Nights Burn With Regret — by Nathan Perez 2

sheets?” 2 

I choked on my spit. My lungs forgot how to breathe. 

Behind me, Matthew exploded. 

“What the hell do you think you are?!” he barked, face red with disbelief. “How dare you say that to my girlfriend?!” 

The man barely turned his head. His voice was cold “Keep your mouth shut, boy. Kids don’t speak, when adults are talking” 

I stared at him. 

So did everyone else. 

I’d never seen anyone talk to Matthew like that. 

People feared him, not for who he was, but for who his adoptive father was. He was rich, powerful, and ruthless. The kind of man who could destroy reputations with a phone call. People tiptoed around Matthew because of that legacy. But not this man. 

This man looked at him like he was nothing. 

His gaze returned to me. He tilted his head. “So, what do you say?” His smirk deepened. “Will you let me ruin you tonight?” 

Heat bloomed in my stomach. I felt it crawl up my neck. 

“How dare you!” Matthew shouted again. “Security! Escort this lunatic out of here!” 

The guards didn’t move. 

Matthew turned, red-faced. “Are you all deaf?! I said get him out of here, now! If you don’t want to get fired!” 

They still didn’t move. Nora spoke up. “Matthew….do you think Violet knows him?” 

He turned to me. “Who the hell is this? Violet, do you know him?” 

I looked at him. He was still holding her. 

The woman who had nearly killed me. The woman he believed over me. The woman who got his coat, and everything he couldn’t offer to me. 

Why was I still trying? Why was I clinging to something that was never really mine? 

I looked at the stranger. 

He hadn’t moved, but he was watching me closely like he already knew the answer, but wanted me to say it. 

3/4 

I took a shaky breath, and tugged lightly at the hem of his pants. 

+25 Bonus 

His head lowered, curious. When he bent down, in one motion, I reached up and cupped both sides of his face and kissed him. 

He paused, and a low chuckle vibrated through him. 

“I’ll take that as your answer, princess.” he murmured against my lips, and then he kissed me properly. 

P