\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 117\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 117\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matthew\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was going crazy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Actually, crazy didn\u2019t even begin to cover it, I was losing my mind. Every damn thing in my life was spiraling, and I couldn\u2019t seem to stop it. One moment, Violet was mine, she loved me, she looked at me like I was her entire world. She\u2019d smile when I entered the room, and hold my hand without me asking. Another moment, she looked at me like I was a stranger. No, worse than that, like I was nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t return my calls. Didn\u2019t answer my messages. And when I went to see her, she was cold, and distant in a way that didn\u2019t feel like anger anymore. I kept telling myself she was just upset, acting out of jealousy, that she\u2019d come around once she realized how ridiculous it was to be jealous of Nora. But seeing her now, I knew it wasn\u2019t jealousy. It was indifference.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that scared me. The idea of Violet not loving me made my stomach twist in ways I didn\u2019t think were possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To make it worse, that night at the event, I saw my father with a woman. He was never the type to make public appearances, let alone bring someone with him. That alone had been shocking. My father, Hades Sinclair, didn\u2019t date. He didn\u2019t care about companionship. He only cared about control.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So when I saw him with that woman, when I noticed how close she stood beside him, how his hand brushed the small of her back like she belonged to him, I was curious. But beneath that curiosity, a familiar unease twisted in my gut. Because even with her mask on, something about her felt familiar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt like Violet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And when that thought hit me, I pushed it away. It wasn\u2019t possible. Violet wouldn\u2019t do that to me. But then again, she had changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What if that woman was Violet?\u00a0<\/p>\n
What if she was with him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I needed to know. I needed to see it for myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw her take a step back, and something inside me snapped. Before she could move farther away, I grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d I said through gritted teeth, my fingers tightening around her wrist\/\u201dDon\u2019t take another step back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her body stiffened, her breath shallow, eyes wide, as I leaned in close.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you know Nora and I are dating?\u201d My voice came out rougher than I intended. \u201cAnswer me, Violet!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She blinked up at me, her chest rising and falling fast. \u201cL-let go, Matthew.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw clenched. Her voice made my chest burn with anger I didn\u2019t even know how to control anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDamn it, Violet,\u201d I hissed. \u201cStop saying I should let you go. Just tell me the truth.How did you know? Don\u2019t tell me it\u2019s true. Don\u2019t tell me you were really with him that night.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her lips parted, but no sound came out,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFuck,\u201d I breathed, my voice breaking into a harsh growl. \u201cAre you a fucking whore, Violet? Did you really get with my father because you couldn\u2019t keep your legs together? Was that it? You wanted revenge on me, so you fucked him instead? Do you have any idea what you\u2019ve fucking done?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:03 Tue, Jan 6 M\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 117\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, she looked terrified. Her eyes shimmered, and then, just as suddenly, the fear vanished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her hand came up and slapped me across the face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound cracked through the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze. The sting spread across my cheek, and for a second, I couldn\u2019t even move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet yanked her wrist out of my grip and stumbled back, glaring at me with fury burning in her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou- you crazy bastard!\u201d she shouted, her voice shaking with anger. \u201cDon\u2019t touch me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I touched my face where she\u2019d hit me, staring at her. I\u2019d seen her angry before, but never like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took another step back, putting distance between us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0f22 \u0f23\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re a piece of shit, Matthew,\u201d she spat. \u201cDon\u2019t touch me again. If you want to ask me something, ask with sense.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd for your information, I don\u2019t know what the hell you\u2019re talking about. It was a slip of talk, that\u2019s all. I heard Nora telling Riley you two were dating, that\u2019s how I knew. So stop acting like some paranoid asshole.