If it were Scarlett, she would\u2019ve dropped everything to be with her. Even if she was in the bathroom, she\u2019d come out right away. But Vincent wouldn\u2019t\u2013he was always busy with work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thinking of Scarlett, Vanessa\u2019s eyes grew hot with unshed tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, footsteps sounded outside her door. Vanessa looked toward the slightly ajar door and caught a glimpse of Scarlett\u2019s figure passing by in the hallway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett didn\u2019t even come in to check on her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa rolled over to face the window, and the tears she\u2019d been holding back began to fall quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She cried for a long time, but sleep still wouldn\u2019t come. Finally, she sat up, thinking maybe she could\u00a0<\/p>\n
go see Sabrina.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent had bought Sabrina a house right next door. She could walk there herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clutching her stuffed animal, Vanessa slipped quietly out of Ravenshade Villa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she rang the doorbell next door, she was filled with hope\u2013maybe Sabrina would come greet her with a warm hug.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t Sabrina who opened the door. It was Maria.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa went pale at the sight of her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maria opened the door warmly and took Vanessa\u2019s small hand. \u201cIt\u2019s chilly out\u2013you\u2019re not dressed warmly enough. Come inside, sweetie. I\u2019ll warm up some milk for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa didn\u2019t want to go in. She tried to pull her hand back, but Maria\u2019s grip tightened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sensing her resistance, Maria\u2019s tone shifted slightly. \u201cGet inside now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unable to break free, Vanessa was led into the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once in the living room, Maria sat on the sofa and patted the spot beside her. \u201cCome here,\u201d she ordered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa hugged her stuffed toy and sat down uneasily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment she was seated, Maria\u2019s friendly mask dropped. She reached over and pinched Vanessa\u2019s arm hard\u2013twice. \u201cYou little pest,\u201d she muttered through gritted teeth, her voice low and vicious. \u201cI could just wring your neck.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:09 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 323 Hidden Bruises\u00a0<\/p>\n
A64\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maria glared as if she wanted to devour the child whole.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The pain made Vanessa burst into loud, startled tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cQuiet!\u201d Maria hissed sharply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa had never seen Maria like this. Trembling, she whimpered, \u201cMaria, it hurts\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her crying only seemed to irritate Maria more. She pinched her again, then leaned close to threaten in a harsh whisper. \u201cIf you tell anyone about this, I\u2019ll make sure Sabrina never wants you again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa fell silent, but tears continued to stream down her cheeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just the thought of Sabrina not wanting her filled Vanessa with fear and dread.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Crying softly, she promised, \u201cI won\u2019t tell\u2026 I won\u2019t tell anyone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sabrina stood inside the first\u2013floor guest room, her ear pressed to the doorframe, listening to Vanessa\u2019s sobs outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The louder Vanessa cried, the more satisfaction Sabrina felt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing those pitiful sounds, she even felt the urge to stride out and slap the child herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But for the sake of her long\u2013term plans, she couldn\u2019t let Vanessa see her true face\u2013not yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back at Ravenshade Villa, Scarlett had already washed up and lain down for a while. She was just drifting into a doze when she felt a small body slip under the covers beside her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned and reached out instinctively, touching the warm little form. Instantly, she was fully awake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett jerked back in alarm. \u201cWho is it?\u201d she asked warily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Out of the darkness came Vanessa\u2019s raspy, tear\u2013strained voice. \u201cMom\u2026 it\u2019s me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing her, Scarlett\u2019s tense shoulders relaxed. But remembering how Vanessa had treated her recently, she kept her voice cool. \u201cYour room is next door.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa wriggled closer, nestling against Scarlett\u2019s arm. \u201cBut, Mom\u2026 I want to sleep with you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had gone to find Sabrina, but only met Maria.\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:09 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
&\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maria promised she\u2019d stay until Vanessa fell asleep, but it was all talk\u2013Maria was snoring before Vanessa had even closed her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 323 Hidden Bruises\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then there were the pinches\u2026 they still hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa had always been treated like a princess. When had she ever been treated so cruelly?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She felt miserable, but lying next to Scarlett now, she wasn\u2019t sure if she should say anything about what Maria had done.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett didn\u2019t really want Vanessa in her bed, but the child refused to leave and sounded so heartbroken.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Against her better judgment, Scarlett\u2019s resolve softened. She didn\u2019t hug Vanessa or show much affection, simply saying, \u201cFine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lying beside Scarlett, Vanessa felt a sense of safety she hadn\u2019t known all evening. Here, she didn\u2019t have to worry about anyone pinching her or speaking to her harshly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Several times through the night, Vanessa tried to roll over and curl into Scarlett\u2019s arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But each time, Scarlett quietly shifted away, keeping a careful distance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next morning, Scarlett woke first. Seeing Vanessa asleep beside her, her eyes stung again with unwanted emotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But remembering the coldness Vanessa had shown her, she hardened her heart, got up quietly, and left the bedroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After washing up and heading downstairs, she heard Xavier say near the front door, \u201cI\u2019m just going out for a short walk. I\u2019ll be back for breakfast.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.1K\u00a0<\/p>\n
B\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/31\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:09 Wed, Jan 14\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 323 If it were Scarlett, she would\u2019ve dropped everything to be with […]<\/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-27687","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\/27687","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=27687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27687\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}