The King Of War Returns (Jaden Rift) novel Chapter 176

Vane Verrick wasn’t the kind of man who raised his voice. He believed in restraint, in logic, in letting reason speak louder than emotion. But today, none of that mattered. Not when he looked into the eyes of the man who had destroyed his daughter’s life.

The front door was still swinging on its hinges when he crossed the room in a blur of fury.

“You…” Vane’s voice shook—part rage, part disbelief. “You’ve got the nerve to stand here? In my house? After what you did to her?”

His hands curled into fists. His breathing turned ragged. For a moment, he looked like he was about to throw a punch for the first time in his life.

Before Jaden could respond, another voice ripped through the air—sharp, high-pitched, and full of rage.

“You bastard! You animal! I’ll kill you where you stand!”

Nora Verrick stormed out of the kitchen, eyes wide, cheeks blotched red with fury. Her apron flapped behind her like a cape, but her hand was deadly steady around the gleaming cleaver she held high.

Mia shrieked in Jaden’s arms, her tiny voice piercing the chaos. The moment froze.

Selena jumped between them, grabbing her mother’s arm before the cleaver could fall.

“Mum, please!” she cried, her voice already cracking from the tension. “Not in front of Mia! Please stop—just stop!”

But Nora wasn’t listening. Her rage had snapped loose. Her body trembled with years of resentment, and her eyes locked on Jaden with pure hatred.

“Do you have any idea what your silence did to us?” she hissed, chest heaving. “We were thrown out like trash from the family estate. Vane’s father disowned us. Friends turned their backs. All because of you.”

She pointed the cleaver at Jaden like it was a sword. “You ruined Selena’s life. She was a top student. She had plans. A future. And then she came home pregnant and broken. And you vanished.”

Her voice broke, but the fury didn’t. “You didn’t just disappear. You left us to rot in the fallout. You’re no man. You’re a curse.”

Mia’s cries grew louder. Her small arms clung to Jaden’s neck as she sobbed into his shoulder.

Vane couldn’t take it anymore.

“Enough!” His roar stopped everything.

It silenced Nora. It stunned Selena. Even Jaden’s breathing caught.

Vane moved fast. He stepped forward, grabbed the cleaver from Nora’s hand, and pulled her into his arms before she collapsed. Her body folded against him, shaking, breath uneven.

He looked up at Jaden. His eyes were cold. Steel.

“You want forgiveness?” he asked, voice low and lethal. “You’re five years too late. Whatever pain you think you felt, it doesn’t compare to what we endured. Watching my daughter cry herself to sleep every night, hearing my granddaughter ask why she doesn’t have a dad… that is torture.”

He took a deep breath, then pointed to the door. “So do us all a favor. Leave. And don’t ever come back.”

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