Chapter 255 A Child\u2019s Midnight Fears\u00a0<\/p>\n
In front of her, every line he\u2019d ever drawn for himself seemed to blur into irrelevance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
67\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
At Ravenshade Villa, Vanessa jolted awake from a nightmare with a sharp gasp, immediately bursting into loud, frightened sobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Downstairs, Lily had just finished tidying up the kitchen when she heard the cries from above. She hurried up the staircase.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pushing open the bedroom door, she found Vanessa sitting upright in the middle of the big bed, her face wet with tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetheart, what\u2019s the matter?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily rushed to the bedside, bending down to gather the little girl into her arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa buried her face in Lily\u2019s shoulder, her small body shaking. \u201cLily,\u201d she whimpered, \u201cI dreamed Daddy and Sabrina both left and didn\u2019t want me anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily rocked her gently. \u201cOh, honey, of course not. Your father and Ms. Monroe just went to a party. They\u2019ll be home soon.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa\u2019s eyes, swimming with fresh tears, looked up at her. \u201cThen why aren\u2019t they back yet?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily glanced at the wall clock. It was already past two in the morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t have a good answer for the child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a moment\u2019s thought, she settled on, \u201cThey must have been delayed, sweetie.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to call Daddy,\u201d Vanessa insisted, her voice thick with sleep and sorrow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily had no choice but to agree.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She dialed Vincent\u2019s number. The phone rang and rang, but no one picked up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing this, Vanessa\u2019s crying intensified. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t want me, Lily! He doesn\u2019t!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily carried her, pacing slowly around the room. She soothed and patted her back for what felt like ages, but the tears wouldn\u2019t stop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, Lily ventured softly, \u201cVanessa\u2026 would you like to call your mom?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
19:59 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 255 A Child\u2019s Midnight Fears\u00a0<\/p>\n
67\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the word \u201cmom\u201c, Vanessa\u2019s sobs hitched. She grew quiet, thinking seriously for a few seconds before giving a small, hesitant nod.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily could see it plainly\u2013the little girl missed her mother terribly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What child didn\u2019t?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa was only five. For all her apparent closeness with Sabrina, a mother\u2019s place was something entirely different, impossible to replace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa probably didn\u2019t even understand her own feelings fully. The crying and fussing were just her way of dealing with the big, confusing emotions inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily found Scarlett\u2019s number and dialed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once the call connected, she handed the phone to Vanessa. \u201cHere, sweetie. It\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
your mom.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa, however, turned her face stubbornly away, refusing to speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as Lily was about to coax her, Scarlett\u2019s voice came through the receiver. \u201cHello?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing it, Vanessa\u2019s ears perked up slightly. She was listening, waiting to see if her mom would ask about her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily tried again to hand her the phone, but Vanessa just stared at it, making no move to take it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sighing inwardly, Lily brought the phone back to her own ear. \u201cMrs. Stewart, it\u2019s Lily. Vanessa\u2026 She was saying she misses you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said it hoping to bridge the growing distance between mother and daughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the words had the opposite effect. Overhearing, Vanessa immediately protested, \u201cLily! I did not! I said I miss Daddy and Sabrina!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the other end of the line, Scarlett heard the defiance loud and clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had just gotten home, wiped off her makeup, and was drained. Hearing Vanessa\u2019s sharp correction, a wave of weary frustration washed over her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without stopping to filter her thoughts, she replied to Lily, \u201cShe doesn\u2019t miss me, Lily. She\u2019s just lonely because there\u2019s no one else there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was two a.m. A call at this hour only meant two things\u2013either the child was sick, or Vincent and Sabrina weren\u2019t around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And wasn\u2019t it just perfect timing? Sabrina had gotten hurt tonight, and Vincent had undoubtedly gone to the hospital with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
213\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:00 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 255 A Child\u2019s Midnight Fears\u00a0<\/p>\n
La 67\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, Vanessa had no one. And now, suddenly, she remembered her mother.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After stating that blunt truth, Scarlett ended the call, not waiting to hear Lily\u2019s response or consider what they might think of her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back in the bedroom, Lily was still holding the phone to her ear when the dial tone began to buzz.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In all her years at Ravenshade Villa, Scarlett had always been endlessly patient and attentive with both Vincent and Vanessa, caring for every detail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, everything was different.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Lily understood why. She couldn\u2019t blame Scarlett, not one bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A husband and child like that\u2026 They really weren\u2019t worth the heartache.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, she was the household help. It wasn\u2019t her place to say anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she set the phone down, Vanessa started up again, crying even harder. She flopped back on the bed, kicking her feet. \u201cMean mommy! She\u2019s a mean mommy! I don\u2019t want her!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily watched the display, feeling a deep, helpless weariness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Scarlett had been the one taking care of Vanessa daily, the little girl had never thrown tantrums like this. She\u2019d never been so openly spiteful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But now\u2026 Vanessa had picked up some nasty habits somewhere. To speak about her own mother that way\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
If she could say such things at home, what might she say to others outside?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thought made Lily sigh heavily once more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa\u2019s cries were climbing in volume again. Lily was steeling herself to offer more comfort when the bedroom door opened softly, and Maria walked in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.1K\u00a0<\/p>\n
W\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:00 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Awakened Housewife: Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editorial Board: Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 255 Chapter 255 A Child\u2019s Midnight Fears\u00a0 In front of her, every […]<\/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-27619","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\/27619","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=27619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27619\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}