Desired By Three Alphas Fated To One (Hailee) novel Chapter 261

Chapter 261: What Are You

Nathan’s POV

When I reached my room, I collapsed on the bed and shut my eyes. My whole body was consumed with pain from the poisoned injury that had been reopening, but none of that pain could compare to the pain inside my chest.

That one was worse.

Much worse.

It felt like something was tearing me apart from the inside.

And the worst part was knowing exactly why.

Here I was... letting go of the woman I loved more than anything.

Letting her walk out of my arms.

Letting her go to someone else because that was the only way she and her baby would live.

I rolled onto my back slowly.

The stitches pulled again, and I hissed, grabbing my side.

The room felt too quiet.

Too cold.

Too empty without her.

I covered my eyes with the back of my hand.

"I love you," I whispered into the darkness.

The words shook.

She couldn’t hear me, but I needed to say it somewhere.

My throat burned as I sucked in a shaky breath.

"She loves me too," I whispered bitterly.

"But it doesn’t matter."

Not anymore.

She was carrying another man’s child.

She needed that man’s mark to stay alive.

She needed someone else to protect her and their baby.

And me?

I couldn’t be selfish.

Even if my soul ached.

Even if my heart felt like it was bleeding.

I wiped my face roughly, not even sure if it was tears or sweat.

Maybe both.

A sharp pain shot through my ribs.

The wound was bleeding again—I didn’t have to check to know.

But I didn’t care.

I didn’t care about my body or the poison or the stitches.

I didn’t care about anything except the way she had looked at me when she said she loved me.

The way her voice shook.

The way her eyes softened.

That memory alone almost brought me to my knees.

I dragged a hand down my face.

"I should’ve fought harder."

But the truth stopped me.

Even if she stayed with me...

the baby still needed Callum.

Her life depended on him.

And I wasn’t going to be the reason she died.

I sat up slowly, elbows on my knees, staring at the floor like it could give me answers.

A quiet whisper left my lips.

"I’m letting you go because I love you... not because I want to."

A single tear slid down my cheek, slow and warm.

I didn’t wipe it away.

I didn’t try to hide it.

I just let it fall.

A soft knock came at the door.

I didn’t answer.

I didn’t move.

I just sat there, staring at the floor with my hands hanging uselessly between my knees, trying to breathe through a pain no healer in this world could fix.

The door opened anyway.

My father stepped inside.

He didn’t speak at first.

He just looked at me—really looked—and something in his expression shifted.

Maybe he saw how broken I was.

Maybe he finally understood what Hailee meant to me.

He came closer and let out a quiet sigh.

"Nathan," he said gently, "Hailee has always been your weakness."

My jaw tightened.

Of all the things he could have said...

Of all the things I didn’t want to hear...

My weakness.

He kept going.

"Even when you were young... you followed her like she was the only star in your sky. And now..." His voice softened, almost sad. "Now you finally have her love — and you’re losing her at the same time."

I swallowed hard and looked away.

"Father," I muttered, my voice rough, "not now."

But he didn’t listen.

"She’s carrying another man’s child," he continued quietly. "You have to let her go."

My breath shook.

He stepped closer, stopping right beside the bed.

My father sighed. "Son... fate has its own path. Sometimes—"

I snapped.

"Get out."

He blinked, startled. "Nathan—"

"I said get out," I repeated, louder this time, shaking with anger I barely controlled. "I don’t want advice. I don’t want pity. I don’t want to hear anything about fate."

My hands curled into fists.

"I want to be alone."

My father stood there for a moment — torn, searching my face for something he could fix.

He found nothing.

Slowly, he nodded and left.

After my father left, the room went silent again. Too silent.

I stared at the wall for a long time.

Minutes... hours... I wasn’t sure anymore.

All I knew was that the pain in my chest wasn’t easing.

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