\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 141\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 141\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u00a0<\/p>\n
1355 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat on the edge of the couch, my fingers digging into the cushion as I lifted my head to look at Nora pacing the living\u00a0<\/p>\n
room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her footsteps were loud, echoing against the marble floor. Her hands were clenched so tightly her knuckles had turned white, veins standing out along her wrists, and her face was flushed red with rage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When her eyes flicked to me, they burned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The look alone made my stomach twist. I dropped my gaze immediately, finding the pattern in the rug far more interesting than facing that fury. I didn\u2019t want to meet her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suddenly she stopped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAh!\u201d Nora screamed, the sound sharp, and before I could react she grabbed the expensive vase on the side table and hurled it to the floor. The crash was deafening. Porcelain shattered everywhere, pieces skidding across the marble as she stood there breathing hard, chest rising and falling like she\u2019d just run miles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat fucking bitch!\u201d she screamed, voice echoing through the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t move. I just watched her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A while ago, right after what happened in the cafeteria, I brought her straight here. She\u2019d stripped off the ruined dress the moment we walked in, thrown it into the trash like it was contaminated, and disappeared into the bathroom. But even after she washed up, and after she changed, she was still furious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d been pacing for minutes now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And honestly, I didn\u2019t know what to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What could I say?\u00a0<\/p>\n
If that had happened to me, if I\u2019d been humiliated like that, if no one had taken my side even when I was right, I would\u2019ve lost my mind too. I would\u2019ve done worse. So I let her break things. I let her scream. I let her vent, because maybe if she shattered enough objects, she would finally calm down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Though deep down, I doubted it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed hard, my throat dry, and finally forced myself to speak. \u201cN-Nora, calm down-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She spun around so fast it made me flinch. Her finger lifted, pointing straight at me. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare, Riley.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stopped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mouth closed instantly. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn\u2019t let anyone talk to me like that, not even Nora. But right now, her anger was justified, and I had no words that wouldn\u2019t make things worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She grabbed her hair in her fists, shaking her head violently as she shouted, \u201cHow dare that bitch! How dare that stupid, ugly bitch mess with me. Who does she think she is? Who the fuck does she think she is!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice climbed higher with every word. She shoved her fingers into them, pressing hard, like she was overwhelmed by her own screaming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re loud, Nora,\u201d I muttered without thinking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
21:00 Fri, Jan 9 MJ.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 141\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her head snapped toward me again. \u201cI\u2019m loud?\u201d she snapped \u201cI\u2019m loud? Me? You\u2019re telling me I\u2019m loud? Riley, are you serious right now? Tell me, Riley, would you be quiet if that happened to you? If she humiliated you? If everyone pretended not to see? If everyone took her side? Would you be calm?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took a step closer, her eyes wild now, lips trembling with fury. \u201cHow could you do that to me?\u201d she demanded. \u201cI thought we had each other\u2019s backs. We\u2019re supposed to make that bitch\u2019s life a living hell, not the other way around!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could you take her side,\u201d Nora continued, voice cracking with something dangerous, \u201cand just watch me suffer?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat still, my arms hanging by my sides, my mind completely blank. I had no idea what was happening anymore, no idea how things could change so quickly. Nora and I had never fought before. We were always on the same side. And now we were arguing because of Violet. Because of the girl we had always bullied, the girl who was supposed to stay beneath us, the girl who was never meant to fight back. I didn\u2019t understand when everything had flipped upside down, or how I was supposed to fix this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The house suddenly felt too quiet, until the front door opened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I flinched slightly as my mother\u2019s cheerful voice drifted in from her phone conversation. But when she finally looked at the scene, she gasped loudly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She rushed forward, heels clicking sharply as she stopped in front of the mess, staring at the broken porcelain. \u201cGirls, what is the meaning of this? Do you have any idea how expensive this vase is?\u201d Her voice rose instantly. \u201cThat vase is worth thousands of dollars. Why would you break it!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mother pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, clearly trying to calm herself before turning back to us. \u201cCan someone please explain what is going on? Did you two have a fight or something?