\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 134\u00a0<\/p>\n
65 yousher\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nora\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNora, is that dress from Sierra\u2019s new collection?\u201d A girl gasped. Her eyes were wide. \u201cOh my God, that\u2019s expensive. I\u2019ve been wanting to buy one, but I heard there are only two in the world. Did Matthew buy it for you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled as I leaned back in my chair, crossing one leg over the other. The cafeteria was loud, buzzing with energy, and a growing crowd had already gathered around me and Riley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, this?\u201d I said, pretending I hadn\u2019t noticed the way half the cafeteria was staring. I plucked at the soft fabric with my fingers. \u201cYes. Matthew bought it for me as a birthday gift. I told him I didn\u2019t need anything, and yet he still bought it for me.\u201d I sighed dramatically, placing a hand over my heart. \u201cYou see, he spoils me so much. He buys so many things for me even though I tell him I don\u2019t need them. He spoils me nonstop. Honestly, it\u2019s becoming ridiculous.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few girls gasped and whispered to each other, practically drooling with jealousy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re so lucky, Nora. I wish I had a rich man who would buy me anything I wanted,\u201d One murmured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their envy only fueled me. There was nothing better than owning what everyone else coveted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I popped an elbow on the table. \u201cMen like Matthew don\u2019t waste their time on just anyone, so don\u2019t feel too sad. Not everyone can handle a man of his level.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The girl flushed at the subtle sting in my words, and I smiled as though I\u2019d done nothing at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Someone else leaned forward and turned her attention to Riley. \u201cRiley, that necklace, isn\u2019t that also from Sierra\u2019s collection? The limited one? It\u2019s so expensive. How much did you buy it for?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u2019s hand rose instinctively to her collarbone, fingertips brushing the jeweled pendant. Her lips curled into an arrogant smirk as she watched them eye her necklace. \u201cMy mother bought it for me, I\u2019ve been in a bad mood lately, so she brought this to cheer me up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The other girls let out little envious sighs, and one cooed, \u201cAww, I wished I had a wealthy family that would get me expensive things just because I was in a bad mood\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u2019s smirk deepened. \u201cWell, lucky for me,\u201d she said, tilting her head. \u201cNot everyone is as fortunate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I chuckled softly under my breath, nudging her lightly with my elbow. She caught my glance and raised a brow, and I could see that same cold fire I loved in her eyes. She also thrived on attention and envy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was happy to see her like this. I hadn\u2019t forgotten the way she\u2019d been acting over the past week. Her mood swings. Her odd tension. The way she glanced over her shoulder as if expecting someone to appear. And every single time, I knew it had something to do with Violet, though she hadn\u2019t told me exactly why. I didn\u2019t understand it then, and I still didn\u2019t now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why would someone like Riley ever feel threatened by someone like Violet?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet had always been invisible, and forgettable. A spare piece that people only noticed when they needed something to pity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matthew might still harbor some lingering attachment to her, but that didn\u2019t change anything. In time, I would have him wrapped around my fingers again, the way he used to be. He would be with me, where he was meant to be. And I would become a Sinclair, as I was always meant to be, unlike that pathetic nerd.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u2019s laugh pulled me out of my thoughts. She flicked her hair over her shoulder with a proud little toss, her mood brighter than it had been in days. Not seeing Violet seemed to lift her spirits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a bite of my salad, savoring the moment. Slowly, everything was falling back into place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:59 Fri, Jan 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 134\u00a0<\/p>\n
39\u00a0<\/p>\n
E55 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thought alone put me in a wonderful mood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
People around me were still chattering when suddenly someone gasped loud enough for half the cafeteria to hear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God. Who the hell is that woman with the psycho couple?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh? Who are you talking about?\u201d someone else asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first girl didn\u2019t even blink; she just pointed past me, completely forgetting she had been fangirling over my dress two seconds ago. \u201cHer. Who is she? She\u2019s so hot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another girl followed her gaze, and then she froze, her mouth literally falling open. \u201cOh, shit, she\u2019s gorgeous.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, right? Look at her outfit. Everything she\u2019s wearing is designer. And I mean top-tier. That\u2019s worth more than my entire future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instantly, every pair of eyes that had been glued to me and Riley swung away, like a spotlight suddenly jerked in another direction. The whispers spread, building and building, until the entire cafeteria was now focused on whoever just walked into the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyebrow twitched upward. \u201cWhat is happening?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to Riley, expecting her to roll her eyes or look annoyed, but instead, she looked like someone had just shoved her into ice water. Her face had drained of color. Her lips parted. She wasn\u2019t even breathing right. It was the same fear she\u2019d been carrying for days, the one she refused to explain, the one I kept brushing off because it didn\u2019t make sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt like the very demon she\u2019d been running from had walked straight up and tapped her on the shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her fingers trembled. \u201cV-Violet?\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was she the person everyone was freaking out over?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I almost laughed out loud at how ridiculous the thought was. There was absolutely no way. Why would anyone pay attention to that awkward little nerd? It made no sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a slow breath, rolled my shoulders back, and turned around to see what the fuss was about, but then I froze. Because walking into the cafeteria were three people I recognized. Kai and Penelope, Violet\u2019s loyal little guard dogs who always hovered around her like she was made of glass. Their presence alone was annoying, but they weren\u2019t the reason the entire room felt like the air had been sucked out of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The reason was the woman walking between them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But not the Violet I knew.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She walked in like she owned the entire building, like every table and every wall belonged to her. She wore a crisp white shirt tucked into fitted white pants that emphasized every inch of her long legs. Her long waist-length hair that always made her look like a timid child was now cut to her shoulders, shaping her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t wear any makeup but somehow she glowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
People stared at her in a way no one had ever stared at her before. And the worst part? She knew they were staring. She walked like she expected it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:59 Fri, Jan 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 134\u00a0<\/p>\n
39\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes drifted lazily across the cafeteria until they landed on our table. When she saw Riley and me staring, she slowed, then paused, and the corner of her mouth lifted into a small, slow smirk. And it made my stomach twist painfully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A cold sweat slid down my spine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My throat went dry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was stupid. Violet was no one. She had always been no one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So why\u2026why was every instinct inside me whispering the same horrifying thing?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Run.\u00a0<\/p>\n
AD\u00a0<\/p>\n
Comment\u00a0<\/p>\n
Send gift\u00a0<\/p>\n
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20:59 Fri, Jan 9<\/p>\n
Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 134 \u00a0 Chapter 134\u00a0 65 yousher\u00a0 Nora\u00a0 \u201cNora, is that dress from […]<\/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-28050","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\/28050","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=28050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28050\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}