Chapter 30 Vanessa\u2019s Cold Shoulder\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
But after a moment\u2019s thought, Vincent softened a little-he could at least understand how eager grandparents were to see their grandkids. He turned to carlett, his tone still cold but less sharp. \u201cI don\u2019t care either way, but Vanessa\u2026\u201d He trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett knew exactly what he meant. Vanessa still held a grudge against her-still mad about the fight with Sabrina, still upset she hadn\u2019t apologized. There was no way her daughter would agree to go to Theron Manor with her willingly. She didn\u2019t beat around the bush, her voice straightforward. \u201cThat\u2019s why I came to you. She listens to you more than she listens to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina stood quietly beside Vincent, her hands folded in front of her, just listening to their back-and-forth without saying a word-like she was an observer, not someone who\u2019d inserted herself into their family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent shrugged, his expression neutral. \u201cEven if I talk to her, it might not work.\u201d He wasn\u2019t being difficult; he was just being honest. Vanessa had a mind of her own these days. She didn\u2019t always do what he told her- she just feared him a little more than she feared anyone else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he paused, glancing at Sabrina before adding, \u201cHow about this? I\u2019ll have Sabrina talk to her. We were on our way to pick her up from kindergarten anyway. You can come with us.\u201d His tone was casual, like it was no big deal-but Scarlett caught the underlying message. \u201cYou need Sabrina\u2019s help, not mine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to look at Sabrina. The woman stood tall, graceful, with a quiet confidence that seemed to radiate from her-like she had a magnetic pull that made Scarlett feel small, like she didn\u2019t belong. A sharp wave of hurt washed over her, her nose stinging, tears picking at the corners of her eyes. But she blinked hard, forcing them back. She wasn\u2019t going to cry in front of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo need,\u201d she said, turning away, her voice tight as she lung to the last bit of dignity she had. The thought hit her then, almost laughable-she\u2019d carried Vanessa for nine months, given birth to her, stayed up with her through every fever and nightmare-and now she needed another woman to convince her own daughter to visit her grandparents. A kid who held that much resentment\u2026 maybe Scarlett didn\u2019t even want her anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But then she remembered her parents\u2019 voices, soft and hopeful over the phone, begging to see their granddaughter. She stopped, her hands curling into fists so tight her nails dug into her palms, leaving half- moon marks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a few seconds, she turned back to Vincent, her voice steadier. \u201cI mean\u2026 I drove here myself. I\u2019ll just follow your car.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent noticed her eyes were a little red, like she\u2019d been holding back tears, but he didn\u2019t comment on it. He just nodded. \u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina finally spoke, her voice gentle, like she was trying to be reassuring. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Ms. Theron. When we get to the kindergarten, I\u2019ll do my best to talk to Vanssa. She\u2019s a really sweet kid-she just needs a little nudge.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett knew Sabrina was hinting at something-hinting that Scarlett wasn\u2019t doing enough, that she didn\u2019t understand her own daughter. But she couldn\u2019t snap at abrina, not right now. She just swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett climbed into her car and watched as Vincent walked around to Sabrina\u2019s side, opening the door for her and leaning in to buckle her seatbelt. He\u2019d always semed so untouchable-cold, distant, like nothing could soften him. But now he was bending over backward for someone else. The only person he\u2019d ever done that for, she realized, was probably Sabrina.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
09:23 Wed, Jan\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 30 Vanessa\u2019s Cold Shoulder\u00a0<\/p>\n
86%1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sat there for a minute, not starting the engine. Sheaned back against the seat, staring out the window at the street-everything outside looked blurry, like her eyes were fogged over. Her heart hurt so bad it felt like it was being torn to shreds. It hurt to see how kind Vincent was to Sabrina, and it hurt even more to know her daughter would listen to Sabrina before she\u2019d listen to her. She\u2019d never done anything to hurt them, never been anything but a good mom and wife. So why were they treating her like this?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sat there, numb, until her phone rang, jolting her out of her trance. She glanced down-Vincent\u2019s name flashed on the screen. She answered, her voice hoarse. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent\u2019s voice came through, casual. \u201cAren\u2019t you following us yet? We\u2019re about to pull out.\u201d For once, he sounded like he cared-like he\u2019d noticed she was lagging behind. But then she realized it wasn\u2019t concern for her. It was just impatience, like she was holding them up\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m coming now,\u201d she said, and hung up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she pulled into the kindergarten parking lot, the teachers were already standing at the gate, herding the kids into a line. Vanessa was at the front of her class, her little backpack slung over one shoulder. When she saw Sabrina, her face lit up-eyes wide, a big smile spreading across her face. But then the smile faded, and her shoulders drooped, her face turning sad again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett could tell right away something was wrong. Her mom\u2019s instincts kicked in-she worried Vanessa had been bullied, or forgotten her lunch, or gotten in trouble with the teacher. Without thinking, she called out, \u201cVanessa!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa turned at the sound of her voice. For a split second, her face lit up like she was about to wave- happy to see her mom. But then she remembered Scarlett hadn\u2019t taken her to school that morning. She\u2019d been late, missed the morning circle time, and didn\u2019t get the little sticker she\u2019d worked so hard for. The happiness vanished, replaced by anger. She turned away ignoring Scarlett completely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The smile froze on Scarlett\u2019s face, then faded. She\u2019d never really tried to fix things with Vanessa-not in the past few weeks. She\u2019d let Vanessa pull away, let her get closer to Sabrina, because she didn\u2019t want to fight. She figured Vanessa would come around eventually. But now, even when she reached out, she was ignored. How could she not feel heartbroken?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ever since Vanessa was born, Scarlett had dreamed of being there for every moment-her first step, her first word, her first day of school. But now Vanessa was in kindergarten, and this was the first time Scarlett had ever come to pick her up. She\u2019d missed so much.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the teachers spotted Sabrina and walked over, smiling warmly. \u201cVanessa\u2019s mom! Good to see you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina didn\u2019t correct her. She just smiled back, her voice friendly. \u201cHi there. How was her day?\u201d Then she turned to Vanessa and waved. \u201cVanessa, come here!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa grabbed her backpack and ran straight into Sabrina\u2019s arms, burying her face in Sabrina\u2019s shirt. And then, right there in the middle of the parking lot, she started crying-quiet, sniffling sobs,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSabrina,\u201d she mumbled, her voice muffled by Sabrina\u2019s ress. \u201cCan you take me to school tomorrow? I don\u2019t ever want to go to Great-Grandpa\u2019s house again. It\u2019s all Mom\u2019s fault-I was late, and I didn\u2019t get my sticker.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Send Gifts\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u9801\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.0K\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u76ee1\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Awakened Housewife. Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 30 Chapter 30 Vanessa\u2019s Cold Shoulder\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 But after a moment\u2019s thought, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-impossible-condition-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27394\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}