Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 31

Seren suddenly realized that Swain hadn't called her in nearly three years. Not once had he reached out to her of his own accord.

For three long years, she'd quietly wished he might pick up the phone—maybe just to say hello or ask how she was doing. But the call never came.

Instead, she watched as Swain showered Carla with attention across social media, always ready with a caring comment, never missing a chance to check in. Meanwhile, he couldn't spare even a single message for Seren—not a line to ask if she was well, not a word to see if life in Riverbend City suited her.

She remembered one time when Carla was away for a golf tournament, just for a day. Seren could only watch as Swain fussed over Carla online—reminding her to rest, asking about her meals, constant and attentive. Yet for Seren, silence.

Seren snapped out of her thoughts and picked up the phone.

Swain's warm voice came through the receiver.

"Seren, tomorrow's Carla's birthday. Slater, Carla, and I are downstairs at Nadine's place. We're here to take you home."

"I'm not coming," Seren replied crisply. "You all go ahead. I've got things to do—busy couple of days, no time."

She wasn't lying. Quentin needed her to finish "Peaks Piercing the Spring Clouds"—she'd be tied up for the next two days, with barely a moment to breathe, let alone attend Carla's birthday dinner.

Swain frowned, the disappointment clear in his tone.

"Carla's your sister. When you were away, we understood if you couldn't make it to her birthday. But now you're back in Seaside City. As her big sister, you really should be there."

From the background, Slater's voice rose, sharp and critical.

"We're all waiting on you, and you put on this act—do you really think you're some kind of queen who needs to be begged again and again?"

Before Slater could finish, the line went dead. Seren had hung up, not willing to waste another word.

Nadine, sitting beside her, looked furious.

"They know you're busy, but they keep laying on the guilt. They don't have to do a thing—just revolve around Carla all day—and expect you to drop everything, too?"

Seren's lips curled into a wry, bitter smile. This wasn't the first time. Because Carla was younger, Swain always used Seren's role as the eldest to pressure her.

Whenever Carla wanted something, even if Seren liked it too, she was expected to give it up—because she was the older sister. No one ever asked if she wanted to, or remembered that she was just two years older than Carla, still a child herself.

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