Chapter 158\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 158\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mother stayed quiet after that, her lips pressed tightly together as if saying another word might make everything worse. Nora nodded too, a little too quickly, her eyes still swollen and red. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and spoke in a hopeful voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes\u2026 yes, let\u2019s beg her,\u201d she said. \u201cMaybe she\u2019ll forgive us. She always forgave us before, didn\u2019t she?\u201d Her voice cracked as she continued. \u201cIf we go on our knees and beg, maybe she won\u2019t show Matthew the evidence. Maybe she\u2019ll let it go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One thing was clear, whatever happened today had something to do with Matthew. That had to be the reason Nora was this terrified. I had never seen her this submissive, and broken before. The girl who used to look down on everyone now sounded like she was clinging to her last thread of hope.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was about to say something when my father snapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAHH, damn it!\u201d he roared, kicking the glass table so hard it shattered, pieces scattering across the floor. We all jumped back in shock, my h\u00a0<\/p>\n
slamming violently against my ribs. His face was red with fury, his chest heaving as he glared at all of us\u00a0<\/p>\n
like we were strangers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you all kidding me?\u201d he shouted. \u201cHow many times do I have to tell you not to bother Violet and her brother? How many times do I have to tell you to leave my niece and nephew alone?\u201d His voice shook with rage. \u201cWhy won\u2019t you ever fucking listen?!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He ran a hand through his hair, breathing hard, before continuing, his voice low but deadly. \u201cAfter my brother died. I was responsible for taking care of them. But I was too busy with the hospital. I trusted you,\u201d he said, looking straight at my mother. \u201cI left them in your care, and you took advantage of it. You treated them however you wanted.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mother shook her head frantically and grabbed his arm. \u201cN-no,\u201d she said, her voice trembling. \u201cEverything I did was for our family. They were a threat. If I didn\u2019t do something, they would\u2019ve taken everything we own.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My father laughed bitterly and shoved her hand away. \u201cIt was theirs to begin with,\u201d he snapped. \u201cAnd you know that. I was only the adopted brother. Her father was the true heir.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room fell into a suffocating silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clenched my jaw, irritated. I hated hearing that, I hated being reminded that Violet was always above us, that we were always less. But I pushed that thought aside. This wasn\u2019t about pride anymore. This was about survival.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to my father, my voice urgent. \u201cDad, beg her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked at me, surprised.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cViolet and Sebastian still have a soft spot for you,\u201d I continued quickly, \u201cYou\u2019re the only one she might listen to. Beg her for us. Promise her we\u2019ll never touch her again. Make her forget everything we\u2019ve done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stared at me for a long mome\u00a0<\/p>\n
his expression unreadable. Then he said my name quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRiley.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked. \u201cYes?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes locked onto mine. \u201cWere you the one who made Sebastian fall out of that window?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze at his question, my breath catching in my throat. For a second, my mind went blank, the room spinning slightly as I\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 158\u00a0<\/p>\n
took an instinctive step back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI-\u201cThe word barely left my mouth before my father\u2019s voice cut through the air again, sharper and more dangerous than\u00a0<\/p>\n
before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer my question,\u201d he said coldly. \u201cWas Violet telling the truth? Did you really tell those boys to bully her brother?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My lips trembled as I bit down on them. There was no way out of this, no excuse left to hide behind. If I wanted his help, I had to tell him the truth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded my head, whispering under my breath. \u201cY-yes, I did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s jaw tightened, the muscle ticking as if he was barely holding himself together. For a moment, I thought he might explode, and he might finally lose control, but instead, he exhaled sharply, turned away, and dropped heavily into the chair. He pressed his hand to his forehead, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of everything had finally crushed him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat have you people done\u2026\u201d he murmured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest tightened, guilt crashing over me all at once. I rushed forward and fell to my knees in front of him, grabbing onto his sleeve like a child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Father,\u201d I cried. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry. I didn\u2019t mean for her brother to fall. I swear I didn\u2019t. I didn\u2019t think they would take it that far.\u201d My voice broke as the words spilled out. \u201cI just wanted to scare her. I wanted her to help me with the exams so you could be proud of me. That\u2019s all. If I knew it would turn out like this, if I knew Violet would change this much, I would never have done it. Please\u2026 forgive me. Please help me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked down at me, his eyes tired, filled with disappointment that hurt more than any punishment ever could. He sighed deeply. \u201cViolet hasn\u2019t been answering my calls,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cNo matter how many times I try to reach her, she won\u2019t pick up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart dropped. I shook my head frantically. \u201cThen think of another way,\u201d I pleaded. \u201cThere has to be another way. Father, I\u2019m really scared of her. I can\u2019t even sleep properly anymore. She\u2019s not the old Violet. What if one day she decides to kill me? There\u2019s someone backing her up, we don\u2019t even know how dangerous that person is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nora, still sitting on the chair with her arms wrapped around herself, nodded weakly. \u201cRiley\u2019s right. She\u2019s really not the old Violet. She didn\u2019t hesitate at all when she made me take all the blame. If we don\u2019t do something, she\u2019ll ruin all of us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw my mother swallow hard, the color draining from her face as she finally started taking our words seriously. My father frowned, staring at the floor as if deep in thought, the silence stretching long,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ding-dong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The doorbell rang.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All of us flinched at the sound, snapping our heads toward the door. After a while, my mother forced herself to stand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll\u2026 I\u2019ll go check,\u201d she said, her voice unsteady.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She walked to the door and opened it wide. A man stood there in a perfectly tailored suit, his expression blank and\u00a0<\/p>\n
unreadable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you?\u201d my mother asked cautiously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood afternoon,\u201d the man replied calmly. \u201cI have a message from the Sinclair family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nora was on her feet instantly, rushing toward the door, hope flashing in her eyes. \u201cA message?\u201d she asked breathlessly. \u201cIs it\u00a0<\/p>\n
for me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man glanced at her indifferently, then shook his head. \u201cIt\u2019s for all of you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tue, Jan\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 158 Chapter 158\u00a0 Chapter 158\u00a0 Riley\u00a0 My mother stayed quiet after that, […]<\/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-28074","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\/28074","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=28074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28074\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}