Damian\u2019s expression remained dark. He turned just enough to fix Sabrina with a glare\u2013the coldness in his eyes was sharp, almost venomous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina had never seen him look like that and felt a flicker of genuine fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa, shaken by Damian\u2019s threat, buried her face in Sabrina\u2019s shoulder, crying quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nearby, Eric\u2019s tears stopped the moment Damian returned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After confronting Vanessa, Damian bent and scooped Eric up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He carried the boy to a quieter spot before setting him down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Crouching to Eric\u2019s eye level, Damian gently brushed the child\u2019s hair. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, buddy,\u201d he said, his voice soft now. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have left you alone back there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even though Damian often teased Eric, in truth, he cared for him like his own.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing him hurt like this was unbearable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eric shook his head. His eyes were still red, but he managed a small, brave smile. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Damian. You don\u2019t need to say sorry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing that only made Damian\u2019s heart ache more. He pulled Eric into a quick hug. \u201cCome on,\u201d he said, standing. \u201cLet\u2019s find another group. We don\u2019t have to stay with\u2026 her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, he took Eric\u2019s hand and went to find Bianca.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the teacher saw Eric\u2019s tear\u2013streaked face, she asked what had happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After listening, her expression softened with sympathy. \u201cEric,\u201d she said gently, \u201cyou\u2019re a strong boy. We don\u2019t let words like that keep us down, okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eric nodded. \u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bianca understood why Damian had brought him over. \u201cIs there another friend you\u2019d like to join instead?\u201d she asked Eric.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without hesitation, Eric replied, \u201cI want to be in Clara\u2019s group.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clara could be tough, but he liked playing with her she never picked on his deepest hurts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bianca gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. \u201cAlright, let\u2019s make that happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:09 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 328 A Frustrated Kiss\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
A 64\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a quick rearrangement, Damian swapped places with the mother originally paired with Scarlett.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once in the new group, Damian suggested Clara and Eric stay under the trees to wash and prep the vegetables, while he and Scarlett went to gather firewood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett didn\u2019t ask why the groups had been changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Firewood wasn\u2019t easy to find inside the park itself, so they had to walk a bit farther out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
West Hill Park wasn\u2019t fully developed\u2013some areas were still rough and uneven.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian walked briskly ahead, and Scarlett quickened her pace to keep up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time she reached him, he\u2019d already collected several dry branches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He snapped one across his knee, then another\u2013but without gloves, a sharp splinter soon dug into his finger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett noticed the blood immediately. She reached for his hand without thinking. \u201cLet me\u00a0<\/p>\n
see.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian started to pull away, but the concern in her eyes made him still.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He watched her closely, his gaze intense, as if trying to see past her calm exterior.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett felt his stare but didn\u2019t look up. She focused on cleaning the small wound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, Damian couldn\u2019t hold back. Even keeping his voice low, she could hear the tension in it. \u201cWhy are you so distant with me now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett was dabbing the cut with a clean tissue. At his question, she flinched almost imperceptibly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a pause, she replied quietly, \u201cWe live in different worlds.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She kept her head down, her lashes casting faint shadows. There was no smile in her tone- only a quiet, stubborn seriousness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words stung. Damian\u2019s voice grew heavier. \u201cScarlett, I\u2019ve been trying\u2013really trying\u2013to close that distance. I\u2019ve taken so many steps toward you. Why won\u2019t you take even one toward me? Why?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett finally looked up, her fingers still pressed lightly against his.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When their eyes met, she saw the frustration burning in his.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:09 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 328 A Frustrated Kiss\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a second, her mind flashed back to that night\u2013the image of Damian kissing Sabrina.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(64)\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her expression cooled. \u201cYou have your life,\u201d she said, her tone turning brittle. \u201cI have mine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian was tired of hearing that. It wasn\u2019t like this at the hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d let him hold her while she slept. He refused to believe she felt nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Angry now, he caught her wrist and pulled her closer. \u201cYou\u2019re lying to me,\u201d he said, his voice low and tight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett winced at his grip. \u201cDamian,\u201d she said, frowning, \u201clet go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u3002\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.1K\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\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 328 Damian\u2019s expression remained dark. He turned just enough to fix Sabrina […]<\/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-27692","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\/27692","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=27692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27692\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}