\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 119\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 119\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman\u00a0<\/p>\n
If she hadn\u2019t stopped me, I would have killed him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was furious, no, furious didn\u2019t even begin to cover it. I\u2019d never felt anger like this before. It burned through me, tearing apart every ounce of control I\u2019d spent years building. It was like every emotion I\u2019d ever buried erupted all at once, crashing over me with no room to breathe. For a moment, I couldn\u2019t even think straight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I forced myself to breathe. I needed to stay in control. Losing it now would do nothing but destroy everything I was trying to protect. I couldn\u2019t afford to scare her. If she saw the side of me I worked so hard to hide, she\u2019d run. And I couldn\u2019t let that happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I grabbed Matthew and flung him away like an insect. He slammed into the curb and skidded across the pavement, coughing and clutching himself. I dusted my coat off slowly, as if nothing had happened. I ignored his grunts; my hand slid into my pocket.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t come near her again, Matthew.\u201d I said, my voice low and flat. \u201cNext time, I won\u2019t be so lenient.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matthew blinked, one hand pressing against his temple. \u201cI- that\u2019s not possible, he muttered. \u201cShe\u2019s my girlfriend, and I\u2014\u201d He stopped when he met my eyes. Whatever he was about to say died on his tongue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a step forward. He instinctively retreated, but there was nowhere left to go, his back hit the side of a parked car with a dull thud. He swallowed hard, his eyes darting between me and Violet like a trapped animal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I crouched down in front of him, lowering myself to his level so Violet couldn\u2019t hear us. My face stayed perfectly blank, and expressionless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tempt me,\u201d I warned, my voice cold. \u201cI\u2019ve never taken a life, but lay a finger on her again and I won\u2019t hesitate to make you the first.\u201d His eyes went wide; his chest hammered. I watched him flinch as the color drained from his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBesides, you never appreciated her when you had the chance. Don\u2019t come whining now about what you threw away; you don\u2019t get to barge back in and claim something you abandoned.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shame flickered across his face, twisting his features before he looked away. His voice came out small, uncertain. \u201cWhat\u2026 what is your relationship with Violet?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rose, calm and indifferent, every movement casual as if the answer were obvious. \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He opened his mouth, closed it, and the silence answered for him, there was nothing left to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to Violet. Surprise flashed across her face, she hadn\u2019t expected any of this, and I couldn\u2019t blame her. She\u2019d never seen that side of me; I\u2019d always kept it buried. I never wanted her to witness it. But when Matthew touched her like that, something inside me snapped. Nobody got to treat her that way. I\u2019d tear down anyone who tried.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked at me, then at Matthew trembling before her. I could see the conflict flicker across her face, the mixture of exhaustion and restraint. She sighed softly, her voice quiet but steady when she spoke. \u201cPlease don\u2019t come back here again, Matthew. I\u2019ll let his go, but next time you touch me, I\u2019ll call the cops.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her tone wasn\u2019t loud, but it was firm like she met every single word. She turned to me. \u201cLet\u2019s go, sir.\u201d Before I could react, her hand slipped into mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The touch froze me. My breath caught in my chest as I looked down at her small hand wrapped around my own. She didn\u2019t wait for me to move; she simply pulled me with her, her heels clicking sharply against the hospital floor, echoing through the hallway as I followed without a word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t say anything. My eyes stayed fixed on her, on the way her hair brushed against her shoulders as she walked ahead of\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:03 Tue, Jan 6 M\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 119\u00a0<\/p>\n
She led me out of the hospital, across the street, and into a small cafe that smelled faintly of roasted coffee and vanilla. There were a few customers inside, but she ignored them completely and went straight to a table at the far end, where no one could bother us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she finally stopped and turned to me, her eyes flickered down to our still-joined hands. I saw the realization, and the sudden embarrassment that colored her cheeks pink.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She immediately let go, pulling her hand back as if she\u2019d touched fire. Her gaze flickered away, and she took a small step\u00a0<\/p>\n
back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said quickly. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to drag you all the way here. I just thought it would be better to leave before anyone saw us with Matthew. They might misunderstand the situation. You helped me, and I don\u2019t want you getting in trouble because of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, I just watched her. There was something in the way she looked at me, something that tugged at a place I didn\u2019t know existed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That pull again. Subtle, but strong enough to make it hard to breathe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My gaze drifted up to her eyes, bright and beautiful, though they refused to meet mine, then down the line of her nose, and finally to her soft, pink lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to drag my eyes away, and finally looked aside before pulling out a chair and sitting down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She followed suit, scratching her neck awkwardly before sitting across from me. Her hands were clenched tightly on the table, fingers twisting nervously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned back, studying her quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How many days had it been since I last saw her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The last time I saw Violet was at the hospital. That was the day she found out about her brother\u2019s accident.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the first time I had ever seen her so out of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet had always been the kind of person who stood tall, no matter how hard the world tried to break her. Even when people mocked her or tried to crush her spirit, she never backed down, it almost made you believe she could endure anything. But that day, she looked shattered, like her whole world had caved in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And when I saw that look on her face, I knew I never wanted to see it again. I promised myself I\u2019d make it right, no matter what it took, even if it meant walking down a path I\u2019d sworn I never would.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I told her to wait for me, and stay put. I\u2019d handle it. I didn\u2019t want her to face that kind of grief alone. I wanted to fix everything before she went to him. But when I came back, she was gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And when I found out who she went to, I knew I was too late.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d always been one step behind my brother, no matter how hard I tried, he was the one she turned to in the end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had chosen him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thought alone nearly drove me insane, but I didn\u2019t do anything. She didn\u2019t need my jealousy then; she needed peace. And as much as it tore me apart to admit it, I knew Hades was the best one to handle what had happened. His methods were harsh, but they worked,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, the image of her from that night at the party haunted me, her arm hooked with his, his hand resting on the small of\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tue,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 119\u00a0<\/p>\n
her back like she belonged there. He looked at her the way a man looks at something he doesn\u2019t ever plan to let go of.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw clenched at the memory. My gaze darkened, but I forced it down, forcing my tone to stay calm as I turned to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you like to order?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She blinked, startled by my voice, her eyes wide for a second before she nodded. \u201cY-yes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStrawberry juice?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her brows lifted slightly, surprise flickering across her face. \u201cHow do you know that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pushed my chair back and stood, straightening my sleeves. \u201cYou always drink it during breaks.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She chuckled nervously and said, \u201cOh, I didn\u2019t think anyone noticed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI always noticed you, Violet\u201d,\u00a0<\/p>\n
said simply. \u201cYou just didn\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She froze, her lips parting slightly. Her gaze followed me as I turned and walked toward the counter, but I didn\u2019t look back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because if I did, I wasn\u2019t sure I\u2019d be able to stop myself from doing what I wanted to do for a long time\u00a0<\/p>\n
AD\u00a0<\/p>\n
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11:03 Tue, Jan 6\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 119 \u00a0 Chapter 119\u00a0 Chapter 119\u00a0 Roman\u00a0 If she hadn\u2019t stopped me, […]<\/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-28035","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\/28035","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=28035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28035\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}