Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose novel Chapter 67

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

Leilani’s fury was palpable.

Leilani.

The scene erupted into chaos, a swirling tempest of flashing lights and frenzied voices. The paparazzi, like a pack of wolves sensing their prey, snapped pictures with reckless abandon. As I slowly pulled myself away from Jarek, my heart pounding, he swiftly gathered my belongings, seized my arm, and we fled the hall with such urgency that it felt as though the very flames of hell were licking at our heels.

With every heartbeat, I could feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins as we barreled out into the night. I didn’t dare glance back at the triplets, those three faces that had haunted me for far too long. The weight of their gaze felt like four pairs of eyes boring into my back, as if they were lasers, piercing through my very soul.

The drive back to my house was shrouded in an eerie silence, broken only by the occasional buzz of my phone vibrating against my thighs as a torrent of messages flooded in. Jay’s eyes flickered between my phone and my face, a silent question hanging in the air, but he would eventually return his focus to the road, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

Then, almost as if the words were forced from him, he drawled, “Why?”

His question sliced through the silence, and I instantly understood what he was getting at. My head dropped in shame, the weight of his inquiry pressing down on me like a heavy blanket. “Why did you kiss me back there?”

The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. I had no words; I didn’t want to find any.

“Were you trying to make a point to your mates?” he continued, his voice laced with a mix of confusion and hurt. “You know, you felt bad when I kissed you earlier tonight. You asked me not to use you in that manner… but you did the same; worse even because you were the one who actually used me.”

The corners of my eyes flared with heat, a burning sensation that warned of tears threatening to spill. My tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of my mouth, heavy and unyielding. I longed to explain, to pull him close and apologize for my actions earlier, but the coldness in his tone held me back. It was a barrier I couldn’t breach, and I clenched my fists, gnashing my teeth, my head bowed as I fought against the tide of tears.

But I failed.

He pressed on, his voice steady yet filled with an undercurrent of frustration. “So now, are you going to ignore me, Leilani? Are you not going to say a word or try to explain what’s going on? See, Sweetcakes, I’m not even mad at you… I just want to understand what goes through your mind sometimes. I want to know what that was for.”

Suddenly, the words spilled from my lips like a dam breaking. “They cornered me in the bathroom stall.” The admission came out shaky, and I cursed myself for how vulnerable I sounded. The way he abruptly halted, nearly veering off the road, made me acutely aware of his attention.

“They WHAT?!” he exclaimed, his voice rising in pitch, an avalanche of curses following as he processed my words. “Who cornered you in the restroom?”

“My mates. Kael, Caelum, and Zevran. They threatened to hurt me because apparently, Chalice told them I had bullied her earlier tonight… And when I suggested they should reject me, they refused…” My voice faltered, the tears I had fought to suppress finally breaking free, cascading down my cheeks and soaking into my lap.

My hands trembled violently, and without a moment’s hesitation, Jay swerved the car to the side of the road, his concern palpable.

His eyes widened as he leapt from the car, rounding the vehicle to wrench open my door. He leaned in, and in that moment, his expression was fierce, almost predatory.

Goddess, his scent enveloped me, rich and intoxicating.

His voice was low, a growl that sent shivers down my spine. “Tell me everything.”

And like a compliant lamb, I complied. I recounted every detail, every painful moment, not daring to omit a single nuance.

My voice quaked as I added, “I always thought they were oblivious, that they had no idea what their words did to me. But today, they confirmed otherwise. It dawned on me that they know. They’ve always known. And their cruelty has been deliberate. Isn’t that just… cruel?”

A dark, dangerous glint flickered in Jarek’s eyes before he quickly masked it. He brushed his lips against my forehead in a gesture that was both tender and protective, then shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I know,” he murmured, his tone heavy with regret. “But I feel so powerless to help you right now. I want to, but I don’t know how… and it makes me feel weak. Like a coward. And I’m sorry.”

Perhaps it was the grief that clouded my judgment, or perhaps it was the overwhelming desire to turn the tables on the triplets that prompted me to lean closer, my eyes sparkling with a wild emotion I couldn’t quite identify. I looked up at Jay and purred, “You can help me.”

He froze, his expression shifting as he assessed my face, and then he shook his head, rigidly denying what I had suggested.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I am their mate, as they are mine,” I whispered, my heart racing at the admission, hating myself for having to spell it out so plainly.

Jarek’s grip on the back of my seat turned white-knuckled, a clear sign of his rising agitation. “Yes, you are.”

“And if I sleep with someone else but them, they’ll feel it just like I do.”

He ground his teeth together, his gaze dropping to the steering wheel, the weight of my words settling heavily between us.

“Yes.”

“So sleep with me, Jay.” The words spilled from my lips, shocking both of us. “I promise not to get too attached. I won’t make a fuss or complicate things between us. I just want them to experience the pain I’ve felt all these years… and I want them to reject me.”

The silence that enveloped us was deafening, a chasm of unspoken thoughts and emotions. His eyes darted between mine and my lips, and after a moment of hesitation, he pulled away, shaking his head. “No, Leilani.”

“Please, Jay.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify