. I didn’t let go of his hand. I wanted him to feel to know that even if his own family didn’t see him as one of theirs, mine did. He looked at me for a long mornent before a small smile finally appeared on his face.
“I see,” he said quietly.
He faced the graves, nodded once in greeting. “Hello. I’m Hades. Violet’s husband. I’ll be responsible for her from now on.”
My heart skipped a beat.
I glanced at Sebastian and noticed how tired he looked. Standing for this long always drained him. “Alright,” I said, stepping closer. “Let’s go. I’ll help you down.”
Sebastian looked at me, then at Hades, hesitating before clearing his throat. “Um… Hades,” he said awkwardly. “Can you help me down?”
Hades blinked, clearly surprised, then nodded. “Okay.”
He stepped forward and helped Sebastian carefully. I watched the two of them with a smile, warmth spreading through my chest. Sebastian was trying. That alone meant everything to me.
Before leaving, I looked back at the graves one last time.
“I’m sorry for not growing up the way you wanted, Mom and Dad, but I promise you this, I’ll make them pay for everything they did to Sebastian. And I’ll take back everything that was taken from us.”
田
AD
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21:15 Tue, Jan 13
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