Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 273

The rift that had formed between the mother and her two sons was temporarily forgotten. United by a common crisis, they searched every place Carla might have gone, but found no trace of her. As the hours dragged on, their faces grew grim.

Swain, in particular, was seething. He'd always known Carla was unreliable, but he never imagined she'd stoop this low. Not only had she conspired with Edwin, plunging Rutledge Group into chaos, but now she was running away when it was time to face the consequences. She had no sense of responsibility at all. Marrying Garfield was her chance to atone, but she clearly didn't care about the family's fate. They had always called Seren the ungrateful one, but now he saw that Carla was the real traitor.

The nights in Seaside City were always cold, but this one was particularly bitter. A fierce wind howled, feeling like blades of ice scraping against their skin. In the early hours of the morning, a freezing drizzle began to fall.

Slater, never the most patient of the two, felt his composure snap. "Mom, let's just go home," he said, his voice sharp with irritation. "If Carla is deliberately hiding, we could tear this whole city apart and not find her. We should just get some rest. It's late."

Zena was already exhausted from scrambling to save the company, and the fruitless search had frayed her nerves. Slater's whining was the last straw.

"Then you go home and lie in your bed!" she snapped, her face tight with anger. "You can't handle the slightest hardship. I'm ashamed to call you my son."

The atmosphere between them remained tense and silent. As exhaustion began to blur his vision, Slater looked at his mother's haggard face and his brother's dark expression. He thought of Carla, who was nowhere to be found; of Seren, who had cut ties with them all; and of his father, Thurman, who hadn't been home in ages.

Suddenly, he realized their family was crumbling. It felt as if a dark cloud had settled over them the day Seren left, and it had refused to lift ever since.