I regretted making Anita my concubine.
I regretted marking her.
I regretted every kiss, every night, every public display meant to stab into Olivia like a blade.
I regretted that I’d ever thought about marrying her just to hurt Olivia more.
It was petty. Cruel. And above all-it wasn’t me.
I glanced at Anita again. She was chatting with Louis now, trying to win him over with that fake laugh of hers. But even Louis looked bored.
I stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to drown out Anita’s voice as she giggled at something Louis clearly didn’t find funny. Her fingers were now playing with the edge of my blanket, like she owned the right to touch anything of mine.
Disgust curled in my gut. I couldn’t endure it anymore.
I pushed myself up slightly on the bed, ignoring the sharp ache in my side as I cleared my throat.
They all turned to look at me.
“I think I need to rest now,” I said, keeping my tone as neutral as possible. “The headache’s kicking in again.”
Louis arched a brow, seeing right through me. Levi gave me a nod, understanding. Anita, of course, pouted.
“Oh, but I just got here-“
“I know,” I cut in, not harsh but firmly. “But I need quiet. And I need space.
Alone.”
“But-“
“Anita,” Levi said suddenly, stepping in with a serious look. “Let him rest.
You heard him.”
She looked between the three of us as if she wanted to protest again, but something in my expression must have warned her off. Slowly, she stood, smoothing down her dress like she was some queen being dismissed.
“Fine,” she said, too sweetly. “I’ll come check on you later.”
“Don’t,” I said before I could stop myself.
An awkward Silence filled the air.
Anita stared at me, stunned. For once, no fake pout. No crocodile tears. Just shock.
“I need space, Anita,” I continued, my voice quieter now but firm. “Don’t take it personally. Just… give me time.”
She didn’t respond. Just nodded stiffly, then turned and walked out, her perfume lingering in the air.
Levi and Louis gave me a curious look.
“Are you okay?” Levi asked.
“Yeah… just need a moment alone,” I said.
They nodded and also left.
After they left, I settled back on the bed, my back against the headboard, and kept staring at the ceiling, my mind a tangle of mess. For a few minutes, I thought of Levi’s words, how he told me he wanted to start afresh with
Olivia…
I wondered If I could do that too.
Can I forgive her? I mean, can we forgive each other? She had hurt me, and
I had hurt her too.
As I lay there, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything-about Olivia, about the mess I’d made-my sharp hearing suddenly picked up something.
Voices.
At first, I thought I was imagining it. But then I heard it again-louder this time. One voice stood out clearly, even through the walls.
It was Olivia’s.
My heart skipped a beat. She sounded upset, maybe even angry. I didn’t know what she was saying, but I knew she was pissed.
Without thinking, I sat up quickly, pain shooting through my ribs. I clenched my jaw to stop myself from groaning. My body wasn’t ready to move yet-but I didn’t care.
I pushed off the bed, grabbed the nearest shirt, and forced it over my head. Every movement hurt, but I kept going.
I had to know what was going on, why she was yelling, who she was yelling at.
Olivia’s POV
I was taking a nap when suddenly I felt the door to my room was harshly pushed open, forcing me out of my morning nap.
While my eyes were half open, I noticed Anita storming towards me on the bed, and when she got to where I laid, she landed a hard slap right across my face. The pain shot through me, and for a moment I couldn’t understand it-I just remained on the bed, trying to process what had just happened. 2)
“Tell me, you slut, what witch did you visit? Huh? What spell did you cast on the triplets?” Anita spat in anger.
Anger boiled through my veins, and I slowly sat up on the bed, still trying to gather myself.
“You slut… tell me, what spell did you use? You did a spell so they hate me, right? Is that what you did?!” she yelled, and again, she landed another slap on my face.
Pain shot through my cheek again as Anita slapped me a second time. That was it. My anger exploded like fire inside me.
I jumped out of bed, my vision red with rage. I grabbed Anita by her hair, yanking her head back as she screamed.
“How dare you slap me?!” I yelled, dragging her across the room.
She kicked and fought to get away, but I was too strong. My wolf was out. My body shook with fury.
“You think I did a spell on them?!” I shouted. “You think I need a spell for
C them to hate you? You did that all by yourself!”
I slammed her face against the wall. Hard.
She screamed in pain, blood smearing across the wall from her nose.
“You bullied me for years,” I growled, pulling her back and smashing her again. “You spread lies! You laughed at my pain! And now you barge in here and hit me?!”
Her hands clawed at mine, trying to break free, but I didn’t stop. My wolf had taken over. I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.
“Help! Guards! Help me!” Anita screamed, her voice full of panic.
I didn’t care. I slammed her again. “You’re pathetic, Anita!”
Her blood was everywhere now-on the wall, on my hands, on her dress. She was crying, begging, but I couldn’t hear her.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Guards rushed in, followed by Louis, Levi-
And Lennox.
They all froze at the sight.
“Olivia, stop!” Levi shouted, running toward me.
But I wasn’t listening.
My hands were still tangled in Anita’s hair. I raised her face again, ready to slam her one more time-
“OLIVIA!” Lennox’s voice thundered through the room.
And that’s when I paused, breath heavy, chest rising and falling with anger.
My eyes met Lennox’s-and I saw the shock on his face. The disbelief. The
O concern.
Louis rushed forward and grabbed Anita away from me, holding her tightly. I stood there, breathing hard, my fists still clenched. My chest rose and fell like I had just run a marathon.
“What the hell are you doing, Olivia?!” Louis yelled as he cradled Anita in his arms.
Anita buried her face into his chest, sobbing loudly, her blood staining his clean white shirt.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.