I swallowed hard, my heart beating a little faster.
“I’ve seen many mates in my life,” he said. “Some find love in peace. Others find it in pain. But the strongest ones? They’re the ones that survive the hard times.”
He paused, then looked right at me.
“Don’t think the triplets didn’t love you… just because they messed up. Don’t confuse the mistakes of the boys… with the absence of love.”
He leaned a little closer, his voice softer now.
“Sometimes, the wolf that hurt you… is the same one that would die to protect you.” Then he stepped back, nodded once, and walked away-leaving me standing there…
With his words echoing in my head.
And my heart… feeling more torn than ever.
Damien returned immediately, his eyes narrowing the moment he looked at me.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, tilting his head slightly, watching my face too closely.
I gave him a small nod, forcing a smile. “Yes. I just… I need some air.”
He frowned. “Now?”
“Yes,” I said firmly. “Just for a minute. I’ll be back soon.”
He looked as if he wanted to argue, but I didn’t give him the chance. It walked away before he could say anything else. ed and
I weaved through the crowd, past the music and laughter, past the dancing and soille that all felt fake now. My chest was tight. My thoughts were spinning
Finally, I reached the doors that led outside.
The night air hit me the second I stepped out. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes… my thoughts spinning. Why did that man say those words to ine, and why can’t I get them off my mind?
“Olivia.” I heard a voice call from behind, and a big frown spread across my face. Without turning around, I knew who it belonged to.
Turning around, my eyes interlocked with Anita’s. I glared at her and couldn’t help but notice the drastic change in her. The once boastful Anita looked like a shadow of herself. She looked thinner, worn down. Her eyes… they were dull, lifeless. For a second, I wondered what had happened to her.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked softly, stepping closer.
I raised a brow. The mighty Anita… brought down to this?
Anita, who used to walk like a proud peacock, always with her nose in the air, acting like she owned the world. Even the maids used to scatter when she passed.
But now?
She looked… small. Like a candle flickering in the wind.”
“What could you possibly have to say to me?” I asked coldly, folding my arms.
She sighed a little but kept her eyes on me. “I know I don’t deserve your time, Olivia. But please… just hear me out. One minute. That’s all I ask.”
I hesitated.
A part of me wanted to walk away. To tell her she had no right to get my attention. That she deserved all that is coming her way and it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
But another part… the part that still remembered our past… stayed rooted in place. This girl was once my best friend… I loved her… I saw her as the sibling I never had. I shared my dearest secrets. Even when I realized I was developing strange “elings for the triplets… she was the only one I told… sadly she never saw me even as a friend…
“One minute,” I said flatly.
Olivia’s POV
Anita took a shaky breath and stepped closer, wringing her fingers. “Can you ever forgive me?” she asked, her voice trembling.
I stared at her, not saying anything yet.
Forgive her? Over my dead body.
“I know I hurt you so badly,” she went on, her eyes beginning to shine with tears. But I wasn’t moved by it because it could be fake.
“But everything I did… it came from jealousy. You were always just… special, Olivia. You walked into a room and everyone noticed. You didn’t even try, yet people still saw you.”
She looked down, her hands twisting nervously.
“You were beautiful, talented, kind. People listened when you spoke. They cared about you.
I felt invisible next to you.”
My frown deepened. I never noticed this… I never felt special… except with the triplets, who made me feel that way.
“I’m so sorry.” She choked on her tears.
My chest tightened, a part of me remembering the friend I used to have in her.
“I thought you loved me,” I said quietly. “We were supposed to be like sisters. What happened?”
She winced at my words like they physically hurt.
“It started with Drake,” she whispered.
I blinked. “Drake?”
She nodded slowly, not meeting my eyes. “You remember back when we were younger… I had the biggest crush on him. I even wrote him a letter. Poured my heart out in it.”
I remembered that. She told me he rejected her. But that was all.
“What does Drake have to do with you hating me?”
Anita swallowed hard. “I was too humiliated. He didn’t just say he liked someone else. He looked me in the eye and told me he liked you.”
My eyes widened.
I had no idea.
“He said you were the only girl who caught his attention,” she went on. “Said you were different. I hated hearing that. I felt so… worthless.”
I opened my mouth but didn’t know what to say.
“I wanted to hate him,” Anita continued. “But instead… I turned that hate toward you. I told myself you didn’t deserve him. That you were just lucky. And it didn’t stop there.”
She finally met my eyes again.
“I started seeing how the triplets looked at you too. How Levi always watched you when he thought no one noticed. How Louis followed you with his eyes. How Lennox… well, he was the hardest to read. But he changed around you.”
I stood still, speechless.
“I thought if I could make them like me instead… maybe I could finally win. Be seen. So even when I discovered my father was going to set our father I could have alerted as an advantage… they told me once my father becomes the next Beta that I will be adored even by the triplets. So I agreed with their plans and turned my back on you.” you, but I didn’t… and then my parents used up
I swallowed hard.
“And when I realized there was a rift between you and them, I used it as my advantage… I had no idea what made them hate you, but I utilized it…”
I frowned… is she implying she had no idea about the letters sent to them?
She wiped a tear quickly from her cheek.
“I know none of it was right,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “I ruined everything. I lost the only real friend I had. And even now… I still lost. Because even after all the damage, they still love you.”
She seemed sincere, but I couldn’t ignore the one thing that didn’t sit right.
“The letters…” I said slowly, my brow raised with curiosity. “Are you saying… you didn’t send them?”
Anita’s eyes widened. She shook her head quickly. “No. I swear, Olivia. I had no idea about those letters. Not until everything blew up and they were exposed.”
My eyes narrowed, watching her face carefully for any sign of a lie. But all I saw was fear… and regret.
“I did a lot of things,” she admitted. “I manipulated, I lied, I betrayed you. But the letters? That wasn’t me. I found out just like everyone else when it was brought up. I was shocked.”
I folded my arms tightly over my chest, still not letting my guard down. “Cut the act, Anita. Tell me what you want. Why are you really apologizing?”
Anita’s lips parted but then closed again, hesitation all over her face.
I scoffed. Of course. Her apology came with a price. She wanted something.
“Anita, I don’t have the whole day… I have to go back to the party.” I said, already sounding impatient.
Anita’s lips parted like she wanted to say something, but then closed again. Her eyes darted to the ground, then back to me.
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.