CHAPTER 166: CUT ME DOWN (2)

Georgia’s POV

As I sat there, stunned and speechless, the waiters appeared, laying down plates of beautifully arranged dishes between us. The aroma was divine, but my appetite had vanished. My throat felt tight, as if my tongue had deserted me entirely.

The moment the waiters left, Violet leaned back, her gaze sharp and unyielding.

"I’ll be honest with you, Ms. Lewis. My husband and I do not like you."

The words landed like a slap. I had braced myself for this possibility—it might even be the very reason she had summoned me here. But knowing didn’t soften the sting.

I’d never faced anything like this before. Raymond’s parents had welcomed me warmly once; his mother even treated me like her own daughter... until everything fell apart.

So why, without reason, did Nick’s mother look at me as though I was unworthy of breathing the same air?

Her voice cut through my thoughts.

"You are not the woman we want for our son. So, break up with him. Tonight."

My hands curled into fists beneath the table. I steadied my breath and lifted my chin. "I’m sorry, Mrs. Knight, but I can’t do that." The words slipped out softly, almost a whisper, but firm enough that she heard every syllable.

My voice quivered against the weight of tears threatening to fall, but I didn’t let them.

Violet’s expression hardened, her eyes flashing with disdain. "What? You dare defy me—and my husband? Are you out of your mind? We are Nicholas’s parents. We will never accept you into this family. So you’d better end it now!"

Her voice rose, sharp and commanding, drawing the curious eyes of other diners toward our table. The elegant restaurant, moments ago hushed and private, now buzzed with whispers.

And there I was, sitting across from the formidable Mrs. Knight, holding my ground even as the entire room seemed to lean in to hear if I would break.

"I don’t believe I’ve done anything to deserve your dislike, Mrs. Knight. Nick is old enough to make his own choices about his life. I respect your opinion, but I don’t think the challenges my company is facing right now are enough reason for you to hate me," I said in one steady breath.

On the outside, I held my ground, shoulders squared and voice even. But inside, my pulse was pounding so fast I could barely hear myself think. Every word I spoke felt like stepping on thin ice. I wasn’t sure if it would hold or crack beneath me.

Violet’s lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile. It was sharper, colder.

"That’s the thing, Ms. Lewis. You don’t need to do anything for us to hate you. Your family is enough." Her voice lashed at me, crisp and merciless.

"Have you forgotten the disgrace your brother brought upon us? We are still carrying that shame! And you—audacious enough to think you belong with Nick when your very blood nearly destroyed him. Do you know the pain your brother caused? The depression he dragged Nick into?"

Her words cut deeper with every sentence, but she wasn’t finished.

"And as if that weren’t enough, you humiliated the Davises. That family bent over backwards to help your company, even offered to save it for you—and you repaid them by throwing their son into jail. You ungrateful brat! Nothing you do will ever erase that. Nothing will make us accept you. So stay away from our son!"

The restaurant air turned heavy, almost suffocating, and I sat there gripping my napkin under the table until my knuckles ached.

So that was it. The truth behind her disdain.

A part of me understood her rage—it made sense now, all of it. But another part of me burned with the urge to defend myself, to scream that she didn’t know the whole story.

I wanted to tell her what really happened with Raymond. I wanted to swear to her that I didn’t believe Nick killed my brother.

But how could I? How could I explain, when for years I let myself hate Nicholas Knight without knowing the truth—while he and his family were the ones silently bearing a heavier pain than mine?

I lowered my head, forcing my voice to stay calm.

"I’m sorry that Nick was wrongly accused, Mrs. Knight, but it wasn’t me who put him there. The police named him as the main suspect—I had no control over that. All I could do was watch the case unfold." My throat tightened, but I pushed through. "B-But I believe now... I believe he’s innocent, and I—"

The sharp scrape of a chair cut me off. My head snapped up just as Violet rose from her seat, her movements clipped and final.

"I’ve lost my appetite," she declared, her tone slicing through the hushed chatter of the restaurant. "You can finish your food. It’s already paid for." She paused, her eyes pinning me down like I was nothing more than a nuisance she wanted erased.

"And Ms. Lewis," her voice dropped, cold and stern, "don’t ever show your face near us again. We don’t want you at the upcoming event. We’ve already chosen a woman for Nicholas—someone who is a perfect match for our family. So stay away. Stay away from our son... and from our name."

The words hit me like a slap, leaving me rooted to my chair while she swept out of the restaurant, heels clicking against the floor like a judge’s gavel. I sat there, staring at the untouched meal before me, my appetite gone long before hers.

A single tear slipped down my cheek, and I brushed it away before anyone else could notice. I lifted my hand to call the waiter over and forced a small, steady smile.

"Hi... could you please give these dishes to the crew? They’re clean and untouched. Or... you can throw them out if that’s easier. I’m sorry for the trouble."

The waiter looked at me kindly, and he was hesitant. "Ma’am, are you sure? I can pack them for you so you can take them home."

I shook my head and offered a faint smile, though my lips trembled at the edges.

"No, it’s okay. I’m not hungry. Thank you, though. Have a good night."

Before he could say more, I stood and walked out. I hurried through the doorway, through the parking lot, through the suffocating weight pressing against my chest, until I reached my car.

The moment I sat inside and shut the door, the dam broke. Tears poured down, hot and unstoppable, streaming like waterfalls I couldn’t contain.

I bit my lip to keep from sobbing out loud, but it was useless. The ache in my chest burned sharply, a pain unlike anything I’d ever felt before. It wasn’t just sadness—it was rejection, humiliation, heartbreak all at once. And it hurt... it hurt so much I could barely breathe.

All I could think of was Nick. Should I tell him this? But I do, it might just trigger a fight between them, and I don’t want that.

Should I reach out to his parents even before he formally introduces me so that they would change their mind about me? I just don’t know what to do at this point.