Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 14

14 /65

Three years ago, Old Mr. Rutledge's words weighed so heavily on her that she hesitated just before boarding her flight.

For someone as stubborn as Seren, it was rare for her to go against her pride and actually call home. But that day, she dialed the Bradley family number and told Zena she was heading to Riverbend City.

In most families, if a daughter was young and impulsive, parents would at least try to reason with her, maybe offer gentle advice.

But Zena didn't do any of that.

She just snapped at Seren—twice.

The first thing she said was something Seren had never heard from her mother in her entire life.

The second was even worse: that Seren was shameless, throwing herself at a man, with not an ounce of dignity, and making the Bradley family a laughingstock.

From the other end, Seren could hear her father, Thurman, and her older brother, Swain, in the background. Not a word of defense from either of them.

Their silence was as loud as any condemnation; they agreed with Zena. To them, she was an embarrassment.

Carla, her younger sister, couldn't resist chiming in from the side with that trademark snide tone: "Well, I could never be like you, Sis—giving up everything for love."

As for her second brother, Slater, he just scoffed, "If she wants to be a doormat, let her. No point wasting breath. Some people are just hopeless."

Seren couldn't even describe what she felt that day.

Words that cruel, that venomous—they don't hurt much coming from strangers.

But from your own family, they're devastating.

It felt like her world was crumbling, her mind ringing with the sheer violence of their judgment.

Three years later, she still couldn't remember how she ended that call. All she knew was that she boarded her flight and never looked back.

Yet the sting of those words lingered, their echo still clear in her ears.

"I heard from Nadine that you've got a date set up? Who's the lucky guy? Do you like him?" Old Mr. Rutledge's voice cut through her thoughts.

He didn't wait for her to answer before changing direction.

This was the real question he'd wanted to ask all along—not about Sheridan, but this.

That afternoon, Nadine had called him and casually mentioned it; she hadn't even gotten to the details before she had to dash off for an emergency, ending the call in a rush.