Nights Burn With Regret — by Nathan Perez 176
Chapter 176
Violet
The room went dead silent.
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My words echoed against the high walls, and for a moment, everyone went silent. Mouths hung open, eyes widening at my comment.
The people who had been nodding along with Nora just seconds ago stiffened, their faces flushing red as embarrassment crawled up their necks. Others, those who had stayed quiet, watching from the sidelines, looked entertained. A few even let out soft snickers, quickly covering their mouths, pretending they weren’t amused while clearly enjoying every second of it.
Nora and my aunt looked like they had swallowed something bitter. Their faces were pale, their bodies rigid, trembling not just with anger but with humiliation. I watched them for a moment, and a strange thought crossed my mind.
How stupid I had been.
How foolish must I have looked back then, letting people like this bully me, control me, and ruin my life whenever they pleased. How dumb was I to endure everything quietly just to protect the few things I loved? Being bullied by stupid people had made me stupid too, or at least, it had convinced me to act like I was.
But that was the past.
If this had happened before, I would have lowered my head. I would have apologized for things I didn’t do. I would have quietly walked away, swallowing my fear and shame like I always did. But now? Now it was different. I wasn’t that woman anymore. I wasn’t the one who silently accepted every insult and every slap disguised as family concern.
They were just loud, ignorant people who had no idea what was coming.
They still believed they were in power. They still thought they were untouchable. They didn’t know that everything they had built, the money, the reputation, the influence they gained by stepping on others, was already crumbling. And the funniest part? They would be the ones to destroy it with their own hands.
Since they loved acting like they were in control, I decided it was time to show them what real control looked like.
My aunt was the first to snap out of her shock. She pointed at me, her hand shaking as she raised her voice. “Violet! How dare you speak to me like that? Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? 1—”
“What?” I cut in calmly, tilting my head as if genuinely confused. “Did I say anything wrong?”
My tone was indifferent, and bored, and that only made it worse for her.
“You people have been running your mouths without bothering to find out whether I was invited or not. Anyone with basic common sense would ask for proof before accusing someone. Instead, you chose to blame me without a single piece of evidence.”
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Chapter 176
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She opened her mouth, clearly ready to explode again, but before she could speak, someone in the crowd
beat her to it.
“She’s right,” a man said aloud. “You should’ve asked for proof before jumping to conclusions. That’s not fair.”
Another voice followed. “They’re her niece and nephew, aren’t they? Why was she so quick to accuse her like that?”
Judgmental stares turned toward my aunt from every direction. For the first time tonight, she looked uncertain, her lips pressing together as if her brain had finally caught up with her emotions. She didn’t say another word. But Nora wasn’t done.
She stepped forward, her eyes sharp and calculating. “Then tell me, Violet. Were you invited?” She crossed her arms. “If you were, show us your invitation, and I won’t say another word.”
A small smile tugged at her lips. “In fact, I’ll do more than that. If you were truly invited, I’ll go down on my knees and apologize to you for causing all this drama.”
The room stirred.
“But,” she continued smoothly, “if you weren’t invited, then you will go down on your knees and apologize for barging into this party.”
Her eyes locked onto mine, burning with intent. She wanted to humiliate me. She wanted to force me out in front of everyone. At this point, embarrassing me had become her life mission.
“So,” Nora said sweetly, gesturing toward me, “let’s see the invitation.
My uncle’s voice cut through the tension first.
“Nora, stop this,” he said sharply. “Why would you make such a comment? This is unacceptable.”
For a split second, I almost softened because of my uncle, but I hardened my heart again. My uncle might be different from his wife and daughter, but he wasn’t any better. He should have kept his family on a tight leash to begin with.
My aunt rolled her eyes dramatically, as if my uncle had just said something utterly foolish. “I don’t think it’s unacceptable at all,” she said. “Violet was the one who claimed she was invited. Why not let her prove it? If she really has an invitation, then she won’t need to go down on her knees. Simple.”
My uncle opened his mouth, clearly wanting to argue, but my aunt whispered something in his ear that shut him up instantly. He clenched his jaw and fell silent.
I looked at the two of them, and then slowly shifted my gaze to Nora. I shrugged casually, the movement
relaxed.
“I don’t have an invitation,” I said.
Nora’s lips curled into a triumphant smile, her eyes lighting up like she had just won something precious.
“See?” she said loudly, turning slightly toward the crowd. “I told you. She wasn’t invited.”
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Chapter 176
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She looked back at me, her smile widening. “Since you don’t have an invitation, you should go down on your knees and apologize for wasting everyone’s time. That’s only fair, right?”
Beside me, Sebastian stiffened. His hands tightened around the wheels of his chair, his jaw set so hard I could see the muscles flexing. The idea of me kneeling in front of these people was clearly something he would
never accept.
“You-” he started, his voice shaking with anger.
I placed my hand on his shoulder, firm but gentle, stopping him mid-sentence. Then I finished calmly, my voice steady and clear.
“Let me finish before you run your mouths. I don’t have an invitation because I don’t need an invitation.”
The room paused at my words. Nora stared at me as if she hadn’t heard me correctly.
“What?” she said. “What did you just say?”
I crossed my arms slowly, tilting my head. “You’re not deaf, are you?”
Her hand clenched into a fist. “Are you fucking with me right now?” She stepped closer, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. “You don’t need an invitation? Why wouldn’t you need an invitation? Who do you think you are?”
Her voice rose with every word, feeding on the attention of the crowd. “Everyone here is important, ministers, politicians, celebrities. Every single one of them was invited. Who do you think you are that you wouldn’t need one?”
Murmurs spread instantly.
“She’s acting like she’s above everyone,” someone scoffed.
“She’s nothing,” another voice added. “She’s just lying so she won’t have to kneel. The arrogance is ridiculous.”
Nora’s eyes gleamed, encouraged by the support. She lifted her chin, clearly enjoying this. “Enough of this already, Violet,” she snapped. “Shut up and go down on your knees this instant.”
She took another step toward me, her tone dropping into something darker. “Or else I’m going to force you to.”
Just as Nora was about to close the distance between us, a voice thundered through the hall.
“Enough.”
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