\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Long time no sea, Romuth\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Long time no see, Roman\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart slammed so hard against my ribs I swore the entire room could hear it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No. It couldn\u2019t be. He couldn\u2019t be here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a second, I stood frozen, unable to breathe, as though my entire body had shut down in disbelief. The laughter, the music, the hum of voices below all vanished. The room fell silent. And with a jolt, I realized every pair of eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
was on me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss?\u201d The familiar voice came again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked, snapping out of the daze. My body moved before my mind did, jerking away from him as if I\u2019d been burned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My professor. The one man other than Hades who had been there to catch me every time I stumbled. The man who helped me when I didn\u2019t even know I needed it. The one person who had been consistently kind to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now, he stood in front of me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wore a dark blue suit, sharp lines hugging his tall frame like it had been crafted just for him. His blonde hair was styled neatly, not a single strand out of place, and unlike everyone else, he didn\u2019t bother with a mask. His brown eyes pinned me, studying me the way he always did in class, like he was pulling me apart, layer by layer, searching for something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Except now his gaze dragged slowly down my body. He didn\u2019t look at me with lust, Roman wasn\u2019t that simple. With him, it was always something more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My throat bobbed as I swallowed, my body trembling under the weight of his gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
God. Of all people, why him? Why here? Why now?\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I had known there was even the slightest chance he would be here, I would\u2019ve never agreed to come with Hades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clenched the side of my head with a shaking hand, trying to keep my thoughts from spiraling, but it was already too late. The worst possibilities, and the ugliest theories, all came crashing in at once.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If he recognized me, if he connected the dots, and saw me here on Hades\u2018 arm, he\u2019d believe the rumors that I had a sugar daddy. That I was just another girl who used her body to get ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Would he look at me differently after that? Would he hate me for it? Or worse, would he stop teaching me? If I lost his class, I\u2019d lose everything. My plans and future would be destroyed in a second.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman tilted his head, his hands sliding casually into his pockets. His eyes never left mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I know you by any chance?\u201d He asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The floor felt like it was giving way beneath me. My stomach dropped, my feet stumbled back of their own accord.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was screwed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I must have been so lost in my own thoughts that I didn\u2019t notice when his gaze flickered past me. His expression darkened instantly, and the air in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Even the people around us didn\u2019t move, they stood rooted to the spot, as if one wrong step could be the end of them all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Long time no seo, Roman\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned, confused, only to bump into a chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood right behind me, a lazy smirk curving his lips. His arm slid possessively around my waist, his touch burning into my skin. My breath hitched, but I forced myse not to flinch as he dragged me closer, enjoying my discomfort far too much.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman\u2019s eyes immediately dropped to that hand, a flicker of surprise breaking through his usual cold exterior before his gaze lifted back to Hades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neither of them said anything. They just stared at each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed hard. This was the kind of awkwardness that could make someone want to crawl under a table and disappear. Behind me was a man who thrived on danger and chaos, who probably thought this entire thing was entertainment. In front of me was my professor, calm, cold distant, a man who never wasted his words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I was caught between them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hated this combination. It didn\u2019t make sense. It was oil and fire. And the worst part was being the one trapped in the middle of it. All I wanted was to go home, lock my door and pretend this nightmare had never happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman didn\u2019t recognize me. At least, I hoped he didn\u2019t. That was the one silver lining in this mess. If I just pulled Hades away right now, maybe we could leave without drawing any more attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I placed my hand over his, giving him the silent signal that it was time to go. But Hades only tightened his grip, tilting his head slightly, his voice dripping with amusement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLong time no see, Roman. How long has it been? Twenty years?\u201d His lips curled up. \u201cYou\u2019ve grown taller since I last saw you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes widened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman\u2019s face didn\u2019t change. His gaze remained unimpressed, as if Hades\u2019s words had bounced right off him. It was the first time I\u2019d ever seen someone look at Hades as if he were just air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that wasn\u2019t even the part that shocked me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My shock came from the words themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades and Roman knew each other?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned my head toward him, searching his face. \u201cHades\u2026 you-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman cut me off. \u201cWho is she?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades\u2018 smirk deepened. \u201cWho do you think? My woman, of course. And besides,\u201d his eyes gleamed \u201cyou can smell her, can\u2019t you? Or is it that you don\u2019t want to believe?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman\u2019s jaw ticked. His brown eyes flashed, and for once, I saw something burning in them as he stared at Hades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked between the two men, my confusion only growing. This was spiraling into something I didn\u2019t understand, and I hated it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFather? Uncle?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The voice froze me in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No. No, no, no. This couldn\u2019t get any worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned slowly, already afraid of what I was about to see. I was right, it was him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matthew stood only a few feet away, and beside him was Nora, her hand wrapped around his arm as she stood there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matthew\u2019s gaze swept over the group in confusion until it landed squarely on me. I hardly noticed, too lost in the words still echoing in my head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He called them father and uncle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes darted from Matthew to Roman, then to Hades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew Roman was Matthew\u2019s uncle. But Hades\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest tightened, my vision blurring as my eyes widened\u00a0<\/p>\n
It couldn\u2019t be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the way Matthew\u2019s gaze lingered on Hades, with that strange mix of fear and respect, made the floor vanish beneath me again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
((\u00a0<\/p>\n
>>\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was Hades\u2026 Matthew\u2019s father?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 60 \u00a0 3\/3\u00a0 Long time no sea, Romuth\u00a0 +25 Bonus\u00a0 Long time […]<\/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":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-craving-the-guardian-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27976","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=27976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27976\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}