Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose novel Chapter 129

**Healing Slowly But Surely**
*By R. Joseph*

**The Better Man**

Leilani.

For a fleeting moment, I stood there, utterly speechless, my mind racing with disbelief. Had Zevran truly lost his senses, or was there some bizarre cosmic force at play? The thought that he could actually believe I would stoop so low as to ‘make him jealous’ was absurd, almost laughable.

A deep frown etched itself onto my brow as I glared at him, and in that instant, a wave of melancholy washed over me. It struck me with a jarring clarity, a realization both painful and liberating: I no longer loved the triplets.

It was a strange sensation, almost akin to a dull ache, the remnants of feelings that had once burned brightly now replaced by an unsettling indifference. The occasional flicker of emotion, the remnants of our shared mate bond, felt more like echoes than genuine affection.

My gaze locked onto Zevran’s, his icy stare meeting mine with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. And yet, in that moment, I felt nothing—absolutely nothing.

With a newfound sense of defiance, I flashed him a smile that would have been impossible for me to muster in the past, straightening my posture as I spoke in a low, steady voice, “Are you completely out of your mind?”

Zevran recoiled as if I had physically struck him. His eyes darted across my face, searching for something—perhaps a trace of the affection that once existed. I bristled under his scrutiny, my discomfort evident as I scrunched my face and demanded, “What now?”

“Leilani, I asked you before. Were you trying to make me jealous?” he pressed, his voice laced with a mix of desperation and confusion.

“And who the hell do you think you are, that I would go to such lengths just to prove a point?” I shot back, ignoring the way his eyes widened and the crimson flush that crept up his neck and cheeks.

His expression darkened, but this time it was not fueled by anger; rather, it was something deeper, something akin to… hurt?

Is he truly hurt?

The irony of the situation threatened to bubble up inside me, and I almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. His gaze dropped, and in a hushed tone, he whispered, “You don’t mean that, do you?”

“I do,” I retorted, my voice sharper than I intended. “But I fail to see how that concerns you.” My words dripped with disdain, and I was taken aback when, instead of retaliating with anger, he simply looked defeated.

“We’re mates…” he murmured, as if that one statement could somehow resolve everything.

Rolling my eyes, I replied, “…and you shouldn’t be seeing other men while still bonded with us.”

At that moment, the sheer audacity of his words struck me. How could he be so oblivious? I had always known the triplets had their moments of foolishness, but this was a new level of ignorance.

This should have been the point where I reminded him that he and his brothers were doing the exact same thing with Chalice, but I decided against it. I sighed heavily, turning my gaze away from him, unwilling to lose any more brain cells trying to explain the obvious.

“You’re embarrassing yourself,” I finally said, noticing curious glances from other guests who had begun to take an interest in our escalating confrontation.

Jarek, having observed our exchange for some time, stepped closer, his sharp eyes focused on the way Zevran’s hand clutched my arm. “Let her go,” he commanded, his tone firm.

“With all due respect, the matter between us is solely ours,” Zevran hissed back, his voice low and dangerous. “She’s my mate, so if anyone should back off, it’s you.”

And how did I react to that?

Oh, I’d be more than happy to tell you.

I smacked his forehead with enough force that he flinched, shock written all over his face. A few nearby guests turned to gawk at us, but after I shot them a bright smile and then a glare at Zevran, they quickly turned away, eager to avoid our drama.

“You should be the one to back off! Now, let go of me!” I seethed, my patience wearing thin.

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