Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose novel Chapter 3

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

**Chapter 3: My Very Own Boogeyman**

Leilani.

The trembling coursed through my body like an electric current, each jolt reminding me of the years of torment I had endured. After all this time, my initial response to the sight of my father was an overwhelming wave of terror. It was a fear that clung to me, wrapping its cold fingers around my heart, making it nearly impossible to join my family for breakfast or dinner. The thought of sharing a meal with them felt like a cruel joke, and the library, once a sanctuary, now felt more like a prison. The training room, a place of strength, had become a realm I dared not enter.

Now, as I lay on the unforgiving cold floor of the hospital, my father loomed above me, a dark shadow. His sneer was a chilling reminder of the power he wielded over me. His eyes narrowed into slits, fierce and unyielding, as he planted his hands on his waist, demanding answers.

“What did you do to my mother?!” he growled, his voice a thunderous roar that echoed through the sterile halls, sending a cascade of shivers racing down my spine.

Instinctively, I shrank back, cowering under the weight of his fury. But then, the pain came—a brutal kick to my ribs that felt like the shattering of glass within me. The sickening crunch of my bones beneath his boot resonated in the stillness, and I cried out, my body convulsing as tears streamed down my cheeks and blood spilled from my lips.

“I didn’t do anything to grandma! Chalice pushed her!” The words tumbled out in a desperate plea, but the moment they left my mouth, the atmosphere shifted. A suffocating chill enveloped the room, and everyone froze, including Chalice, whose expression darkened.

“Why would you lie against me that way, Leilani?! You know I would never do anything to hurt grandma!” she wailed, her voice dripping with feigned innocence.

“Oh, but you did!” I shot back, my anger igniting. “You pushed her because you were mad at me! She stepped in to protect me, and you said that Caelum, Kael, and Zevran were your mates, that I had to stay away from them!”

“Chalice, I didn’t—!” I tried to defend myself, but she cut me off, her eyes blazing with accusation.

“Admit it, Leilani! You were jealous that they chose me! You wanted to hurt me, but you ended up hurting grandma instead, and now she’s dead!” Her words struck me like a dagger, twisting in my heart.

I felt stunned, my jaw slack with disbelief. Chalice had twisted the narrative, manipulating the truth to fit her own twisted version of events. I opened my mouth to protest, but the words failed me. I had stumbled upon the scene of her confrontation with grandma, but the details were a blur. A boy had slipped out of Chalice’s room, and chaos had erupted when grandma saw him. I had rushed in too late, and now the consequences were spiraling out of control.

*Crack!*

Another slap, another blow. The familiar sting of pain radiated through my face, and tears cascaded down my cheeks, my skin feeling as though it were pressed against a searing furnace. I barely had time to recover from the first strike before another landed, sending me crashing to the ground once more.

“Leilani, you’ll pay for this!” my father snarled, his voice a low growl filled with malice. “I’ll ensure you rot in jail for killing your grandmother. But first, I’ll make you suffer in my own way!”

His threats sent a tremor of fear coursing through me, and I felt the weight of dread settle heavily on my chest. Desperate, I stumbled to my feet, my arms trembling as they struggled to support me. My knees felt like jelly, threatening to buckle beneath me.

“Father, please! I didn’t do anything! I would never hurt grandma! You have to believe me!” I pleaded, my voice cracking under the strain of my desperation.

In a moment of sheer panic, I clung to his expensive suit, seeking some semblance of connection, but the moment my fingers brushed against the fabric, he shoved me away with such force that I was sent sprawling to the ground once more.

The back of my skull collided painfully with the wall, and I gasped, feeling the warmth of blood trickle down from the wound I now suspected was there. My vision blurred, and a wave of cold washed over me. Tiny stars danced in my line of sight, and I feared I was slipping into unconsciousness. Yet, no one cared. No one bothered to check on me, even as I slowly began to paint the floor crimson with my blood.

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