\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 140\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 140\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared down at the message glowing on my phone screen, my thumb resting over it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[See you at home, Hades.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
65 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
That single word hit harder than it should have. I leaned back in the seat, letting my head fall against the headrest, rereading the message over and over for the fifth time? Sixth? I\u2019d stopped counting. It didn\u2019t matter. Every time I looked at it, something unfamiliar, and strangely pleasant, twisted in my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
See you at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who the hell would\u2019ve imagined that something so small, so ordinary, could make me feel this way, as if there was finally someone in the world worth rushing toward? That a woman simply telling me she\u2019d see me at home could make me feel this addicted..\u00a0<\/p>\n
I dragged my tongue slowly across my bottom lip. What kind of man had I become? When had I started wanting someone this much? It felt ridiculous how good it made me feel, especially when I caught myself counting the hours without even meaning to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFuck,\u201d I muttered to myself. \u201cThis woman has me wrapped around her little finger.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was changing me, shaping me into someone I didn\u2019t recognize and couldn\u2019t control. Before her, my life was all routine. Nothing had meaning. Nothing surprised me. Nothing made my pulse race or my mind wander. Now, everything was different. Something shifted inside me every time she said my name, every time she breathed near me, every time she looked at me as if I was both terrifying and safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t an obsession anymore, I\u2019d passed that stage long ago. I admired her strength. I adored her fire. I wanted her in a way that hurt. And I loved her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I loved her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I chuckled in disbelief, almost mocking myself. \u201cLove. Really?\u201d I muttered under my breath, shaking my head. \u201cHades Sinclair\u2026 what the hell have you gotten yourself into?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t even bother looking up to see if Alec was watching me through the rearview mirror, I already knew he was. I could feel his eyes on me, confused, suspicious, probably wondering if someone had drugged me or knocked me in the head. Even I didn\u2019t fully understand what was happening. This feeling was new, but addictive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without lifting my gaze, I exhaled deeply and said, \u201cHow is the preparation of the ring going, Alec?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec looked at the road. \u201cThe ring will be ready next week. It\u2019s the rarest diamond on earth. Customizing it the way you asked is taking time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, satisfied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Good. She deserved the best. Better than the best.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the moment I asked her to marry me, the decision had already been made. I\u2019d placed the order before she even agreed. I needed her to say yes, sure, but whether she understood it or not, she was mine long before I put that ring on her finger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And she would be mine long after.\u00a0<\/p>\n
21:00 Fri, Jan 9 MJ.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 140\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure she\u2019s going to be okay at school? What if someone bullies your wife?\u201d Alec asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I finally tore my eyes away from my phone and lifted my gaze to the rearview mirror.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec\u2019s lifted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchere,\u00a0<\/p>\n
gaze flicked away the moment our eyes met. I raised an eyebrow, tilting my head slightly as the corner of my mouth\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was unusual. Alec was many things but he was never someone who avoided eye contact. Especially not with me. If anything, he was one of the few people who could hold my stare without flinching. But right now, he looked like someone caught doing something he wasn\u2019t supposed to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was concerned about Violet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Interesting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec hardly cared about anyone. Even if he did, he never showed it openly. Normally, something like this would have poked something sharp and territorial in me, especially when it came to my wife. But this was Alec. The one person I trusted more than I trusted myself. The one person whose loyalty had never once wavered. And besides, the feeling radiating off him wasn\u2019t romantic in the slightest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt like an older brother watching a younger sister walk into something dangerous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look concerned,\u201d I said, my voice amused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, Alec met my eyes through the mirror again, but only for a moment before he shifted forward, gaze returning to the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another unusual reaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I crossed my legs, and leaned back. \u201cIf you\u2019re worried, you don\u2019t have to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s simple,\u201d I said, tapping my fingers lazily against the car door. \u201cI know Violet can handle herself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec didn\u2019t respond right away, and I could feel his confusion. I could almost hear the thought running through his mind, Violet? The quiet one? The gentle one?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think Violet is a weak woman who can\u2019t defend herself, then you\u2019re wrong, Alec.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hesitated before asking, \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked out the window, watching the city blur past, my voice dropping into something darker. \u201cThere are three types of people in this world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec glanced at me again through the mirror, waiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first,\u201d I said, \u201care the ones naturally born evil.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I caught the way he looked at me, as if to say you belong there. I didn\u2019t deny it. We both knew the truth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second group,\u201d I continued, \u201care people born good, but who get pushed so far, cornered so deeply, that they turn evil just to survive. They become cold because it\u2019s their only weapon. They drop their morals because their morals were the chains holding them down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec raised an eyebrow. \u201cSo you\u2019re saying Violet is part of the second group?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled slowly. \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
21:00 Fri, Jan 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 140\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec\u2019s brows knitted together. \u201cThen what group is she in?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
39\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe third, the ones who were too good, and pure for this world. The ones who were never meant to hurt anyone. The ones who forgive when they shouldn\u2019t. The ones who stay kind even when the world spits in their face.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec listened carefully, eyes narrowing with interest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when everything is taken from them,\u201d I continued, \u201cwhen they\u2019re pushed past their limit, when they finally realize they have nothing left to lose, those are the ones who become unstoppable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThose people don\u2019t just turn evil. They become something worse. Something brutal. Something the devil himself would step aside for.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew Violet better than she knew herself. I had seen it in her eyes. The quiet rage. The deep grief. The terrifying potential.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when she finally goes on that rampage,\u201d I added, my voice affectionate, \u201cwhen she destroys everyone who ever hurt her, I\u2019ll be the one right beside her, cleaning up the mess and making sure nothing touches her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife, Violet Sinclair, will be the most dangerous woman in the world. And I will make sure the world bows for her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u7530\u00a0<\/p>\n
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21:00 Fri, Jan 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 140 \u00a0 Chapter 140\u00a0 Chapter 140\u00a0 Hades\u00a0 I stared down at the […]<\/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-28056","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\/28056","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=28056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28056\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}