Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 152

The salty wind off the ocean stung her face, making her eyes water. All she could see was endless sea—a dull, monotonous expanse. She couldn't imagine why anyone would want to stare at it for long.

Honestly, it was even more boring than watching Carla's competitions.

She felt her resolve waver and tugged at Swain's sleeve.

"Hey, let's head back, okay? Carla's still competing. If she saw you there cheering her on, she'd be thrilled."

Swain kept walking, not even glancing her way.

"Let her have her competition. I already told you, I've got other things to deal with. If you want to go back and watch, go ahead. I just need some time alone to clear my head."

His words carried the chill of the sea breeze, edged with a cold, distant indifference.

Slater felt a surge of irritation.

Ever since the business with Seren, Swain had changed. He'd grown colder, not just toward Seren, but toward the whole family.

To Slater, it seemed unfair that the fallout from one person would taint the entire family. Sure, they'd made mistakes, but they'd recognized them. Seren cutting ties with them felt unnecessarily heartless, and now Swain was acting just as unreasonable.

He couldn't hold back his frustration.

"Seren's made her decision, and there's nothing any of us can do about it. But does that mean you have to take it out on the rest of us? Especially Carla—she's done nothing wrong, and you know it."

"And anyway, Seren's married into the Crestwell family now. Like it or not, she's an outsider to us. Carla's your real sister. How could you treat her like this?"

"An outsider?" Swain laughed, incredulous. Slater's blatant favoritism toward Carla was almost comical.

"So when Carla gets married someday, will you call her an outsider too?"

"That's not the same," Slater shot back, almost before Swain had finished.

"Isn't it? Seren and Carla are both your sisters. What exactly makes them so different?" Swain's voice sharpened, each question slicing through the pretense until Slater had no answer. Passersby on the boardwalk began to glance their way, drawn by the tension.

On their left, the sand stretched in endless silver bands, flanked by rows of palm trees. To their right, the park's roller coaster towered above the grounds, its bright cars chugging up to the highest peak before plunging down in a blur of screams. Even from a distance, the shrieks of exhilaration cut through the air.

Seren didn't even dare look at rides like that, let alone try them. Even just glancing in their direction made her palms sweat.

Lennon seemed to know this about her. He didn't ask if she wanted to go—he simply tightened his grip on her hand as they walked.

Vendors were scattered along the path, renting out bikes to tourists, but Seren preferred to take it slow. Pedaling past everything would only mean missing the little details—the way the breeze carried the scent of salt and sunblock, the way the light danced on the waves.

Hand in hand, they wandered past the palm-fringed sand, along the rocky cliffs where the surf crashed high, then back down to another stretch of smooth, sun-bleached beach.

As they passed the cliff's edge, Lennon gently guided her closer to the inside of the path, shielding her from the drop without a word.

They strolled on, losing track of time in the rhythm of the waves and the warmth of each other's company.

Seren was still marveling at the wild, open beauty of the coast when she looked up—and realized the towering Ferris wheel, which had seemed so far away just moments ago, now stood right before them.