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nora scoffed immediately, the sound mocking. \u201cA fight?\u201d she said coldly. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you ask your daughter what happened? Because I don\u2019t understand what\u2019s going on either.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mother turned to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRiley,\u201d she said firmly. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nothing,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t believe me for a second.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not true. These days you\u2019ve been behaving strangely, and now you\u2019re fighting with your best friend. This is the first time I\u2019ve ever seen you two argue like this. What is wrong?\u201d She paused, studying my face carefully. Then her expression shifted. \u201cWait\u2026 don\u2019t tell me this is about that girl. Violet. What did she do again? Is that why you\u2019re fighting?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nora nodded instantly, seizing the moment. \u201cYes! Can you believe what happened? That girl is completely out of her mind. I don\u2019t know where she suddenly got the confidence from, but she walked up to me and poured a whole bowl of spicy soup on my head.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She rubbed at her eyes angrily, as if the sting was still there. \u201cIt\u2019s still burning,\u201d she complained, voice shaking with rage. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not even just that. Nobody said anything. Nobody defended me, not even Riley. She was even blaming me, when it was that bitch\u2019s fault for pouring soup on me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mother let out a tired sigh. \u201cRiley, what is wrong with you? Why do you keep behaving this way? You\u2019re acting differently lately. You\u2019re even saying nonsense, claiming Violet has some powerful backer and that she\u2019s going to come after us for revenge.\u201d She scoffed. \u201cJust because she brought a famous lawyer doesn\u2019t mean she can ruin us. You\u2019re overthinking\u00a0<\/p>\n
21:00 Fri, Jan 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 141\u00a0<\/p>\n
this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nora\u2019s head snapped toward her. \u201cWhat do you mean, what lawyer?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time since she arrived, Nora looked genuinely interested, her anger temporarily pushed aside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
E SE Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a long story, something happened a few days ago.\u201d My mother walked over to the couch and sat down, crossing her legs. \u201cThat stupid girl showed up with a very powerful lawyer and made a few rich women kneel for her. She caused quite a scene.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nora froze, her eyes widening slightly. \u201cReally?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to me slowly, searching my face. I swallowed and nodded. \u201cYes. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t want to mess with her. It\u2019s obvious someone\u2019s got her back now. We should just be careful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She expected me to be scared. But instead of fear, Nora laughed, and it wasn\u2019t soft. My stomach twisted instantly. I knew that laugh. That laugh meant she had already decided something cruel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I raised an eyebrow at her. \u201cNora, think before you do anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She ignored the warning completely, her lips curling into a smug smile. \u201cOh, so she has a backer. No wonder she\u2019s been acting so confident lately.\u201d She waved a hand dismissively. \u201cHer backer is probably some old man with a big belly. Who else would want a girl like that? The bastard might even have a wife and kids, and Violet is just a mistress.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned toward me, eyes gleaming with certainty. \u201cRelax, Riley. You don\u2019t need to be scared. If she\u2019s smug because of her backer, then all we have to do is let everyone know why she\u2019s smug.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do\u00a0<\/p>\n
you\u00a0<\/p>\n
mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nora sat down beside me, her body leaning close as if we were sharing a secret. Her voice dropped, sweet and poisonous at the same time. \u201cI\u2019ll destroy her reputation,\u201d she said casually. \u201cI\u2019ll make sure she goes through everything she put us through. I\u2019ll drag her name through the mud so badly that even that backer of hers will be ashamed to claim her in front of everyone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll abandon her. And then she\u2019ll be back to being nothing. We\u2019ll teach her a proper lesson. Even Matthew will see what kind of person she really is.\u201d She looked between my mother and me confidently. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. I\u2019ll make sure Violet goes back to the way she was. She\u2019ll come crawling back, asking for help. All you have to do is exactly what I say.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mother smiled, satisfied. \u201cGood, I\u2019ve been waiting to teach her a lesson too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nora nodded, clearly pleased with herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t smile. Instead of relief, a cold feeling crept up my spine. Something deep inside me screamed that this was wrong. That the more we planned against Violet, the deeper we were digging our own graves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And somehow, I knew we wouldn\u2019t be the ones walking away untouched this time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 141 \u00a0 Chapter 141\u00a0 Chapter 141\u00a0 Riley\u00a0 1355 vouchers\u00a0 I sat on […]<\/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-28057","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\/28057","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=28057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28057\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}