Your Regrets Mean Nothing To Me novel Chapter 3

Anger flickered in Torin's eyes as he watched the harsh comments scroll past. The earlier detachment in his expression had completely vanished.

"She never owed me that rescue," he said, voice hardening. "I was her brother. Protecting her should have been my—" The words caught in his throat, refusing to emerge.

Fenwick and Caellan stared, startled by this uncharacteristic display of emotion.

"Torin, remember what she did later," Caellan pressed urgently. "To you, to all of us, to Rowena."

A heavy sigh escaped Torin as memories flooded back. "You're right. Still, I'll seek a reduced sentence. Prison might change her."

*****

The memory stream continued its relentless revelation of the past. On the screen, the kidnapper loomed over Elysia, deliberately slowing his pace as he approached. "Still hoping for rescue?" he sneered.

She lay exhausted on the asphalt, yet her thoughts remained fixed on protecting her brother. "Please, take me if you must, but leave my brother alone."

His laughter cut like broken glass. "Keep dreaming, brat."

He seized her by the neck, lifting her tiny body high. She thrashed against his grip, finally sinking her teeth into his arm in desperation.

His howl of pain sent the scene spinning violently before darkness claimed it. The viewers collectively gasped as the visual feed cut to black, leaving them with only audio - a testament to Elysia's semi-conscious state after the fall. Through the darkness, her enhanced hearing picked up every sound.

"Shit... a fall from this height... she's done for. Better make a call." The kidnapper's voice was tight with panic.

A phone's dial tone pierced the darkness with perfect clarity.

[How does she have such insane hearing? Picking up phone calls at that distance?]

[She heard everything in the truck too.]

[The producers must be doctoring this footage to make her look sympathetic.]

The accusations of manipulation hung heavy in the virtual space until a quiet "No" from Fenwick drew every eye in the studio.

"Her hearing was... exceptional," he continued, his voice softening with the memory. "Once at home, she told me about a neighbor quarreling with his wife. Said she could hear a baby crying."

Fenwick drew a measured breath. "I called the police. They found the potential abuse victims—in a house half a mile away. I never told anyone but our parents."

[That's impossible! I can barely hear someone thirty feet away.]

[So she saved two more people with this gift?]

Fenwick's fists clenched unconsciously. 'Yes,' he thought bitterly. 'She saved Torin and those strangers with that gift. Then used the same ability to destroy me and Rowena.'

Seeing Fenwick's distant expression, Caellan delivered a sharp kick. "Don't let her fool you like she did Torin. Her suffering is nothing compared to Rowena's."

"Why should this witch walk free while Rowena lies comatose?" he added venomously.

Displeasure and disdain contorted Fenwick's features as he was kicked. "Enough," he said. "I know exactly what kind of person she is. My pity has its limits, and it certainly doesn't extend to her."