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at her, her words echoing in my head. My heartbeat thudded so loud it drowned out everything else. Slowly, I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm myself, but the fury wouldn\u2019t stop crawling under my skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cViolet\u2026\u201d I started, but she raised her hand, warning me to stay where I was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a step forward anyway. She immediately lifted her arm, as if to shield herself, and that small, instinctive movement. like she thought I\u2019d hurt her, hit me harder than the slap did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead of touching her, I slammed my hand against the wall beside her head, the sound echoing between us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She flinched, eyes darting up to mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right. I\u2019m probably paranoid. It can\u2019t be possible. There\u2019s no way that person was you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words left my mouth before I could stop them. Her throat moved as she swallowed, and her eyes darted away from mine, but I ignored it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I reached out and cupped her face gently, forcing her to look at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not true,\u201d I said, my voice lower. \u201cNora and I aren\u2019t dating. She was getting harassed by her ex and asked me to pretend to be with her. That\u2019s all it was. She didn\u2019t mean anything by it. I wouldn\u2019t date her, not when I still have you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her expression didn\u2019t change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d she said flatly. \u201cI never asked for an explanation. I just wanted you to leave me alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words hit hard, but I didn\u2019t let it show. Instead, I pulled her closer, wrapping my arms around her waist before she could\u00a0<\/p>\n
move away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She froze, and her body stiffened against mine, but I held her tighter anyway, burying my face against her shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cViolet,\u201d I murmured. \u201cStop being angry at me. Please. I really do love you. I regret that day so much. If I had known you\u2019d\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:03 Tue, Jan 6 M.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 117\u00a0<\/p>\n
be this angry, I would\u2019ve saved you instead. But I wasn\u2019t thinking straight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt her hands press against my chest, trying to push me away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNora is my\u00a0<\/p>\n
childhood friend, I care about her, yes, but you\u2019re my girlfriend. I love you, Violet. When you both fell into the pool, you could\u2019ve survived. But Nora is sick. The cold could\u2019ve killed her instantly. I had to choose. I didn\u2019t mean to hurt you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned closer, my lips brushing against her neck, breathing her in. That familiar scent that used to calm me, now only made the ache worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t you just forget this ever happened?\u201d I whispered against her skin. \u201cCome back to me. Please. I didn\u2019t mean to overreact earlier, I was just worried about you. My father is a dangerous man. You shouldn\u2019t even talk to him. To him, people aren\u2019t people. He sees them like animals to be slaughtered. You have to stay away from him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when she snapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She pressed her hand against my chest and shoved, hard enough to make me stumble back a little. Her eyes burned with fury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet off, Matthew!\u201d she yelled. \u201cIs it that hard to understand that you and I are over? Or are you that arrogant that you can\u2019t fathom a woman ending things with you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened, the muscle ticking as I struggled not to shout, but I didn\u2019t let her go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet was my anchor, the one who used to love me no matter what I did, who saw something good in me when no one else did. I couldn\u2019t lose her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tightened my grip on her waist again, my voice desperate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t, Violet,\u201d I whispered. \u201cI can\u2019t let you go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was about to say more when a hand shot out of nowhere, yanking mine off Violet and throwing me backward. The force slammed me against a car, my shoulder crashing into the hard metal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet and I froze, our eyes snapping toward the new arrival.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman stood there, his cold brown eyes flashing with a dangerous intensity I had never seen before. They were dark, and furious. My breath hitched. I\u2019d seen Roman serious, yes, but never like this, never with a look that made my legs want to give\u00a0<\/p>\n
out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman moved in front of Violet, placing himself between us like a shield. He didn\u2019t touch her, only positioned his body so I could no longer see her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room felt suddenly smaller.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cU-uncle\u2026\u201d I stammered, the word tasting strange on my tongue. My throat felt tight. I tried to stand, but my knees threatened to buckle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman took a single step forward. I stepped back. My skin prickled with something I couldn\u2019t name, fear? Respect? Or the chilling awareness that I\u2019d crossed a line I shouldn\u2019t have crossed\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was one thing everyone knew about my uncle, he wasn\u2019t fades. Everyone knew Hades was dangerous, and Roman was calm, but when Roman got angry, he was even more dangerous. Hades broke you like a hurricane. Roman would make you wish you\u2019d never been born.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tilted his head, and his voice dropped. \u201cYou have one minute to explain why I shouldn\u2019t kill you, Matthew.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry. I tried to speak, but no words came out. All I could do was clench my hand into a fist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:03 Tue, Jan 6 M.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 117\u00a0<\/p>\n
What the hell, who are you, Violet?\u00a0<\/p>\n
One moment, my father seemed interested in her; the next, my uncle was protecting her. She was becoming someone! couldn\u2019t afford to touch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u7530\u00a0<\/p>\n
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11:03 Tue, Jan 6 M\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 117 \u00a0 Chapter 117\u00a0 Chapter 117\u00a0 Matthew\u00a0 I was going crazy.\u00a0 Actually, […]<\/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-28033","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\/28033","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=28033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28033\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}