A 63\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t do it on purpose. Why should I apologize?\u201d Naomi wasn\u2019t about to back down, so she shot back defiantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman clearly wasn\u2019t one to be trifled with. Without another word, she grabbed Naomi by the hair, yanking her head back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leaning down, she spat directly into Naomi\u2019s partly open mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi swallowed it reflexively, then immediately gagged, retching violently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the woman didn\u2019t care. She slapped Naomi hard across the face. \u201cYou think my spit\u2019s beneath you? You should be honored. Calling me dirty? You\u2019re really asking for it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The slap left Naomi dazed. When she regained her senses, she instinctively shouted toward the booth, \u201cLuke!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe the commotion had already drawn attention\u2013Luke hadn\u2019t heard her shout, but he noticed the crowd staring in one direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following their gaze, he saw Naomi being assaulted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Luke couldn\u2019t stay seated. He jumped up from the booth and yelled, \u201cHey! What the hell are you doing? Touch my friend again and you\u2019ll regret it!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman ignored him completely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Infuriated, Luke started toward them, ready to step in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But as he got closer, the woman suddenly pulled out a folding knife and, without hesitation, slashed it across Naomi\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A piercing scream echoed through the bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the sight, Luke\u2019s legs froze mid\u2013step.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman wasn\u2019t done. She slashed twice more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Within moments, Naomi\u2019s face was a mask of blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi clutched her face, crying out, \u201cLuke! Help me, please!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked toward him, and drops of blood dripped into her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing her horrific condition, Luke felt his strength drain away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:12 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 349 A Vengeful Reckoning\u00a0<\/p>\n
63\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel and Harris had also stepped out of the booth. They steadied Luke, who seemed on the verge of collapse, but made no move to intervene.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their duty was to protect Luke\u2013Vincent\u2019s brother. As for Naomi\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi saw\u00a0<\/p>\n
Luke hanging back and Daniel and Harris standing silently by.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In that moment, the physical pain faded beneath a crushing sense of betrayal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After disfiguring her face, the woman even climbed on top of Naomi and beat her further.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As blood loss took its toll, Naomi finally blacked out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she woke, she saw a figure sitting by the window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Through blurred vision, she made out a straight, imposing silhouette.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instinctively, she whispered, \u201cLuke?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The person turned in the chair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi\u2019s vision cleared enough to recognize a face that had haunted her for a long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She would never forget that day at the charity gala\u2013how Damian had humiliated her, shown her not an ounce of respect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She watched as Damian walked toward the bed. A faint, cold smile touched his handsome features. \u201cWere you calling for me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Realizing it was him, Naomi stiffened. \u201cWhy are you here? Where\u2019s Luke?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing her still ask for Luke, Damian let out a derisive laugh. \u201cThat coward? What did you expect him to do?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi\u2019s slashed face was now wrapped in bandages.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stared at Damian warily. \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian leaned down and tapped her forehead lightly. \u201cDoes it hurt?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Confused, Naomi shook her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His expression darkened instantly. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t hurt?\u201d he asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:13 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 349 A Vengeful Reckoning\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
63\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was a threat coiled beneath his words that made Naomi\u2019s skin crawl.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before she could reply, Damian\u2019s demeanor shifted. His hand shot out and pressed directly against the wounded flesh beneath the bandages.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pressed slowly, deliberately, then suddenly squeezed with brutal force.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi screamed, her body convulsing in agony.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian easily pinned her shoulder with his other hand, never relenting his grip on her wound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tears streamed down Naomi\u2019s face as her whole body trembled from the pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian showed no mercy. Only when fresh blood began to seep through the bandages did he lean close, his voice icy. \u201cNow tell me\u2026 does it hurt?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.1K\u00a0<\/p>\n
B\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 349 A 63\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t do it on purpose. Why should […]<\/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-27713","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\/27713","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=27713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27713\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}