Nights Burn With Regret — by Nathan Perez 181
Chapter 181
Violet
:
55 vouchers
If anyone ever said that revenge would never make you feel good, that person deserves a slap across the face.
A hard one.
That kind of statement only ever comes from people who have never tasted real revenge, the kind that settles in your chest like a perfect meal after years of starvation. They’ve never been hurt deeply enough, never been stripped down piece by piece, never been humiliated, cornered, bullied, and crushed by people who smiled while doing it.
People like that talk about forgiveness because they have never experienced real pain.
Maybe they’re more sympathetic. Maybe they’re kinder. Or maybe they just never suffered enough to understand why watching your bully collapse could feel this intoxicating.
I used to think I would be like them. When I first planned all of this, I thought I wouldn’t be able to go through with it. I thought I would feel guilty. I thought I would stop halfway, overwhelmed by shame, and fear.
My mother was kind, and naive. She believed that no matter what someone did to you, inflicting pain back would only poison your own soul. She wanted me to be gentle, forgiving, and soft. She didn’t want me to become someone who could hurt others back. But I am not my mother. And just because she was kind doesn’t mean I ever had to be.
I am not someone who will let people destroy me and my brother again and again and walk away unscathed. I am not someone who will swallow pain and call it grace. I don’t feel bad watching them like this. I feel thrilled, and alive. Watching the people who once thought they held all the power reduced to trembling messes feels right. It feels like balance had been restored.
And this was only the beginning. My revenge hadn’t even reached its peak yet.
My eyes flicked down to Nora.
Her face had gone completely pale, ghost-white, her lips trembling as she stared up at me like she was looking straight at the devil. Her breaths came fast and shallow, as if the air around her had thickened into something she couldn’t push through her lungs.
I tilted my head slowly, enjoying the way fear on her face.
“Go on your knees and apologize, Nora,” I said calmly.
Her eyes widened in horror.
“No!” she blurted out, shaking her head violently. “I-I can’t. Are you insane?” Her voice cracked. “There are too many people here. I can’t possibly go on my knees. You’ll ruin me, and my reputation in front of them!”
I watched her for a moment, studying her face as if seeing it for the first time. She really was beautiful. We shared similarities, doe eyes, a straight nose, soft lips. But where hers were delicate and fragile, mine were
14:59 Tue, Feb 3
Chapter 181
…
42
55 vouchers
sharper and more elegant. Hers was the kind of beauty that begged to be protected. Mine was the kind that didn’t need protection anymore.
My lips curved slightly.
Matthew really did have a type.
When his first love, Nora, left him, he found me because I looked like her. And when she came back, the two of them made my life a living hell. Even after I broke things off, even after I walked away and wanted nothing to do with him, she still didn’t stop. She made sure I lost everything, piece by piece.
So now it was her turn.
I tightened my fingers around her chin, forcing her to look at me, and leaned down slowly until my red lipstick brushed lightly against her cheek. “Nora, you’re really such an interesting creature, aren’t you?”
The moment the words left my mouth, I watched her body stiffen. Her eyes shook violently, pupils trembling as if they couldn’t decide whether to run or beg.
“Do you know why I find you the most interesting out of everyone” I continued, my tone almost detached. “It’s because you don’t know when to stop.”
Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
“Even Riley, with all her pride and that awful personality of hers, at least knows when to stop. She knows when to act, when to retreat, and when to survive. She’s smart enough to read the room. She was even the main person I wanted to ruin, but you keep pushing yourself forward, keep forcing me to notice you, when I don’t even care whether you exist or not.”
I leaned in just enough for her to hear every word clearly. “You’re dumb. You keep moving forward even when the cliff is right in front of you. It’s like you’re walking toward your own destruction with your eyes wide open, and still convincing yourself you’ll be fine.”
66
…..
99
“When I made you kneel back in that conference room, your brain should’ve told you something wasn’t adding up tonight. You should’ve stopped. You should’ve ran. Instead, you chose to ruin yourself all over again.” My lips curled in mockery. “But then again, the dumber you are, the more entertaining it is to watch your downfall.”
She flinched like I’d struck her.
I straightened, leaning back slightly, taking her in properly now. She looked small, and terrified. Gone was the girl who once smiled sweetly while sharpening knives behind her back. I smiled at her gently, and said the words that shattered what little composure she had left.
“So apologize, Nora. Apologize to me, the wife of Hades Sinclair.” I paused deliberately. “Matthew’s new mother. And possibly your new mother-in-law.”
Her body convulsed as if something inside her snapped. “Ah-!” she screamed, a broken sound tearing out of her as she suddenly lunged forward and shoved me with both hands.
15:00 Tue, Feb 3
Chapter 181
42
55 vouchers
I stumbled back, caught off guard, my heels sliding for a split second until strong hands caught me instantly.
I didn’t need to turn around. That familiar warmth, that addictive cologne wrapping around me told me everything. Hades’ arm locked around my waist, pulling me back against his chest before I could even lose my balance.
I exhaled slowly and looked up at him. His eyes softened the moment they met mine, concern flickering beneath all those dangerous eyes.
“I’m fine,” I murmured. “Thank you.”
He didn’t respond right away. He was still checking me, scanning my face, making sure I truly was unharmed. Only when he was satisfied did he finally look away, and looked at Nora. And in that instant, the temperature in the room dropped.
Everyone felt it the change. The hall went so silent it was suffocating. Even I shivered slightly, despite
knowing that murderous intent wasn’t directed at me. Hades looked at Nora like she was nothing more than an insect beneath his shoe.
“It’s funny,” he said slowly, his deep voice echoing through the hall, “how people tend to forget their place, and who I am.”
People flinched, and fear rippled through the crowd.
He lifted his gaze, sweeping it across everyone present, his lips quirking upward without a trace of warmth. “I’m sure most of you have never experienced what I’m capable of when I’m angry. And those who have? I’m sure you’d rather not experience it again.”
Several guests instinctively stepped back.
“If you don’t want to learn what my anger feels like,” he continued calmly, “then learn your place.”
His hand tightened around my waist, possessively.
“This woman is my wife. And my wife stands above me. So tell me, who do you think you are in front of her?”
No one dared answer.
Hades’ gaze dropped back to Nora, who was still on the floor, shaking violently.
“So let me make this very clear, anyone who disrespects my wife will experience pain worse than death.”
“And if my wife tells someone to kneel,” he said dangerously, “then they kneel.”
15:00 Tue, Feb 3
Join Our WhatsApp Channel For Fast Update Or More Novels: 
Join Our WhatsApp Channel For Fast Update Or More Novels: