บททั้งหมดของ THE NIGHT HE WANTED ME : บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

DELILAHThe scream ripped out of me before I could stop it. It was raw, painful, a sound I didn’t even recognize as my own. For a second, it silenced everything....the chants, the laughter, the jeering.Every head turned, every phone tilted back toward me, every sneer froze mid-expression. The cafeteria, once roaring with noise, was now filled with the remainder of my screams.I clutched my books tighter against my chest, my hands trembling so badly. Tears streamed down my face, but I didn’t even care anymore. There was no hiding it. There was nothing left to protect.My chest heaved. The room blurred with faces, but his, the only face that mattered. He stood there calm, smug, victorious. Damien didn’t even flinch. He just stared back at me like I was nothing, like I was dirt he had finally scraped from the bottom of his shoe..... That hurt worse than the laughter.And then I saw Aria again. My Aria. Her lips parted, trembling, her face pale and stricken as if she wanted to say someth

DELILAHMy chest constricted like someone had tied a noose around me and kept pulling it tighter and tighter until I couldn’t breathe.“That’s not....” My voice cracked as I swallowed hard. “.... That’s not what I said.”“Oh, don’t you dare lie to me!” she screamed, slamming the empty glass down so hard I thought it might shatter.“You came home, you were crying, you looked like a mess, and I asked you..... I asked you, and you told me that Damien had.....”“No!” The words tore out of me, louder than I expected, shaking. “I never said that! I never said he raped me.... I never even told you his name! I just told you I was going through something and I needed my mother.....”My voice broke, but the fury in me didn’t. “You’re the one who decided something bad had happened to me, just because you couldn’t fathom that someone.....that a man would want me, would want to be with me that way!”The room went silent for a split second. I saw something dark flash across her face before her hand

DELILAHI started small and quietly. I took the bakery job and hid the cash. But I didn’t stop there. Every allowance my parents sent me, I tucked away instead of spending; when I was given money for clothes or school supplies, I bought things smart, cheap, good-condition pieces I could clean and resell online. I learned how to photograph items so they looked nicer than they were, how to write listings that sounded desirable, and how to ship without leaving a paper trail at home. Sometimes I flipped a thrift-store jacket, other times I bought a dress on sale and sold it for twice what I’d paid.I also started thinking ahead. I knew I couldn’t just run off. I needed a plan for college, for living arrangements, and for transportation. I even looked into online classes I could take if I didn’t have money for a campus immediately.It felt like the first time in my life I was truly taking control. Like for once, the chaos of my family’s hatred and the humiliation from today couldn’t touch

DELILAH“Mom,” I began, my voice trembling, but she cut me off.“Do not call me that. Do not call me your mother. I’m not your mother,” she snapped, her eyes sharp and unforgiving. “If I were, you wouldn’t be doing all these things....trying to destroy my life, to destroy my marriage, to destroy the family name." She shook her head then."Do you know how important the Blackwater name is? And you’re trying to put a stain on it.”Her voice rose, fury and disbelief twisting together. “For generations, the Blackwater name has been noble, tied to noble professions. But you.....you’re failing. You’re not doing well in class. You have no artistic talent in your body. You’re never going to amount to anything. You’re nothing but a burden to the Blackwater name. And we already made a mistake, taking you on as a Blackwater. We’ve been giving you everything so you wouldn’t tarnish the Blackwater name. And what do you do?”She paused, as if expecting me to answer. I stayed silent.“You decided to

DELILAH“No!” The word ripped out of me before I could stop it. It came out louder, harsher, more defiant than I’d intended.... but I didn’t care.Both of them froze.Elena’s brows shot up, her mouth twisting into a smug little smirk like she’d just been handed front-row tickets to my destruction. Mom, on the other hand, went deadly still, her tear-streaked face going rigid.“What did you just say to me?” Her voice was low, quiet... too quiet.“I said no,” I repeated, forcing my voice to stay steady even though my chest felt like it might cave in. “I’m not quitting. I can’t. I....”“You can and you will!” Mom shouted, cutting me off so sharply it made me flinch. She pushed Elena away and stood, her hands balled into fists. “You will march back there tomorrow and tell them you quit. You will stop embarrassing this family. Do you understand me?”“I’m not embarrassing this family!” I yelled back, the words spilling out before I could stop them.Mom’s eyes widened like I’d just slapped h