Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose novel Chapter 131

131 /142

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

Not as planned.

Leilani.

A searing pain radiated from my cheek, so intense that for a fleeting moment, my vision blurred, the world around me fading into a haze before clarity returned.

When I finally focused, my gaze locked onto the face of the one responsible for the blow. It was Caelum. The jerk.

Yet, what truly infuriated me was the thought of him getting away with such an act unscathed. In a moment of impulsive defiance, I pulled my hand back and slapped him back with a force that exceeded his own. The satisfaction of witnessing his expression shift from smugness to shock was worth every ounce of anger that coursed through me.

“Leilani!”

A chorus of gasps erupted from the crowd. The onlookers seemed genuinely astonished that I would dare to strike an Alpha. In our society, such an act was almost sacrilegious, but at that moment, I couldn’t care less.

Not when Chalice’s crazed eyes were fixed on me.

Earlier, she had approached me with a saccharine smile, her words dripping with false sweetness as she suggested we bury the hatchet. I had seen through her façade immediately; her desperation was palpable, as if she feared I might uncover the secrets she had buried deep within.

Little did I realize that her supposed olive branch was just another one of her twisted games, and now I was painted as the villain in this chaotic tableau. To everyone watching, I was the monster who had harmed a pregnant woman.

Yes, she had claimed to be pregnant.

But since when?

Was this yet another fabrication?

I was jolted from my spiraling thoughts when someone nudged me aside. I looked up to find Kael standing protectively in front of me, his body forming a barrier between Caelum and me.

What just happened?

“Caelum, behave!” he hissed, his voice low but fierce. “Stop this madness at once.”

“You call what I’m doing madness?” Caelum growled, his anger palpable. “You think I’m the one being unreasonable? I’m merely protecting our woman!”

I stood frozen, my heart racing as I watched Kael inch closer to Caelum, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

Our eyes met over Kael’s shoulder, and just as Caelum swung his fist again, Zevran intervened, seizing his wrist before the blow could land on me.

I gasped.

Am I dreaming?

“Caelum…” Zevran’s voice dripped with menace, “…don’t forget why we’re here. If you strike her in front of all these witnesses, you can kiss your precious investments goodbye.” His words hung in the air, and I nodded, understanding dawning on me.

A small, almost mischievous smile crept onto my face as I realized their motivations. They weren’t protecting me out of a sense of justice; they were doing it to maintain their own reputations. To appear as heroes… to secure their investments.

I was furious, but I also felt a strange sense of vindication.

I pushed away from Kael’s protective stance and turned to face Chalice, who looked as though she had swallowed something bitter.

Well, I suppose she hadn’t anticipated the backlash when she had stabbed herself in the leg with a fork.

I spat, “Chalice, we both know I didn’t do this to you.”

She rolled her eyes, turning her back on me, her sobs muffled as she cried, “You did, Leilani! I’m so exhausted from your constant targeting!”

Rage coursed through me, and alongside it, an overwhelming urge to slap some sense into her. But I restrained myself, knowing I had to maintain my composure. “Then let’s check the cameras!”

Maya appeared beside me, her eyes filled with malice as she added, “Yes, let’s check the cameras! This isn’t the first time our little Barbie doll here has pulled a stunt like this!”